I got chickens and ducks this spring, both for the first time, and I am so in love with my cute little (filthy) ducks. I'd planned on free ranging them on my 15 acres, then I remembered my neighbors, about a half mile down the road have about a 2 acre pond. Are my ducks going to leave me for a new family? I have two pekings, two mallards, and they have been so much fun I'm hoping to get some Welsh Harlequins this week.
Hello!! I don't know if they will wander that far. I would keep them enclosed for a few days on the property so they know where to eat and drink, then let them roam. Mine are penned so I don't have to worry. Maybe someone else has more experience free ranging ducks..
I'm guessing that if you don't have a pond, they will probably spend their days feeding in your neighbor's and then come home to sleep at night.
Mine free range my backyard, fenced, but I would think if you give them a few wading pools they could be just as happy. Mine don't know any different and think they are in heaven ;-)
We have 4 ponds scattered on our 160 acres and the closest is maybe 300 yards or so from the buildings and neither my ducks or geese know it exists and therefor no one ever tried to go there. I am happy they don't go there, the coyotes around here are bad and both the mallards and canada geese never manage to rear any offspring around any of our ponds since the coyotes either end up eating the females off the nests or destroy the eggs. 1 pair of Mallards have faithfully been trying to rear ducklings for the past 6 yrs, no success yet. I hope to find her nest this year and rear those ducklings myself.
If they find it, I would think they would most definitely go there. Mallards can fly, so you might want to keep their wings clipped if you didn't pinion them. I doubt the pekins would wander that far, if they did they probably won't come back. If the mallards find it they could lure the pekins away. Make sure you have some type of water for them to play in, and maybe they won't wander. And clip the mallards wings.
your mallards may leave... I had some a few years back and are now the subdivision mascotts... they visit everones ponds and raise there young... everyone watches for them when they are driving down the road...
Ha! Ha! I really had to laugh at this! Our neighbor's ducks spend most of their time in the creek behind our house! It's great! I get to see them and feed them. They swim by sometimes when I'm up in a treestand hunting! I just sit and watch the show! Yup, it's wonderful! (The neighbor's property is about a mile away!)
The mascovy ducks that I bought about seven years ago return to our place every winter. I am surprised that they know exactly where we live. I love to see them come in for a landing. It is like a jet landing...so smooth.
