Do you free range your ducks? Why or Why not?

[RoyalHillsLLC]

I freerange and muscovies can fly so they occasionally get broody and disappear outside the protected area. I am missing two right now and am afraid they nested too far from home. That's a risk you take when you freerange. My pekins never get more than 50 feet from their pen.

 

[Swamp]

Last night none of my free range muscovies wanted to come in. I think they like their pond/swamp. The food trick doesn't seem to work because they aren't hungry at night.

 

[Wifezilla]

Too many yummy bugs, frogs, minnows and other tasty treats in that little swamp

 

[Swamp]

Yes, and then they spend a good portion of time on the western edge preening and sunning themselves. Oh well, I'll see them again when the snow starts to fly.

 

[Lalaith]

I just have to say...What a beautiful swamp! I'm working on reclaiming some wetlands that were drained about 50 years ago. I'd think it's prime duck habitat

 

[Alpacamama]

It wasn't my choice but my ducks free range. They figured a way out of every fence I put up so I just let them do their thing. I haven't had any problems and they also decided they didn't like their fancy house I had built for them so they stay in the barn with the big animals. I didn't want them to stay with in the barn because it's not as secure as the house and I lost a couple of chickens. But they hang out with the donkeys and even if a cat comes too close the donkeys will chase them away. I just go outside when it's time for bed and yell "nite, nite" and they come running. I just added two more ducks and they just followed the flock. I just make sure that there is always food in their pen when they arrive or they will turn right around and go back outside.

 

[LoveMyBirds]

Quote:
I have 6 ducks total left at the moment.. I have a Pond near and in front of my house. In the summer I sometimes leave them out at night.. But I throw some corn for them late in the evening to intice them to hang around.

Since it's rainy and wet here there's lots of water.. So they like to frre range over a wider area now..

I keep my eye on them hoping they don't get to far..

As for herding them back at night.. No problem once they get use to it..

To make it easy... get 2 long slim sticks or some light rod to carry . This will act as a guide and works great.. I mostly use that on my turkeys though..

 

[new mum]

had the same question in the back of my mind for when they are bigger, but I think ours will free range.when we first had chickens as a nervous new owner I kept them in the run but soon decided it was worth raking the chance with mr fox so they could be happier. we have put chicken wire all round the garden boundary (and around the veg patch) to keep them on our land but basically they are left to it during the day. this has resulted in them being much happier and in tip top condition so i reckon after a while the ducks will get the same. we live in rural area so foxes can be a problem but I tend to keep an eye out nd also the dog barks like crazy if anyone or anything approaches.

 

[Laney]

We currently have 5 ducks free range on our pond. We throw cracked corn out for them in the AM. They are not tame at all. There are 2 female pekins, 1 mallard, 1 khaki campbell, and one I have no idea but is also a drake. They give the poor Pekins no rest.

We also had 4 geese free range as well. However, the females got the roaming bug and would take the flock wandering across the street. One female we found dead near the pond one morning. Possibly eggbound. The other unfortunately got hit by a car crossing the road.

So one of the poor harassed Pekin hens decided she is now a goose. The ganders protect her from the drakes and they don't feel so lonely anymore.

We have been unable to find any eggs despite our search of the pond edge and the woods where we have seen them wander. There ages are unknown so it's possible they are just too old to lay.

We have 6 babies that we are getting ready to join the flock on the pond. One more Pekin (female I believe as it has no drake feather and isn't too horse of a quack), a Female Rouen, what I thought were 2 Cayugas, but could be a Cayuga and a Black Runner, no Drake feathers at 8 weeks but they seem very deep and throaty. A chocolate runner that is 7 weeks, very quiet no idea on sex. And a female something - she has the best quack of them all Black and white with a very spotty head, white with black spots. No muscovy beak.

We have 3 dogs that LOVE LOVE LOVE to chase the geese and ducks. It's a straight run downhill to the 1acre pond where they live. They stay close to the water, and always make it into the water faster than the dogs can get to them.

Any time a dog is caught chasing, it gets a fast toss as far out into the pond as we can heave them. Let me tell you, the dog remembers for a good solid week that chasing is a bad idea. Now the chickens are in the goat pen. The ducks are just funny to the dogs, but they want to eat the chickens.

I'm hoping to get eggs from the new generation. We plan to finish up the fencing as soon as the post pounder is connected to the tractor and then the house will have a fenced off backyard. Then the chasing will be over. (and the entertainment of the dog toss)

We try to be as organic and close to nature as we can. The chickens free range, but we lock them in at night. The ducks though, we let them be. They are bigger than most of the hawks who have shown up here would want to grab. The water gives them protection from a lot of the ground predators.

Laney

 

[Duck Keeper]

I free range my ducks all day long!

We have 11 now, they run around on about an acre of four. They eat less feed, they keep the bug population down, and when Perdi was alive, she was the lawn mower of the bunch.

Keep them in their pen for a while before you attempt to let them have free run of your place though, or they might not associate their run with home.
They go in their pen VERY easily now, even if we move it around. It's just a chain-link dog kennel, and they go in off and on through the day to eat/drink. This way we can keep their pool out of the pen and they can swim whenever they want.

We just have to watch for the neighbor's dog. They let her run free when they get home... Illegally of course. My dog's fine with them, he'll get excited if the mallards fly around, but a quick yell will discourage that kind of behavior.



Edit:
It helps if you know how to herd animals!
You'll get the hang of it in a few months. Just don't expect much to come of it for a while.