Ducks free range daytime and cooped nighttime

We have 13 chickens with a moveable 6x6 chicken tractor using the paddock system, moving our fencing every 7 days or so.  We’re adding khaki ducks (and a guard goose) in the spring.  Question: we have a natural pond next to where we keep our chickens.  Our chickens don’t have access to it.  They have to stay in fencing all the time due to predators and a road near us.  Can we allow our ducks to free range on the pond during the day and close them in the fencing at night?  Would they fly away if allowed to free range?  If i can free range them during the day, how hard would it be to corral them for nighttime?  At night would they just sleep in the fenced in area, or would I place them in the moveable chicken tractor, too?

My ducks (Welsh Harlequins) were not well behaved free rangers.   I had 8 acres, but they took off FAR,  crossing roads,  going through fences and into neighboring fields.    They found the river and took off down that for 4 days too, before they finally came home minus one duck (bald eagle casualty as far as I could tell).   They did not stay near home.  

I had to put them back in their fenced run.    

Does breed-type influence whether or not they are likely to stay near?

Meredith Casto wrote:Does breed-type influence whether or not they are likely to stay near?

Maybe - maybe not. The best way to encourage them to stay home, is by feeding them in the same place, at the same time, daily. But, it doesn't have to be a lot of food - just a treat will work. We've tried Rouens and Muskovies, and love both, but I can't say they've not strayed. In fact, that's why all our Muskovies are now at freezer camp. Last year, they stayed home, but as they got older, they got bolder, and started roaming. When someone over half a mile down our gravel road came over at 7am, one Saturday, to tell us our ducks were on their porch, eating their cat's food, we decided it was time. The Rouens have stayed home, better, and rarely wander. When they do, it's just to the end of the (long) driveway.

My Muscovy experience has been the opposite, the older the closer they have stayed. I do have around 12 ready for freezer camp next week!
The amount of bug control they brought with them has been great though!

Don Fini wrote:My Muscovy experience has been the opposite, the older the closer they have stayed. I do have around 12 ready for freezer camp next week!
The amount of bug control they brought with them has been great though!

So very true about the bugs! And, for those who have never had Muskovy, it cooks and eats like red meat, not like poultry. So very good! Plus, when we buy a duck at the store, it usually feeds 2 people. The Muskovies, though? One breast is enough to feed both of us, and we're stuffed! So, not including turning the carcass into soup, we can *easily* get 3 - 4 solid meals for 2 out of a single bird.

Carla Burke wrote:

Don Fini wrote:My Muscovy experience has been the opposite, the older the closer they have stayed. I do have around 12 ready for freezer camp next week!
The amount of bug control they brought with them has been great though!

So very true about the bugs! And, for those who have never had Muskovy, it cooks and eats like red meat, not like poultry. So very good! Plus, when we buy a duck at the store, it usually feeds 2 people. The Muskovies, though? One breast is enough to feed both of us, and we're stuffed! So, not including turning the carcass into soup, we can *easily* get 3 - 4 solid meals for 2 out of a single bird.

That’s a great point! Until we treated it like cooking beef instead of fowl it wasn’t to impressive. Now we enjoy eating it!
The same here, breast them out then broth and veggie soup gets canned.

My ducks and geese free range about 80% of the time. I do have a 1/4 acre pond on 3.2 acre property. They are not given free access to food during the day, so my younger son feeds them just before sunset in a secured barn. The barn yard area is surrounded by electrified netting.

When the pond is frozen or if it is snowing (fox hunt during the day), I don't let them free range. They are contained inside the electrified fence. Sometime between March and April, I watch them more carefully because the foxes are hunting for their kits during the day.

You can train them to come home with a call. I have never had a problem with hawks or vultures hunting the ducks or geese.    

Our Swedish gray ducks free range during the day and are locked up at night.  They make the rounds of probably about 3 or 4 acres of the property, and have a number of favorite napping spots, depending on the season and the weather.  We had no losses the first year, and only two losses the second year (I suspect nabbed by a neighboring fox when the ducks were hanging out too near (or out) of the front gate which keeps the dog in), but we really haven't had problems other than that.  They're wonderfully entertaining going to and fro.

Perhaps this is a silly question: what kind of call do you use to call your ducks in for the night?  Or does it even matter what kind of call you use?  For the night, our ducks will be in a fenced area with our chickens.  The chickens are closed up in a moveable chicken tractor at night, but think we will have boxes for the ducks for sleeping and laying.  Thoughts?

Meredith Casto wrote:Perhaps this is a silly question: what kind of call do you use to call your ducks in for the night?  Or does it even matter what kind of call you use?  For the night, our ducks will be in a fenced area with our chickens.  The chickens are closed up in a moveable chicken tractor at night, but think we will have boxes for the ducks for sleeping and laying.  Thoughts?

We have never called our birds, even when they're out free-ranging, unless it was to feed them. Then, we just go out and give a yell, so they know we're out, and they all come running &/or flying in. John yells, "Turkey-turkey-Duck-Duck-Turkey-Turkey-DUCK!!!" several times, and I can't help laughing. I just yell "Chook-chook-chook!!" a few times. Either way, any loose birds all come as fast as they can, because the yells are food-linked.

Meredith Casto wrote:Perhaps this is a silly question: what kind of call do you use to call your ducks in for the night?  Or does it even matter what kind of call you use?  For the night, our ducks will be in a fenced area with our chickens.  The chickens are closed up in a moveable chicken tractor at night, but think we will have boxes for the ducks for sleeping and laying.  Thoughts?

"Hey Ducks, Hey Ducks" The ducks usually respond with quacks and the geese honk, and they eventually come waddling up the incline toward the barn. However they are not as obedient as a pet dog.