When to introduce to big pond

[Rhonda Gelstein]

Hi. In November we ended up with a flock of ducks that had been dumped off at an Animal Control. They went to a rescue that I volunteer for and since we already had chickens, they came my way. We worked our way through the winter getting to know about ducks and we're thoroughly enjoying the benefits. Plus they're great fun to have.

We have a large pond/small lake on our property. Our ducks are let out each morning to spend the day on the pond and return in the evening to get penned back up again and secured in their house. We didn't release them onto the pond until this spring and we were worried that they wouldn't come back, but all has been okay. Photo below taken earlier this spring.

Last month we were contacted by someone who rescued 2 babies wandering the streets in Detroit. They kept them for a week and then realized it was not the best fit for their environment and reached out to us. We took them in and after some time keeping them in our bathtub, they've been introduced to the flock and now they're full-time out there. However, we haven't let them out onto the pond yet. Their feathers are not in fully on their wings yet. Two of our Pekins have really taken an interest in them and one in particular tends to choose to stay in the pen with them rather than going out with the others. (Note: photo below was taken a week or so ago.)

So the question is - at what point can they go out on the big water? They are not overly friendly toward us yet. But, since they were rescues, who knows how they were treated as little chicks. My biggest concern is getting them back in the pen for safety at night. Our water has woods on the other side, and at one end it touches the neighbor's yard. It's a bummer because he set out a deer feeder so the ducks are hanging out there a lot with the ready source of corn. It's frustrating but he has the right to do it.

Suggestions?

 

[Miss Lydia]

One concern is the duckling could be taken by snapping turtles at their young age. Snapping turtles can kill and maim ducklings and adult ducks so if you have them might want to try and eliminate them before releasing the ducklings.

The older ducks will teach the younger what to do like going to neighbors for corn and coming home to sleep at night, Hopefully they will keep coming home. Beautiful place you have, if they all decide they want to stay on the water at night you might have to have a plan in place to get them home a canoe or kayak might work by going behind and slowly bringing them to shore then someone on shore can herd them the rest of the way home. and only feed them there at their pen so they know where their food is. If they have something they really love like dried meal worms you can put some into a container with a lid corn too and shake and whistle teaching them to come home say late afternoon way before dark so you can get them safely inside. Ducks are creatures of habit and love routine so get to teaching. lol

 

[Rhonda Gelstein]

One concern is the duckling could be taken by snapping turtles at their young age. Snapping turtles can kill and maim ducklings and adult ducks so if you have them might want to try and eliminate them before releasing the ducklings.

We do have snapping turtles. It's probably our biggest concern. This body of water is too big to successfully eliminate them right now though.

Mealworms are crack. lol Usually shaking the bag brings them in. Unfortunately because of the neighbor's deer feeder they have food available at two sources, which is really frustrating. But, so far the mealworms work great. The food we give them is only in their pen. I'll probably give it another week or two and then hold my breath and let them out. We do have 2 sets of wild Canadian Geese on the pond with babies right now so there are much smaller, easier prey out there. I hate to look at it that way, but facts are facts.