Winter night time routine

[Mandarin]

I was wondering what time you lock up your ducks during the winter. In UK it's dark by 4.30pm/5pm but I don't want to lock the ducks up this early. They are in a secure pen, with a small pond and if they are free in the garden, they will take themselves into the pond when it gets dark. I then just lock the door. At the moment I lock them in their coop (an old garden shed) about 8pm, at let them out around 7.30am each morning. I'm not sure whether I should be locking them up for the night as soon as it's dark, but I do feel mean locking them up for more than 12 hours!

What are your night time routines for your flock?

 

[donkeydew2farms]

it is just about dark when I get home my ducks go into there nite pen by themselves I feed them, there treat in there so it isn.t a problem but my 4 anconas youmg ones where I thought they were in a secured pen .I neglected to lock them up in there dog house and next day a coon got one through the fence . I could of kicked my self for forgetting. it was fox proof and I thought coon proof I was wrong. my answer is don't take chances.

 

[MaureenD]

Work in progress, this was the first few days of construction. Their tractor coop just fits under the porch, and I am just tall enough (haha, short enough...) to make this work! I have about 5.5ft of height to move around under there.

 

[MaureenD]

Hey! My girls learned 'bedtime'! They all walk in a row right into their night coop! Yeah!!!

 

[Miss Lydia]

Thanks for the cabbage/lettuce instructions.
Do you know of any other edible item(s) that ducks can "play" with/eat to alleviate pen boredom (I have a couple days a week when they are in pen for 6-8 hr)...they have lots of room, I just want them active.
I was going to put a mirror in the pen also (especially before winter).

They would probably enjoy a flock block to nibble on.. http://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/purina-flock-block-sunfresh-recipe-25-lb or make your own. Type in Flock Block and you'll see recipes for making your own version.

 

[Orca5094]

I'm interested to know what others do during the winter as well. I am super cautious with my ducks and put them in at sundown (or as close to it as I can, seeing as how I get home from work a little after dark these days). It's dark here in Sweden by 4pm, so on the weekends they go in at 4. During the week I get home at 4:30pm, so they go in a little later. Their yard is pretty secure though and surrounded by an electric fence as well, so I know they are pretty safe for awhile out in the dark.

My duck house is pretty big, with large pens for my ducks. I also have a light on in there until about 10:30pm. They have food, water, and toys in there as well since winter is so long and dark here. Soon we will have even less daylight!

Anyway, I feel bad my ducks have to be inside so long as well, but I try to make it as fun and comfortable as possible for them in there. They have lots of space to mess around in and I go visit them for awhile before I head to bed each night so they get some interaction time in there and don't get too bored (I also do a quick cleaning at that time since they are in so long and have food/water in there). I might spoil my ducks a bit, though? They are my babies!

 

[shortgrass]

Ours come back from ranging at about 4:30 and have a snack and go in their house by dark. So.etimes we shut it right away and sometimes we wait until later, but as soon as its dark, they don't want to come back out anyway, so we usually lock all the coops at dark. They have a window if they need a peek but they can't see in the dark anyway.

They're mallards and Runners, if it makes a difference

 

[Mandarin]

Thanks for your replies, perhaps I need to put mine to bed a little earlier, although they do seem happy just floating in their pond. They dont have a light in their coop so perhaps I'll have to invest in one.

@Orca5094 - what toys dp your ducks have in their coop?

 

[Orca5094]

Thanks for your replies, perhaps I need to put mine to bed a little earlier, although they do seem happy just floating in their pond. They dont have a light in their coop so perhaps I'll have to invest in one.

@Orca5094 - what toys dp your ducks have in their coop?

I give them different things and rotate between: large pinecones, small piles of dry leaves, piles of hay, baby toys, balls, empty water bottles, etc. Toilet paper rolls were a favorite when I had ducklings, but now they all just rip those apart and try to eat them so those are no more. I try to keep it as cheap as possible, they will play with anything really. You just have to make sure it's safe in that they can't rip off pieces to eat or get any part of themselves stuck in it (beaks, heads, etc). That's why alot of baby toys work great.

 

[Mandarin]

Thanks @Orca5094, they're great ideas for tpys. Mine have some small logs that they like to turnover and hunt for bugs. I also hang an old wire flower basket and fill with cabbage/kale/cucumber for th to hunt out. They dont have any toys in their shed so I will try out some of your ideas.

I tried leaving my ducks in their enclosed pond with a light for a few hours tonight before locking them inside at 7.30pm. They seemed happier having more play/floating time!