Advice on Dogs and Ducks

[indianaducks]

Can you keep the dogs inside when they are not supervised?

 

[DuckDuckJuice]

Rent a coop makes a u shaped device that you can put on a 5 gallon bucket or tote it’s easy for them to learn. And unless the dogs decide to pick up the bucket will stop the dogs. Worked great with my welsh harlequins.

Rent A Coop Feeder

Thanks! I’ll look into that.

 

[DuckDuckJuice]

Don’t let your kids feed the dogs table scraps. Make it a serious conversation and tell the kids it’s creating problems. If the kids do it they should get in trouble for doing it.

Believe me, I’ve tried with the older of the two. Our daughters are three and ten months, so their listening ability is not the greatest. My husband is culpable, too. I’ve always been very strict when it comes to the dogs’ diets and have made it abundantly clear to everyone that human food is going to cause major problems for them, especially our dog with arthritis. We keep the dogs in the mud room most of the day now, which has helped a lot. The big issue now is the duck feed. The dogs are not happy that their human food “treats” have been taken away and their dog food portions have been reduced, so they’re eating whatever they can access. I’m concerned about the weight gain, of course, but also about the potential for other health issues, considering the feed is formulated for ducks, not dogs.

 

[DuckDuckJuice]

Can you keep the dogs inside when they are not supervised?

Since the human food “treats” became an issue, we’ve kept them in the mud room almost exclusively, so we try to let them outside as much as possible. Our 10mos daughter is crawling everywhere and putting everything in her mouth, so it’s a sanitation issue, too. Since the dogs are out with the ducks, I don’t want them tracking anything in that’s going to make her sick. I feel bad limiting their space so much inside, so I’d prefer not to restrict outdoor time as well. I’m looking more for ideas on how to build a feeder for the ducks that they can access relatively easily, but the dogs can’t, if that’s even possible.

 

[HollowOfWisps]

Would your dogs head fit into the PVC pipe? If not maybe something like this?

(not my picture someone on Etsy makes these)

 

[DukesDucks]

Can you put the ducks food on a platform that the ducks can get onto but the dogs can't?

 

[igorsMistress]

Believe me, I’ve tried with the older of the two. Our daughters are three and ten months, so their listening ability is not the greatest. My husband is culpable, too. I’ve always been very strict when it comes to the dogs’ diets and have made it abundantly clear to everyone that human food is going to cause major problems for them, especially our dog with arthritis. We keep the dogs in the mud room most of the day now, which has helped a lot. The big issue now is the duck feed. The dogs are not happy that their human food “treats” have been taken away and their dog food portions have been reduced, so they’re eating whatever they can access. I’m concerned about the weight gain, of course, but also about the potential for other health issues, considering the feed is formulated for ducks, not dogs.

Oh so they’re babies! Can you keep the dogs away from them while they eat?

 

[indianaducks]

Since the human food “treats” became an issue, we’ve kept them in the mud room almost exclusively, so we try to let them outside as much as possible. Our 10mos daughter is crawling everywhere and putting everything in her mouth, so it’s a sanitation issue, too. Since the dogs are out with the ducks, I don’t want them tracking anything in that’s going to make her sick. I feel bad limiting their space so much inside, so I’d prefer not to restrict outdoor time as well. I’m looking more for ideas on how to build a feeder for the ducks that they can access relatively easily, but the dogs can’t, if that’s even possible.

Have you talked to your vet about ways to keep your dogs feeling full without all of the extra calories? Then maybe they will be less likely to want to eat the duck food? Depends on your dogs and their personalities though. Some people use green beans for dogs on weight loss programs, but without knowing your dogs I'm just suggesting asking your vet about options.

 

[Ducks_n_Dogs]

Hi, all! I’m hoping someone on here can offer a suggestion for our current situation. We have five ducks and three dogs who all share a yard during the day, with no feasible way to keep them separated. It is a small yard and dividing it would disadvantage both sides. Our dogs were put on a restricted diet recently because two of the three were gaining weight (our children like to feed them table food when they think we aren’t looking). Since cutting back their food, they have been raiding the feed we put out for the ducks every day, causing them to put on even more weight. The ducks are getting pretty annoyed with them, too. Has anyone else dealt with this before? Any ideas on how to build a dog-proof feeder that won’t be too difficult for the ducks to use (or annoy them)? For reference; we have two pekins, two silver appleyards, and a khaki campbell; and our dogs are small, medium, and large mixed-breed. Thanks!

I've used a piece of cattle fencing to wrap around my ducks' round water pan (like a cylinder) so they can stick their head through but can't get in it. It's the wire fencing from Tractor Supply with the rectangles, just measure and cut a piece where the rectangles are vertical not sideways, and wrap it around the base of the feeder, far enough out that the little dog can't get his muzzle through. The ducks have long necks.
Hope this helps. <3

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