Free Ranging my Ducks

[HomesteadDucks]

I have been preparing to free range my ducks. There are woods behind my house that is mainly composed of thorn bushes and small tree saplings. For months I have been clearing out the area and converting it into pasture. What I am wondering is how much space (square feet) does each duck need to survive? My plan is to give them all enough space to completely free range and only give them feed in the winter.

 

[sourland]

Unless there are grasses setting seeds in this area, I doubt they will find enough forage for survival regardless of how much space they have. I would give it a try (knowing the risks of predation) but would still provide feed every evening.

 

[HomesteadDucks]

Thanks for responding so quickly. I got my ducks from a farm that could no longer take care of them. They were barnyard ducks and were supplied with no food what so ever. They were extremely fat ducks. I am wondering what the minimum space necessary is for them to fend for themselves like they did then. Maybe not quite as fat though.

 

[sourland]

If they were farm ducks, there may very well have been grain spillage and undigested grains in livestock feces - yep, ducks will harvest that - also maggots and insects that are attracted to animal waste.

 

[HomesteadDucks]

Are you saying that ducks CAN'T free range? I have seen both chickens and ducks free range in the past without extra food (except in the winter of coarse). If they indeed can't free range, could you explain why. I just want to make sure before I put them out there.

 

[JadeComputerGal]

Thanks for responding so quickly. I got my ducks from a farm that could no longer take care of them. They were barnyard ducks and were supplied with no food what so ever. They were extremely fat ducks. I am wondering what the minimum space necessary is for them to fend for themselves like they did then. Maybe not quite as fat though.

You haven't said how many ducks you have, but I agree with @sourland . Square feet of space won't matter if there aren't enough natural food sources. When we speak in terms of square feet for ducks, we're usually talking about enclosures like pens, runs, and coops.

I have to say I'm very suspicious of the story you were told. The previous owner could no longer take care of ducks they were doing nothing to care for in the first place? Ducks without supplemental food sources rarely get fat, and I'd even venture to say never. That's because those ducks spend almost all their time looking for food and otherwise just trying to survive. If you just turn those ducks out with no supplemental feed, I suspect they're going to lose a lot of weight, and you're probably going to lose a lot of ducks. Very sorry to have to say that.

 

[HomesteadDucks]

When I say square feet, I am asking how many square feet of pasture is needed per duck to keep them happy and alive. I have six ducks if that helps though. As for the previous owner, I know them very well and witnessed this with my own eyes. Their son (12 years old) decided to buy six ducks to get some extra money from eggs. He soon lost interest and the ducks escaped their enclosure (which was a free range enclosure I might add). After several weeks and/or months of them being escaped with nobody feeding them, they gained a lot of weight just grazing around the fields. I wish I had a picture but sadly I don't. When I asked them if I could take the escaped ducks off their hands, they were pleased to do so. This story is no hoax. I promise you.

There is a slight possibility that they found some source of food (maybe a broken grain silo) but this is extremely unlikely. Their farm is very well maintained.

 

[JadeComputerGal]

When I say square feet, I am asking how many square feet of pasture is needed per duck to keep them happy and alive. I have six ducks if that helps though. As for the previous owner, I know them very well and witnessed this with my own eyes. Their son (12 years old) decided to buy six ducks to get some extra money from eggs. He soon lost interest and the ducks escaped their enclosure (which was a free range enclosure I might add). After several weeks and/or months of them being escaped with nobody feeding them, they gained a lot of weight just grazing around the fields. I wish I had a picture but sadly I don't. When I asked them if I could take the escaped ducks off their hands, they were pleased to do so. This story is no hoax. I promise you.

There is a slight possibility that they found some source of food (maybe a broken grain silo) but this is extremely unlikely. Their farm is very well maintained.

I don't know what to tell you other than it depends on what food sources are available to them in the place they're free ranging. Grasses, grains, insects, etc. They also need a consistent source of clean water to bathe in, which you might already have covered.

 

[HomesteadDucks]

Yes they will have not only a constant source of clean water but a pond to swim in if they wish. There will be tall fencing (above and below ground) with one electric wire on top to keep predators out and there will be a mix of grasses, weeds and many insects, snails and worms to snack on. The area they're going to be in is like bug heaven. Thank You for the response anyway. I will do more research and look forward to other responses soon.

 

[TLWR]

There will be tall fencing (above and below ground) with one electric wire on top to keep predators out

It is my understanding that electric fences will only work if the thing touching it is also touching the ground or a ground wire.
An electric wire at the top will do nothing to stop a fox/dog/etc jumping the fence if they don't have at least one foot on the ground.

Foxes, and I'm sure other things as well, investigate nose first. So a string or two of wire at the bottom would likely work better - zap to the nose while their feet are on the ground



as far as free ranging and not giving supplemental feed - weigh your ducks and try it for a while and see how it goes. If they are losing weight, then you need to add food.
My ducks free range after fox season. And they also get feed as well. We have 4 acres fenced. They stick to the closest 1/2 - 1 acre.