What do you guys do about free range ducks and work?

[happy duck]

I am getting ready to let my ducks out on the pond. I will starting in August be gone from the house(7:00 AM-4:30 PM). I wanted to know how you guys go about letting your ducks out to free range and your daily lives. I also wanted to know several things:
1. Will my ducks go into the woods, and if so will they come back to the pond?
2. Will they travel to near by ponds(like the one next door) or will they stay where they know they get there food?
3. What about hawks in the day?
4. How to get them bonded with a dog?
5. Will they learn that there run is where they get there food and there home body where they can stay safe? Will they go there when they are scared and when they fill threatened? Will them knowing there safe home is there coop/run will they travel far from it?

Ok so that was lots of Q's and I would love to know what you guys say. Thanks a lot!

 

[sylviethecochin]

1. Will my ducks go into the woods, and if so will they come back to the pond?

Unlikely, but depends on your woods. My ducks have no interest in the woods. Zero.

2. Will they travel to near by ponds(like the one next door) or will they stay where they know they get there food?

Mine'll travel between ponds, but have a favorite.

3. What about hawks in the day?

Unfortunately, the only real way to protect your flock against hawks is to cover their whole area in netting. And you can't really do that with a pond. I will say that the hawks around here aren't generally interested in anything as large as my ducks.

4. How to get them bonded with a dog?

Get a good dog. Teach it not to hunt ducks. The rest, the dog can generally figure out on his own--dogs have a good sense of property. Your property, that is, not other people's.

5. Will they learn that there run is where they get there food and there home body where they can stay safe? Will they go there when they are scared and when they fill threatened? Will them knowing there safe home is there coop/run will they travel far from it?

Unlikely. My ducks'll sleep out on the pond. The best way to prevent this is to feed them at night. Ducks think of water as 'safe space.' I can run down a duck, but I can't outswim a duck. Ducks know this.

My flock isn't really big on travel. They have four favorite locations, three of which involve water, and one of which involves feed. Ducks only really go where there's water.

 

[chickens really]

Be prepared for predator attacks and losses. Some of my Call come from pond living and my Pal has great losses each year.

 

[Tevyes Dad]

Hello. Free ranging ducks is a controversial topic around this forum. Free ranging has two definite results:

* Ducks do seem happier and like to get out of their run.
* Ducks are at more risk from all predators.

This is a decision you will have to make weighing in your own variables. Otherwise I will address your questions in order as I see them:

1. If you ducks have access to the woods, they will go in it. Ducks are very curious and have ZERO survival instinct. If they go in the woods, chances are they will get eaten eventually. I wouldn't count on them coming back. I would absolutely block their access to the woods.

2. Ducks will stay in their comfort zone, but that will grow over time. If you don't keep them confined to your property they will go elsewhere and will probably be eaten. (See question 4)

3. They are a definite threat. We have hawks in our area, but so far I have had no issues. I attribute that to the range our ducks have access to is very cluttered with things they can hide under and we are surrounded by large fields full of gophers that the hawks regularly feed on so we don't have very hungry hawks.

4. I don't know the answer to this. Many members have bonded their dogs to their ducks so it is certainly possible. Many members have lost ducks to their dogs, so there is also a chance for failure here. Domestic dogs are the #1 killer of domestic ducks according to the predator section of this site. So whether you are talking about your dogs, or neighboring dogs that come in your yard or your ducks going to a neighbors' yard, except under very controlled conditions, dogs + ducks = heart ache.

5. They will associate their run with safety, at least initially. If they are outside their run and they still have access to it, then predators also have access to it so it is a false sense of security and is more likely a trap that a predator can corner them in.

Here is a link to the run/kennel I have made for my ducks. I do let them free range in a limited part of my yard during the day, but I know even though this portion of our yard is completely fenced, they are somewhat at risk in this environment. At night (and when we have unusual predator activity in the area during the day) they stay in their kennel. When it starts to get dark, the ducks start wandering into the kennel on their own most days so rounding them up is no big deal.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/destruction-and-genesis.1053388/#post-16136387

I lost two ducks to predators when I was new to having ducks and thought there were no predators that I needed to worry about as long as I caged up my ducks at night. I was wrong. A simple cage wasn't up to the task. So far I have not lost any more to predators and I am very happy about that.

I hope this helps and helps you keep your ducks safe. To end this post on a more light hearted note, Here is an illustration of just how little survival instinct ducks have...

 

[Yardmom]

My ducks see the pond as there safe place. When I first release young ones to the.pond they will continue to come back to their house to sleep, but after awhile they start to sleep on the pond until it freezes. Then some return to the.house and others sleep on the ice. I have mostly Kakis. On the other hand my Welsh h. X was imprinted on chickens and returns to the coop every night.

 

[happy duck]

Thanks for all the replies! They where so helpful and have given me lots to think about. I don't have to much worry about them going form pond to pond cuz in order for them to go to next doors pond they have to travel through the woods. I don't if my ducks will have interest in the woods but I have heard lots of people say that they tend to stay where water is. We have a dog which I am hoping to get them used to each other. I am hoping the dog will help keeps hawks out of the picture. I forgot to say ducks will go into run at night. They will also ONLY be fed in run. Right now I am working on training them to come when called so that they will come to there run at night and get food. I think feeding at night will have to be where I go on this. I will hopefully not have problems with woods but we will see. They know where they get there food so that should help keep them close. They have been living in there run/coop for almost a year and I can tell don't feel comfortable anywhere else. Thanks again for all the replies!

 

[Conan]

How much property do you have? Will the ducks have access to all of it? Is there any fencing around the perimeter at all?
I do an in between sort of set up. My ducks spend their nights in a very secured 8 x 16 hoop coop. The top is wire late spring through early autumn. We just pop a tarp on during the winter.
Their "run" is a huge fenced portion of our property. It is not netted and the fence is NOT going to keep any real predator out. It is more to keep them in. There is a seasonal creek and they spend 90% of their time in the water, when it's available. The creek does have a ton of willow growing as cover. During the summer, they use a pond liner that is flushed daily. We have a ton of hawks and eagles, but they don't seem interested in them. I'm not sure why as we have had hawks attack our chickens several times. The only predator loss was one drake to a mink in their old coop. We have had this setup for five years with no further losses. Not saying it can't/won't happen, just that it works for us.
I should also mention that they are housed next to our pet piggies. We haven't seen any large predators down in the field since we added the pigs.
We did used to truly free range, and as some folks have mentioned, ducks are curious. They will expand their territory as their comfort level grows. For us, that meant the woods, and they did venture in, but never stayed long. Doesn't take long for a coyote or another critter to get them, though.
Much like chickens, if you free range exclusively, be ready for some losses. I personally will always free range, but I also understand why many will not.

 

[happy duck]

G

How much property do you have? Will the ducks have access to all of it? Is there any fencing around the perimeter at all?
I do an in between sort of set up. My ducks spend their nights in a very secured 8 x 16 hoop coop. The top is wire late spring through early autumn. We just pop a tarp on during the winter.
Their "run" is a huge fenced portion of our property. It is not netted and the fence is NOT going to keep any real predator out. It is more to keep them in. There is a seasonal creek and they spend 90% of their time in the water, when it's available. The creek does have a ton of willow growing as cover. During the summer, they use a pond liner that is flushed daily. We have a ton of hawks and eagles, but they don't seem interested in them. I'm not sure why as we have had hawks attack our chickens several times. The only predator loss was one drake to a mink in their old coop. We have had this setup for five years with no further losses. Not saying it can't/won't happen, just that it works for us.
I should also mention that they are housed next to our pet piggies. We haven't seen any large predators down in the field since we added the pigs.
We did used to truly free range, and as some folks have mentioned, ducks are curious. They will expand their territory as their comfort level grows. For us, that meant the woods, and they did venture in, but never stayed long. Doesn't take long for a coyote or another critter to get them, though.
Much like chickens, if you free range exclusively, be ready for some losses. I personally will always free range, but I also understand why many will not.

Great info! Thanks a lot!!! Ok to answer your Q's: We have 5.8 acres and the ducks will have access to all of it if they want, but I am amusing they will rather stay on the pond then go venture into the woods(which are right beside the pond...fingers crossed they are not interested). Off subject: there are some total free range ducks down the street from us. There where 4 now there are only 2. They have never been kept in a coop at night and that is when 2 of them where killed(we saw a fox run across the road to the ducks at night) There are some woods behind the pond they are at but we always tend to see them on the pond. Just a side note...anyway back to your Q's: There will be no fencing around the perimeter at all, which means they will have access to all our land. Hope some of this helps. I hope to get some suggestions as to what to do. I want to make sure my ducks are free range(I am wanting to sell free range duck eggs) but want to make sure there is not risk of death or just to much adventure they don't want to come back. I hear treats are key so that is what I have been working on right now. When they hear my voice to come for treats(to there run...as that is the only place I will feed them). If they want food they will know where to get it.

 

[Serin]

We have a lake nearby where abandoned domestic ducks have lived for many years. The pond is also surrounded by woods and I have never in my life seen the ducks go into the woods. They stay in the water, or on the open grass, where they get fed. They sleep on a small natural island, and predator losses are minimal. Possibly some sort of floating hutch on the water might keep free range pet ducks safe at night?

 

[happy duck]

We have a lake nearby where abandoned domestic ducks have lived for many years. The pond is also surrounded by woods and I have never in my life seen the ducks go into the woods. They stay in the water, or on the open grass, where they get fed. They sleep on a small natural island, and predator losses are minimal. Possibly some sort of floating hutch on the water might keep them safe at night?

That is good to know. The more I read about ducks and woods I hear that they will most likely not go into the woods. Ducks might not have predator instinct but do have it for water! They will just know to stay on the water/around the water/ where they get there food.