Help with releasing ducks

[fordao]

I have been trying to research a bunch of questions but I feel like my situation is a little different than most... so hopefully you all can help.

I live on a lake and I plan on releasing the ducks on the lake after about 8 weeks. The lake is pretty small but it is bigger than a pond. There are many other types of waterfowl that live on the lake, some are wild and some have been raised by my neighbors. They all seem to interact well with one another.

My questions at this time are:
1. Do you all believe it's okay to release them to the lake? If so, at what age?
2. When are they old enough for unsupervised swim time?

 

[Pyxis]

It's never okay to release domestic ducks onto a lake, ever. They cannot fly to get away from danger, they do not know how to find enough food on their own, and they cannot migrate when the weather gets cold and the lake freezes over.

Since yours are rouens, they are a domestic duck and all that I wrote above applies.

Unless you are planning to build a shelter for them there and put out feed for them, it's not okay to abandon them on the lake.

 

[GoldenFlight]

I would let them swim without supervision anywhere from 2-3 weeks.

Well, it depends.... What breed are they?

Are you planning to feed them and provide a place for them to sleep safely?

 

[chickens really]

It is illegal to release domestic animals into the Wild......The Ducks will not survive.....Sell them or care for the Ducks .......They require a pen and feed daily......


Cheers!

 

[fordao]

I don't consider this "the wild". This is a private lake where only myself and a few neighbors live. I would provide them with somewhere they can go at night and in the winter. They are Rouen ducks.

 

[Miss Lydia]

I don't consider this "the wild". This is a private lake where only myself and a few neighbors live. I would provide them with somewhere they can go at night and in the winter. They are Rouen ducks.

To protect them from predators at night you'd have to give them a secure house to sleep in.

 

[GoldenFlight]

To protect them from predators at night you'd have to give them a secure house to sleep in.

Agreed...