At what age can my Pekins hit the big pond?

[dpenning]

my big kids have been coming out of the duck pen to play in their yard and baby pool I have fenced off but I’m wondering what age is safe to let them out onto my 5 acre pond?

 

[BlackHackle]

It depends on personal preference. I normally let my ducks free range right from the egg.

But the area in Alberta I am in is almost completely pest free

 

[chickens really]

Predators are everywhere so that is a decision you need to feel comfortable with. I personally keep mine penned with daily free range time..

 

[Miss Lydia]

Yep I always envy folks with huge ponds but if I had one I probably wouldn't want my water fowl on it after seeing what snapping turtles can do and then all the other predators out there lurking. Everyone is right it is a decision you have to be comfortable with. Getting them home to a secure house is another thing to think about.

 

[dpenning]

So the big ducks are seven weeks and the five smaller ones are four weeks. It I’d hard to tell but the picture with the pool shows them in their little yard that has chicken wire at the t-post but you can see how far it is to the big pond.

Next week I’m going to move the temporary fence from where it is and run it from the house to the pond and start letting them free range. The food will stay in their pen in hopes I can ge. Them to come back at night. It will be interesting to see how long it takes them to find the big pond.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Let us know how it goes . Beautiful place.

 

[dpenning]

Let us know how it goes . Beautiful place.

I will, thanks.

 

[emmec19]

We only have three ducks, and we let them loose around 3-4 months, just because that's what felt right. They always came off the water around dusk, and sometimes we have had to shoo them into their barn, but now a few month later and they are putting themselves in the barn every night. We did have a short span where a new duck showed up on our pond and they would not go to bed, but other than that it's all been easy peasy.

 

[Miss Lydia]

That's an exception not the rule with how many have been on here saying once their ducks found the pond they couldn't get them off it for night time. That's great yours did.

 

[dpenning]

I wouldn’t mind if they stay on the water all night as long as they do and not just go to the bank at night where they would be coyote bait.