Can I let them out?

[desertdarlene]

Raccoons are everywhere, you just don't see them. Your ducks will be much safer if you, at least, have a predator-proof night pen. Predators will get your ducks otherwise mostly because they can't fly and they have some of their wild instincts bred out. They may not get them right away and might not get them for a year or two, but they will get them.

 

[Tivona]

One thing to keep in mind is that even if you don't have certain predators such as raccoons currently, they will show up in time due to the smell of the birds. Just no way around this. Predators are always searching for a meal and the smell of the birds will attract them. Sadly its just a matter of time. There are always raccoons or opossums or bobcats or birds of prey that will spot or smell them and move in, in hopes of a meal. The only way to deal with them is to make sure that the birds are safely enclosed, particularly at night.

 

[Miss Lydia]

I promise you, south Georgia has a healthy population of coons, bobcats,. fox, coyote, and possum, just to name some. I have lost birds to fox and coyotes, and have seen or even trapped the rest. A brown bear was trapped and removed from a nearby town. I would not be surprised if there are also some type of cougar here. There are loads of gators in this area. I would be surprised if an established pond did not have snapping turtles sooner or later, or other species of turtles large enough to at least injure a duck. Dogs are abandoned regularly here. I would love to put ducks on the pond on my property but I know they would not live long.

Thank you flockwatcher, I think folks think, if they don't see any predators there aren't any.