A Question For Those Who Freerange Their Ducks - Please Advise

[teach1rusl]

I'm a chicken person, so am coming to you duck people for advice. My SIL/BIL recently bought a few ducks (2 rouns, a runner, and something else I'm unsure of) to keep on the small lake that borders our property (they live across the lake). To be quite honest, they started with 6 ducks and dropped down to 4 overnight because they literally brought them home and dumped them at the lake...no pen, no shelter, no acclimation to new surroundings, etc.

After losing the two, they accepted my offer of a loaned covered dog run, dog house "coop," a baby pool, and some advice on keeping them in the run for a few days so that they'd get used to their new home (I figured if it works for chickens it'd most likely work that way with ducks). They now seem to want to do things "right" in making sure these little ducks stick around for a while.
So the plan is that the ducks will eventually "freerange" around the lake area during the day, but be penned at night, for safety from raccoons/coyotes. My SIL brought up a point that I'd like feedback/advice about. Our main daytime predator (for ducks) would be stray/running dogs. She thinks that after the ducks begin freeranging, she should shut the run door during the day, because she's worried that if a stray dog wandered by and went after them, the ducks might automatically head toward the run and be trapped...that if their only option for safety was the lake, then they'd head that way.
In your experience, will ducks generally head toward water if daytime dangers are present?? I would think the run should be left open during the day, but maybe it doesn't matter??? I do as much as I can to keep my chickens safe, and would like to see her ducks be safe as well. What would you advise???
Thank you for you help!

 

[zooweemama]

I free range during the day. I open the coop doors up in the morning and I herd them to their coop just before dusk every night. I do this for their safety. Domestic dogs, raccoons, skunk, fox, wild cats (mt lion/bobcat type cats)...and a number of other predators find ducks tasty. Ducks cannot fly up into a tree like a chicken could in a pinch- so they are literally 'sitting ducks'. They rely on us to protect them since they cannot fly or defend themselves. I personally recommend they let them out after several days in their run- but during the day and herd them back to their run/coop at night using peas (ducks love peas. it's like crack to them.) as a trail (like hansel and gretel) to entice them to their coop/run. Also if their coop is large enough to house them overnight- I recommend shutting them completely in. What material is the run made of? Does it have a roof or secure top? Just as we secure our chickens at night- we also secure our ducks just as safely.

Oh and what we did: for about a week we kept the ducks IN their coop (ours is 10x10 so they had some space), every evening we brought them peas and supper. After a week we let them out and set their pools up by their coop. We repeated this routine, using long sticks to herd them into the coop. After a couple weeks- we let them go to the pond. We still have to herd them 50% of the time to their coop, the other 50% they come to it looking for supper. LOL Oh and not to mention many predators will happily swim to catch a sleeping duck on a pond.

 

[jdywntr]

X2 they need to be kept locked up 24/7 for at least a week so that they know where home is. Feeding in the evening will entice them to come back for food and start a routine for them.

I recently started free ranging all of my birds (chickens, ducks and geese) outside of their fenced area. In the morning, I let them out of the coop and open the entrances at both ends of their main run (that way if something came in they have an exit) I then unhook the fencing that is attached to their run so that they have access to most of the property. They have about 2.5 acres to roam but can't get into the pasture which is larger but has horses etc in it. The house sits in the middle of the area they can go. They have only wandered about halfway down the drive (there's about 1.5 acres in front of the house). I was very nervous the first day but all is going well.

I would leave the door open during the day to their house. Most of mine go in under their shade shelters during the main heat of the day. The chickens return to the coop to lay too.

 

[CelticOaksFarm]

Here is one no one asked, how old are these ducks?

 

[Going Quackers]

I agree with the rest! When i did free range i left there barn door open... however i can see the concern of the run being open and them being cornered, it's a valid point.

I miss free ranging but i have to fence mine in after two loses... i still have two birds who fly out.. but they can fly so well so i hope for the best, i refuse to clip their wings.. it's the only defense they have.

 

[zooweemama]

Here is one no one asked, how old are these ducks?

LOL Good questions. I assumed since they put the ducks on the pond they had feathers but I shouldn't assume that.

 

[teach1rusl]

Oh, the ducks are of decent age...the two rouns are a year old, and I was told that the other two were 8 - 10 weeks, but they're almost as large as most adult mallard ducks, so I would think they're older than that???

The run I loaned is chain link, about 8 x 12 ft. It has 1" chicken wire added around the lower 24 inches of its sides. The roof/ceiling is covered with 2x4 welded wire. Overall, I feel it's pretty secure...at least against animals raccoon size or larger. The little doghouse wouldn't really be large enough to lock the ducks inside it, so it's left open. But the pen is latched each evening.

Her concern was whether to leave the run door open during the day, once they begin freeranging them, because she was afraid they might run to the run (and be cornered) if chased by strays, rather than run to the lake.

I do appreciate your alls input!

 

[zooweemama]

Oh, the ducks are of decent age...the two rouns are a year old, and I was told that the other two were 8 - 10 weeks, but they're almost as large as most adult mallard ducks, so I would think they're older than that???

The run I loaned is chain link, about 8 x 12 ft. It has 1" chicken wire added around the lower 24 inches of its sides. The roof/ceiling is covered with 2x4 welded wire. Overall, I feel it's pretty secure...at least against animals raccoon size or larger. The little doghouse wouldn't really be large enough to lock the ducks inside it, so it's left open. But the pen is latched each evening.

Her concern was whether to leave the run door open during the day, once they begin freeranging them, because she was afraid they might run to the run (and be cornered) if chased by strays, rather than run to the lake.

I do appreciate your alls input!

Oh I'd def leave it open. If something chases them in there they will usually make a load of noise. Hopefully someone would hear. I do not have a run, just a coop and I leave it open. I also do this for my chickens- coop and run are wide open during the day even though they get to free range.

 

[animalz11]

All of my ducks I have raised from Ducklings, and of course, it took them a few weeks to let me get in the coop with them without them runny frantically, so I left the ducks in their coop until they realised I was not a threat and would follow me around the sides of the pen and come to me when I called, only them I would let them out.
I'm not so sure of this will work as well with adult ducks as they are past the imprinting stage, but I would certainly suggest giving it a go.

But due to the poor and confusing design of the run which I bought online, we had to swap the side with the door with the side without, so the only way to get to the ducks is to lift them out, althought they were petrified at first, they will still come to me when I call (my call is DUCK DUCK DUCK DUCK DUCK really loud like the ducklings used to do when they were hungry and they saw me, anyways, it worked). But I find they trust you more if you have a door you can just open for them.

So I'd probably suggest your friend leaving them in their coop for a while so they know thay is their home, then letting them out once they have some trust and faith in humans, or... you could always use peas to lure them in.

Hope I helped.