Ok. Debate time.

[Shadrach]

I clip my Muscovy females wings to keep them safe they are on a little over half acre fenced in during the day locked up at night my oldest is going on 12 in a few months I doubt I’d still have her if I hadn’t clipped.

The Muscovy females here all fly. Sometimes they fly two or three kilometers and come back. Like the OP, I love to watch them fly and twice now to my knowledge they have flown to the safety of the house roof when a dog attacked. It's just unfortunate that on one occasion one of the males who are too heavy to take flight properly got killed.

 

[casportpony]

I don't recall the OP writing anything about wanting to lock them up.
Afaik, all the OP was considering was clipping their wings.

Doesn't matter. It's been my experience that clipping wings does not make them more susceptible to predation as long as you have a semi-predator proof perimeter fence, as in one tall enough to keep out dogs and coyotes and a predator proof coop for the evenings.

The OP plans on getting Rouens, so I am assuming that there is a predator proof enclosure of some type.

 

[MissChick@dee]

Did you look for Louis?

 

[Shadrach]

Well, the OP implied they wanted opinions and I've given mine.
As is so often said here, we all have different views.

 

[ChocolateMouse]

Your ducks have no idea what it's like to live in the wild, they were not raised with a mama duck showing them how to live in the wild, they have had a lot of flight of fight instinct bred out of them because of many years of domestication, they don't have a flock to migrate with... Not to mention that it's illegal to release animals into the wild without a permit, and irresponsible.

Just because it looks like a mallard doesn't make it an actual wild mallard. Rouens were mallards once too. And pekins. Most wild ducks raised in the wild for that matter die young. Even if you had a lion, snatched from the wild as a cub... If you stuck it in a cage for it's whole development, fed it yourself, raised it yourself, and then released it into the wilds of Africa to "roam free", that lion is as good as dead.

Your ducks aren't wild animals and you shouldn't let them fly around as if they are IMO. They're just going to die, and it's illegal.

 

[Shadrach]

I have no idea what is and what isn't legal where the OP lives.
Just to keep reality in perspective, the OP isn't releasing them into the wild; he is just not restricting their movement.
As for the assertion that their natural instincts have been bred out of them; I've not seen any proof of this. In fact, the fact that there are feral chicken populations and feral Muscovy duck populations that have originated from domestically reared parents at some point would suggest that at least for these two species in certain conditions are quite capable of surviving in the wild.
There are people on BYC who keep 'semi feral' chickens. A lot depends on the breed and the environment they have adapted to.

 

[happy duck]

Hearing different peoples views really gets me thinking. I mean the animals are not wild animals...therefore they are not capable to what/how wild birds live. I might be going back to my idea(clipping the wings).....Maybe OP could make a poll so we could vote there.

 

[Shadrach]

Hearing different peoples views really gets me thinking. I mean the animals are not wild animals...therefore they are not capable to what/how wild birds live. I might be going back to my idea(clipping the wings).....Maybe OP could make a poll so we could vote there.

I think the OP should make his/her own mind up.

 

[shawluvsbirds]

I have no idea what is and what isn't legal where the OP lives.
Just to keep reality in perspective, the OP isn't releasing them into the wild; he is just not restricting their movement.
As for the assertion that their natural instincts have been bred out of them; I've not seen any proof of this. In fact, the fact that there are feral chicken populations and feral Muscovy duck populations that have originated from domestically reared parents at some point would suggest that at least for these two species in certain conditions are quite capable of surviving in the wild.
There are people on BYC who keep 'semi feral' chickens. A lot depends on the breed and the environment they have adapted to.

Yes, that's kinda where I'm coming from in my way of thinking . . it may not necessarily mean certain death. But surviving feral colonies compete with natural wild birds for food and shelter and can end up causing lots of trouble as well. Look at all the feral muscovies that are a nuisance in so many places. Chances are some of those colonies began by someone who was unable to keep them from flying away.
Now I'm not saying these couple birds alone that belong to the op are going to make a big impact in the big scheme of things.. I can see they aren't just saying oh well, let them fly away if they want to or we wouldn't be having this discussion. But one way or another my advice would be, keep them from flying away either with a fence or enclosure or wing clipping. Whatever works.

 

[Shadrach]

Yes, that's kinda where I'm coming from in my way of thinking . . it may not necessarily mean certain death. But surviving feral colonies compete with natural wild birds for food and shelter and can end up causing lots of trouble as well. Look at all the feral muscovies that are a nuisance in so many places. Chances are some of those colonies began by someone who was unable to keep them from flying away.
Now I'm not saying these couple birds alone that belong to the op are going to make a big impact in the big scheme of things.. I can see they aren't just saying oh well, let them fly away if they want to or we wouldn't be having this discussion. But one way or another my advice would be, keep them from flying away either with a fence or enclosure or wing clipping. Whatever works.

Seems a very reasonable point of view. I still don't agree.
There is a valid 'responsible care' argument though which I don't really have an answer to.
I hope the OP can find a way of letting them fly because he/she seems to love watching them, which I completely understand. It's like any free ranging I guess, sometimes you lose one.