for those of you with freeranged ducks..

[keeperofthehearth]

Free range my Scovies during the day and lock up at night. We have trouble w/coons. You know when a coon or other predator has been around the Scovie house at night because they are a bit reluctant to come out in the morning and are nervous & watchful.

 

[Sunny Side Up]

I put my ducks in their enclosed houses late at night so they'll be safe & so I can easily find their eggs in the morning. When I didn't do this they'd lay their eggs in the bottom of their pool!

I started with 5 Khakis in one house, then got 4 more & added another house, and now 2 Pekins in their own little house. Three duck houses all in a row. And the pen next to it for the 2 Embden geese. We have to round them up at night to make them go into their houses, but it's funny to watch them all turn into just the right door for them and wait to be latched in.

 

[rlhbond]

We raised our free range ducks inside a cage located in the mini-donkey's stalls in the barn. We would let them out on weekends and gradually extended the amount of time they were allowed out of the cage. They quickly learned that cage = home. Now they put themselves up every night and we don't lock them up. We assume/hope the mini-donkeys would protect them. Donkeys typically don't like strange animals being around.