Australia - Six states..and that funny little island.

[satay]

Mine have to be herded into their pen in the evening but it has gotten much quicker if takes one minute now. From what i hear they are like geese in that they don't return to a coop. I have heard the occasional person saying theirs do but you can probably assume they won't. I just have a big secure pen and a dog kennel. It's 15 x 40 ft. I have a fenced yard I let them into during the day only when I am here to check on them. They are next to the geese who let me know if anything is amiss.

When mine used to free range the returned to the pen but getting them to go into the aviary was another thing entirely.

 

[satay]

Oh and no water fowl can't perch on a roost, clean dry straw in the kennel is what I use and they just go in sometimes, most of the time they are curled up on the grass in the pen when I check them on my way to bed at 11

I love geese but they don't like me. Had a pair given to me when we first moved here years ago. The things were horrid and would attack me every time i went out side. I ended up giving them to the neighbour up the hill and she had no problems with them. I'd go to her house and you guessed it they would try to get me there too.. Gave up on geese

 

[satay]

Mine have to be herded into their pen in the evening but it has gotten much quicker if takes one minute now. From what i hear they are like geese in that they don't return to a coop. I have heard the occasional person saying theirs do but you can probably assume they won't. I just have a big secure pen and a dog kennel. It's 15 x 40 ft. I have a fenced yard I let them into during the day only when I am here to check on them. They are next to the geese who let me know if anything is amiss.

I used to have to heard mine into the aviary at night too so i gave up on that idea and just leave the door open and they can go in if they want. I forgot to tell my poor brother this when he minded them a couple of years ago when we went away for the weekend. He spent over an hour trying to chase them into bed at night... oops.

 

[K.Riggs]

I used to have to heard mine into the aviary at night too so i gave up on that idea and just leave the door open and they can go in if they want. I forgot to tell my poor brother this when he minded them a couple of years ago when we went away for the weekend. He spent over an hour trying to chase them into bed at night... oops.

oops

 

[Andypandy]

Either way you are going to get Roos, 1 x roo is better than half a dozen.

I would rather cull than maybe restrict the poor feller not being able to crow. I watched some on utube and it looked pathetic.

 

[K.Riggs]

When mine used to free range the returned to the pen but getting them to go into the aviary was another thing entirely.

Yes mine now head there as soon as they see me in the evening so I expect they will go on their own soon but if I had an enclosed coop in the pen I expect it would be terribly hard to shut them in it they do not seem to want to go into an enclosed shelter. The geese are the same, they just wont do it they would rather charge directly at me if I corner them into the doorway of the barn. I have built my goose a straw bale shelter in their paddock, my goose is sitting on an egg and two round rocks she put in the nest. I FINALLY got her to sit on the raised nest in the shelter but I had to take the iron roof off because she would not go in there with the roof on. The roof seems to be the defining feature of what they will go in, if it's covered on top no way she would rather lay and egg in a puddle.. Which is what she was doing

 

[K.Riggs]

I would rather cull than maybe restrict the poor feller not being able to crow. I watched some on utube and it looked pathetic.

Yeah my thinking as well I think. I'm pretty much at the point of eating both my roos as much as i do actually like them. I wont give them away to someone else who will probably eat them that's for sure! They are becoming a logistical nightmare. With summer coming up I do not see how putting then I'm the blacked out coop will be fair on them. I have to cull one because the hens are just now losing feathers on the back and when either tries to mate the other one comes running and knocks him off and the hen gets stuck in the middle and they seem pretty distressed by it. Especially my little bantams. If I cull both at least I don't have to choose and I don't have to go out at night and put them in their black out coop anymore, I'm not going to lie it will be good not to have to

 

[Andypandy]

I think he means buying fertile eggs and getting rid of the roos instead of keeping roos for fertile eggs and trying to control crowing.

Thanks K.Riggs. Some get and some don't

 

[satay]

I would rather cull than maybe restrict the poor feller not being able to crow. I watched some on utube and it looked pathetic.

I am with you Andy. I know some people who swear by them but personally i could never use one. Lucky i don't have to i guess. As long term member of this thread will tell you I'd have a whole place full of roosters if hubby would let me . I just love them.
Just realised I must have a boy thing I have one son, all of our dogs have been boys and our cat is a boy too. I do have a female snake and a male but boys seems to be the theme.

 

[LuckysMum]

Satay at least the chooks evens it up a bit. We had 4 sons, 1 male dog and male rabbits.
We don't have the rabbits anymore and only 2 sons at home now. With 18 hens I'm not out numbered anymore.

Thanks everyone for all the advice on the ducks, I have somewhere to start now. We have a raised coop and perches and I didn't think they would go in it from what I'd seen online. I thought I'd better ask a silly question than make a silly mistake. Hubby will build them a sort of shelter.