>>1632364>do they come back to roost?I have mine trained and of the 2 times I wasn't there to put them in they actually went in on their own, which was really nice. I use two 15 feet long bamboo sticks to help herd them through the pastures and two 8 feet long bamboo sticks to herd them through the smaller areas. When I herd them into the coop I use moveable panels to funnel their traffic. Sometimes they wanted to sit around on the pond and not go in. I just slapped the water with the long bamboo and they got moving. On a larger pond that may be more difficult, but you can chuck stones behind them to splash and get them going.
>malesYeah, they will kill the females and each other if they are mature. Have a ratio of no less than 4 females to every 1 male and it should not be a problem.
>tipsUse stout fencing to keep out predators. Use poultry netting over top to stop birds of prey when the ducks are younger. Keep in mind that predators like foxes, dogs, and coyotes can dig under fences, so have deterrents for that. Raccoons can also be a problem. Which is why all my poultry get locked up with padlocks at night.
I used 2' high welded wire fencing and moved it around the pastures, when the ducks were little. Kiddie pools are amazing for those small moving corrals. Later, I started making these fence panels (pic) that can fold up and be moved around a bit easier. Pasture management is key, so using fencing and cross fencing is needed to prevent over grazing. Unlike chickens, the Pekin ducks only need a 2' high fence to keep them in one place.
I'll be trying to feed them pasture silage this winter (in garbage cans in pic), which I'll report on later, if I stored it correctly. The last time I sniffed them it seemed like at least 2 cans still had a sweet spicy odor. Feed costs are raising due to winter setting in, so I'm hoping the silage will lessen that a bit. I can't wait for the ducks to start laying eggs so I can sell them and balance out the costs.
