Free range

[wednesday22]

I would like to hear from people with free range ducks and how it has worked out. I only lock mine up at night.

 

[cosbackyard]

I think the only way they can safely stay out at night is if they have a big pond with lots of places to hide. Even then I think you'd lose some to predators. And you'd never find their eggs, either!

 

[jdywntr]

First, a pond is not a safe spot for ducks to stay at night. Simply put, predators also know how to swim.

To the OP, I technically free range mine but due to an over grown pasture, they only have about 1.5 acres that they roam. I lock mine up at night and they are let out at about 5am, due to my work schedule. The hens either lay in their coop or in the chicken coop sometimes. The younger ones occasionally drop an egg wherever but that is normal.

I think the key to not having to go on an easter egg hunt daily is to provide enough nests that the ducks will view as safe. So darkened, low traffic areas. I also leave fake eggs or old eggs in the nests quite often so that everyone lays where they should.

I have had no duck losses (knock on wood) though I have lost chickens during the day. Hawks, roaming dogs and coyotes have all taken some of my chickens during the day. The birds now have a fenced area within the fenced pasture and aren't allowed in the woods any longer.

Free ranging will always be more likely to result in losses than keeping them in a protected run. I want them to have as "normal" of a life as possible and they really enjoy their time roaming. With the heat, they tend to forage in the morning and early evening but stay in their "run" for most of the day.

I also have fishing line strung up over their run and over several large areas in the pasture. I attach lengths of yarn (it's cheap and doesn't fade) to the fishing line to make it more visible. The yarn also moves in the wind and makes it look like there is a lot of things covering the area. Since having the fishing line up, I've lost no birds to winged predators.

 

[wlhtx]

I have a Khaki Campbell and 6 geese that 100% free range, which includes sleeping out by our pond at night. The geese have only been doing this for a couple months (they are still juveniles), but the duck has been doing this for well over a year now. The key for us has been leaving our dogs out at night. When we first got ducks - yes ducks, as in more than the one we have now - we did not leave the dogs out. Up until about 4 months ago, we lost a lot - 14 to be exact. Most of those were juveniles that we pretty much lost right off the bat, but we had 3 that made it to maturity before something got them. Well, to be fair, the last one was accidentally killed by the dog when he tried to play with her before we could intervene. He's a big dog and he swatted at her and, I believe, injured something internally...

But again, with the dogs out, we've not lost any more to predation. We live on a lot of acreage in the sticks of East TX, so we have a goodly amount of predators. But the pond is large and close to the house (maybe 100 ft from the back door), and they've been fine.

I don't actively collect the duck eggs, though I will grab them if I find fresh ones. Otherwise the dogs eat the eggs when they find them, which is fine with me as the eggs are very good for them.

I am not a breeder either. The water fowl are purely for entertainment and pest control (bugs for the duck, bugs and snakes for the geese).

Many will argue vehemently against our methods, but that's what we do. The birds are fat, healthy, and happy.

 

[flockman]

We free range ducks chickens and geese and lock up at night. Hawks and falcons get any silkie I have once the trees lose their leaves. In April a neighbor about a quarter of a mile away had dogs that attacked and killed half our ducks. Other than that we have not had issues.

 

[ducklover87]

I used to free range mine 24/7 and after about 6 months something got one of them ever since then I always try to lock them up at night. I do almost all of the time but forget once in awhile due to exhaustion. Thankfully I have a great bf who will make sure that they get put to bed. I've only ever had the one loss due to an animal. I let them out whenever I can. I don't get up until about 9 usually but sometimes like tonight I work overnights and don't get done work until 9. But I let them out as soon as I can and lock them up as late as possible. Usually about 10 or sometime after is when they get locked up. During the winter I put them in a lot sooner but when there's not snow on the ground I like to keep them out as long as possible.

 

[Going Quackers]

My Muscovy flock does, they have a penned area around the barn(1/3 of an acre) that they are in by dusk, then i move them into a barn for overnight. In winter, they don't always go out, i don't want anyone chilled and not making it back to the barn.

The keys with free ranging are knowing your predators and having a secure set up overnight, i also leave all my birds full flight. I do not for instance free range the calls or the silkies lol Even the big hens are only ranged in the fenced area of the yard for a partial day now & then.

 

[wednesday22]

Thanks to everyone for your replies. I live in TN on the side of a mountain in the woods. My 3 ducks (2 female Mallards, 1 blk Swedish drake) are 5 months old and have been free range since they were able to fly. They are locked in a large dog kennel inside our garage at night. The only predators I have seen during the day are an occasional cat and hawks. We do have a pair of hawks living a short distance from us. I am at home most of the day and am thinking of building a pen with a duck house inside to put them when I plan to be gone. Although I want to move them out of the garage I know I will worry about them. Their duck house will be a large doghouse. I plan on putting vinyl on the floor then a tarp with pine straw on it, that way I can easily pull the tarp out and clean it. I am going to try to attach some pictures to this post, although it doesn’t always work out.