They don't want their house???

[newtoducks88]

Hello ladies and gentle ducks. I have a question.

We made our duck heaven and I am in love as well as our babies. The only question I have is how do I get them to stay in their house??

We have tried enticing with treats, placing them in there, but every time they come out and don't want to go back in.

The nights here in Georgia are still a tad chilly (30s and 40s) and I don't want them to get cold. What can I do?

 

[lomine]

Mine don't go in their house unless I guide them in. They stay in until their pop door opens in the morning.

I would worry more about predators. Your run is fine for keeping the ducks in but it won't keep anything that wants to eat them out.

 

[lomine]

They should be okay outside at that age. They have the house to go into if they get cold/want to get out of the wind so they should be fine.

Looking back at your pictures, do they seem to have trouble going up the ramp? Mine don't like using their ramp either but they have an easier time using it since I painted it with paint that had sand mixed in. It gave them more traction. I also have a ramp into their kiddie pool that I stapled a piece of faux grass on. It was just a cheap one from Amazon that was like 4x6 ft that I cut to fit. They have no problem using that. Just another thought on maybe why they don't want to go in.

 

[sourland]

Is the coop large enough that you can lock them inside for a couple of days until they come to regard it as 'home'?

 

[newtoducks88]

 

[newtoducks88]

This is inside

 

[newtoducks88]

Mine don't go in their house unless I guide them in. They stay in until their pop door opens in the morning.

I would worry more about predators. Your run is fine for keeping the ducks in but it won't keep anything that wants to eat them out.

We have a fully fenced yard with 3ft of dig proof fence buried.

 

[newtoducks88]

Mine don't go in their house unless I guide them in. They stay in until their pop door opens in the morning.

I would worry more about predators. Your run is fine for keeping the ducks in but it won't keep anything that wants to eat them out.

I also only plan on letting them roam during the day, the only worry I would have is hawk which are few and far between where we live. But may think about putting wiring over the top?!

 

[lomine]

Okay, that's good to hear. I have a few birds of prey in my area, too. When I let mine out in the yard they have a bunch of trees and bushes to use for cover. But we have so many rabbits around I don't think there is much danger to my ducks. The only other predator that you might have to worry about is raccoons. I don't know if you have them in your area but they could easily climb a fence.

If your setup is predator proof and the ducks want to sleep outside you can always just let them be.

 

[newtoducks88]

Okay, that's good to hear. I have a few birds of prey in my area, too. When I let mine out in the yard they have a bunch of trees and bushes to use for cover. But we have so many rabbits around I don't think there is much danger to my ducks. The only other predator that you might have to worry about is raccoons. I don't know if you have them in your area but they could easily climb a fence.

If your setup is predator proof and the ducks want to sleep outside you can always just let them be.

I am just worried abou

Okay, that's good to hear. I have a few birds of prey in my area, too. When I let mine out in the yard they have a bunch of trees and bushes to use for cover. But we have so many rabbits around I don't think there is much danger to my ducks. The only other predator that you might have to worry about is raccoons. I don't know if you have them in your area but they could easily climb a fence.

If your setup is predator proof and the ducks want to sleep outside you can always just let them be.

I am just worried about the cold. I think I'm going to rig up a door until they get used to the house.