I'm going to be picking up some Pekins or else Indian Runner/Khaki Campbell crosses that are available to us (can't decide which yet). We have a duck house and an enclosure which takes in a part of a small pond area on the edge of a swamp. We also have chickens that free range with no problem. Our home is surrounded on 3 sides by roads (which the chickens avoid), and the 4th side is a large swamp with pond areas along the edge.
In your experience, would it be better to keep them enclosed, or ok to let them free range?
We've had call ducks very briefly that ended in tragedy. We kept them enclosed but one morning we came out after shutting them in the night before and the door was open with the dead ducks a few feet away in the swamp- we think weasel + human error (forgetting to latch the door), or a raccoon that figured out the latch?...
The other time they would not go in the coop at night, swimming on the "pond" side of the enclosure with some wild ducks visiting on the other side of the fence. Foolishly I left them alone and they were gone in the morning.
So, learning from those mistakes we've tightened security but I'm wondering if larger heavier breeds would stick close to home?
In your experience, would it be better to keep them enclosed, or ok to let them free range?
We've had call ducks very briefly that ended in tragedy. We kept them enclosed but one morning we came out after shutting them in the night before and the door was open with the dead ducks a few feet away in the swamp- we think weasel + human error (forgetting to latch the door), or a raccoon that figured out the latch?...
The other time they would not go in the coop at night, swimming on the "pond" side of the enclosure with some wild ducks visiting on the other side of the fence. Foolishly I left them alone and they were gone in the morning.
So, learning from those mistakes we've tightened security but I'm wondering if larger heavier breeds would stick close to home?
...
