Ideas for duck containment please.

[Myrkk]

I have two silver apple yards, 3wks old today so starting to think about how to keep them in the garden. I was going to wing clip them and let them free range with the chickens BUT, I would like the option to show them and seemingly they get marked down for that.
A few people have said that since they are heavy ducks they probably won’t get out the garden, the walls are all around 6 to 7foot height. I’m a little concerned though, don’t want to have to cross fingers they’ll come home after a little jaunt out.
Is my only option to keep them in an enclosed run or will they indeed struggle to get more than 2foot off the ground?

 

[Miss Lydia]

I don't believe your going to have to worry about them flying off. Just make sure you secure them over night to protect them from predators, I assume you do this with your chickens? 6-7' tall walls are defiantly high enough once full grown they won't be flying off

 

[KathiQuacks]

Agreed, they won’t be going anywhere. Breeds like that are indeed too heavy to fly, and even if they could, they still wouldn’t hop a fence unless something enticed them (food, other ducks), or something scared them.

My lighter-weight ducks have a 3ft high fence at the lowest, and they don’t hop it, because they have no reason to. Honestly, I don’t even think they know they are capable of doing it.

 

[Myrkk]

Thanks everyone. We’ll see how we get on. They are quite bonded to each other and are very used to us coming running for food and quite enjoy a cuddle in a towel after a warm bath. So I guess if we keep that up they will more than happy to stay.
We have them outdoors in a run currently so the local hawk can’t get them, once they are a bit bigger they should be safe.
given they are our first and we hatched them out ourselves we are silly attached to them and would hate to see them disappear off.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Thanks everyone. We’ll see how we get on. They are quite bonded to each other and are very used to us coming running for food and quite enjoy a cuddle in a towel after a warm bath. So I guess if we keep that up they will more than happy to stay.
We have them outdoors in a run currently so the local hawk can’t get them, once they are a bit bigger they should be safe.
given they are our first and we hatched them out ourselves we are silly attached to them and would hate to see them disappear off.

Hawks may still see them as food once they are adults so never let your guard down.

 

[Myrkk]

It’s a sparrow hawk so I’m hoping too small to take a fully grown duck. There are also an abundance of wood pigeons here that it takes regularly so I’m thinking it might not need to?!
but point taken and I shall keep an eye out.