Runner Ducks and a great Duck house

[Chickenpen]

I have 4 Runner Ducks and a great Duck house, at least I think it's great. They are 6 months old and for 4 months they have gone in this house so I can lock them up to protect them from predators. In the past month they quit going in their duck house. They go to a corner of the pen and stay there. I have gone out 2 or 3 in the morning and they are still huddled out in the open in the same corner of the pen with no protection from the elements. This duck house is a huge one and I don't understand what they want. Does anyone have any suggestions. They are going to start laying any time now and I would rather them lay in the duck house.

 

[TSOWOATNKC]

Ducks absolutely do not naturally go to bed down in a house or coop independently. You can train them to with some success sometimes. Left to their own devices it isn’t likely they would do it like chickens do.

If you want them penned up at night you will need to herd them in to be positive they do it.

When we had chickens, if I left the coop door open they put themselves to bed every night around twilight. All I had to do was close and lock up the coop. When we penned up our ducks, we had to herd them every night.

 

[Chickenpen]

Thank you so much that makes me understand them better. I was expecting them to go in by them selves. I thought they would at least go in when weather was cold and wet. They do go in the run they won't go into their house.

 

[TSOWOATNKC]

No, they really don’t care about the cold much. They adore rain, so that wouldn’t get them to pen up either.

 

[Chickenpen]

Thank you TSOWOATNKC Thank you for the advise I'm a newbie when it comes to Runners. I've had chickens for 50 years but ducks for about 6 months. Again thanks for your help.

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

Ducks have very unique personalities, but they are also flock birds. My limping drake would like to go to the duck-platform, but he won't because the rest of the gang wants to stay outside. They have a wooden deck, enclosed with chicken-wire and on that deck there is a sleeping compartment with wooden walls to protect them from the elements.
Some evenings when the weather is really lousy and cold the Duckies sit in front of the platform waiting for me to herd them in. There's not much herding to do, but they expect me or my wife to come out make some herding gestures, close the door and say »good night«. They could go by themselves, but they insist on the ritual.

 

[a.graham52]

my ducks happen to go in on their own every night. without fail. not once have i gone out after dark and have to find them. guess im lucky. lol

 

[Jpg1961]

My 10 little monsters come home every night at 4pm play in there pen then go in there house and go to bed and they come out around 8 am ready for a day of playing in the creek.I guess I’m also lucky

 

[TSOWOATNKC]

Here’s the thing though; ducks don’t automatically go into their coop by instinct without being taught. Chickens do it without being taught anything. You can take your chicks straight from the brooder to a coop with run and they will put themselves to bed virtually without fail. Once it is twilight they bed down by instinct. Ducks don’t do that. Ducks and other waterfowl must be taught where “bed” is, they aren’t going to do it of their own accord with no assistance whatsoever straight out of the brooder box. The exception might be ducks raised with chickens that teach them to do it. Although that certainly wasn’t the case in my experience.

That difference is a pretty big surprise when you go from chickens to ducks!

 

[Chickenpen]

Here’s the thing though; ducks don’t automatically go into their coop by instinct without being taught. Chickens do it without being taught anything. You can take your chicks straight from the brooder to a coop with run and they will put themselves to bed virtually without fail. Once it is twilight they bed down by instinct. Ducks don’t do that. Ducks and other waterfowl must be taught where “bed” is, they aren’t going to do it of their own accord with no assistance whatsoever straight out of the brooder box. The exception might be ducks raised with chickens that teach them to do it. Although that certainly wasn’t the case in my experience.

That difference is a pretty big surprise when you go from chickens to ducks!