When to let ducks loose in yard?

Question

we have i think almost 4 week old ducks that we have in a pen to keep them safe from hawks and cats. We have a huge backyard and pond that we want to let them run loose and enjoy. Should we let them out now? are the big enough to not get attacked by hawks? and will they know enough to come back to the barn at night??

Answer 1

I know, from painful experience, that they are NEVER old enough to not be attacked by hawks. My duck, Stimpy, was over a year old and he was killed by a hawk. I had only let him outside alone for 10 minutes, and that was all it took. He was a fully grown Rouen, who are quite large.

You can always let them outside, just make sure you're out there with them so that predators will think twice about trying to get them.