Big problem with my newly purchased mallard ducks.

[Koipondduck]

Thanks to Charlene in Oberlin, OHio. I just bought three mallard ducks, two females and one male that are one year old. My intension was these ducks will beautify my pond , and I will just put up a small house for them. Well, when I got these 1 year old ducks, they were not very prone to my Koi pond that has large Kois. They looked sad, and they were not going by the water. These ducks form the childhood lived in a kiddie pool and the back yard I got this ducks from are about 1/16 of my back yard. They had the smallest Kiddie pool that you can buy from any store. Again these mallard ducks are 1 year old. I do not want to build an outdoor pin since it will take away from this upscale landscaping, and I do not have room beside having several islands and ponds to add a duck/chicken pen. Certainly they are fun and attractive. Also, my backyard is infested with raccoons since my next door neighbors used to feed raccoons. These raccoons are coming up in the day light and hanging under my bird house to dig up sun flower seeds, Yes, I know about rapid but these are not sick raccoons. They did not kill my kois for the last 7 years, and they never tried to attack me. However, I am concerned that they will attack my ducks.
I do not know what to do, I invested in a nice cedar size house that a facebook friend built a door for and it is 44" long, 22" deep and 20" high. I am doing everything wrong, I bought corn, where as I supposed to get Purina duck grow, I supposed to leave them in the house for the first 2 days but I let them out in my yard. I did not even know that I needed to give them lots of water at night in their house since they cleanse their food in their nostrils by food get stuck. So today after reading an article and talking to Charlene, I did leave plenty of water. I had to take my Koi net to catch these ducks since I did not want to wait until the night fall to get them in their cage.
My question is should I sell them ? or should I even take a chance with raccoons, hawk and the my idea of having them going into the large pond is now vanished? They won't go to my large pond since I saw my Kois chasing them or these ducks are not used to large pond. My pond is only 30 feet diameter round Koi pond with a 45 foot stream. They only way, I am willing to keep them is if they stick to my small pond area but at the night time they must go in their own house instead of me chasing them all over the yard.
Can you have ducks that will go back to their own house at night without having to chase them, without having to build outdoor pin since I will not certainly have time to take care of them.

 

[Kevin565]

. If I personally was in your position I would rehome them.

 

[70%cocoa]

I kinda agree with Kevin.... Maybe ducks are not going to work well in your set-up. I would also say that the cedar house is too small for three ducks, unfortunately, even as a night house for them. I would not take a chance with those raccoons, they will grab your ducks and kill them. If you can't provide a secure pen for them then maybe they are not the best pets for you.

It does sound like you have a beautiful garden, though, and a lovely Koi pond!

 

[desertdarlene]

I kinda agree with Kevin.... Maybe ducks are not going to work well in your set-up. I would also say that the cedar house is too small for three ducks, unfortunately, even as a night house for them. I would not take a chance with those raccoons, they will grab your ducks and kill them. If you can't provide a secure pen for them then maybe they are not the best pets for you.

It does sound like you have a beautiful garden, though, and a lovely Koi pond!

I agree. I also think your pond would not protect your ducks as coons are also good swimmers and the pond isn't very large or deep.

 

[cskotek]

If you dont want to get rid of them you can always use a big stapler gun and get chicken wire and just go around the thing to secure it from the animals. And make sure the door is secure. And the pond thing may just take a few days for them to get used to, with my runners when they where younger took a little bit for them to get used to the sunnies that would suck on their feet and the catfish. And if you show them how to go into the cage before dusk you can train them to do this. Thats what i did with my runners. We have a 5 acere yard and the pond is about 2 aceres or so away from the house, they go out to their main cage in the morning until evening and then go down to the pond, once it starts getting dark they wait at the back door to be let in. It takes a little time and effort but once its done its worth it. But if you dont have the time or ability i would say to find a new home for them.

 

[zooweemama]

I agree with Kevin. There are certain responsibilities that waterfowl owners take on when they become owners and it sounds like you are not able to take those on. The best thing for the ducks and for yourself is to find them a new home where they can properly care for them.

 

[Nyowpotopop]

Agreed with all the other posters. Ducks are just like any other animal. Would you just buy a dog and throw it outside with some table scraps and a dog house just to have the ambiance of having a dog rolling in your grass? Of course not! That dog would be at animal control and you'd be charged with misdemeanors for not taking care of your animal so fast your head would spin!

Animals are NOT decorations and it seems like you bought these ducks thinking that they were like a new plant that they would take care of themselves. In reality the only "decoration" pet I'd ever suggest is a filtered betta fish tank. (Mine literally takes 15 seconds out of my day and a bi-monthly partial water change.) And even that is questionable. I have seen people buy iguanas and turtles and rabbits and birds thinking they'd bring a friendly ambiance to the home only to later abandon the animal and/or never care for it again. It's awful. And it's people who don't think out their animal purchases that puts animals in shelters.

Ducks take time and care like any other animal. They need attention and either training (chasing them across your lawn) or a proper enclosure to be safe. The need a specific feed and temperature requirements. They need a safe nesting site. They need clean daily water. They need wings clipped or they could fly away. Domesticated mallards should be kept separate from wild populations or they can bring diseases and bad genes to wild birds. They get sick and have vet bills. I think you answered your own question when you posted "I certainly won't have the time to take care of them". If you don't have the time to take care of these animals then you can't properly take care of them now can you?

For the sake of your ducks (and your own sanity) you either need to build a proper enclosure or re-home them so they can have the care they need... If having a pen to properly provide for your animals takes away too much from your "upscale landscaping" I think you should re-home the ducks immediately before they're all eaten by coons and you have nothing but bloody piles of feathers when you wake up one morning. Because if an ugly 'ol pen is too much for your "upscale landscaping" sensibilities to handle I feel like you might not want to be seeing the gore left by a predator attack either.

 

[CelticOaksFarm]

Nothing to add, but I agree with all of the above saying to rehome. Ask the seller if they would take them back or know of anyone who would take them.

Oh a d if all you are looking fl is added decoration to your pond, look online at duck decoys, they make lovely ones you never need to feed or house or worry over.

 

[flewdacoop]

i agree with the above, but you can make it work if you want to keep them by building a pond for them and a bigger house. but that is if you want to keep them.. good luck..

from carlyss louisiana

 

[Koipondduck]

Hello, this is a nice response. This is a nice reply. I think I now want to built a pin and I have a facebook friend coming on saturday to help me do this.
I am more scared that they won't come to their house at night and be killed. Ability certainly come with efficiencies and chasing ducks at night is not fun
and a not an efficient way to invest my time. However, as you stated, if they come to their house at night and all I have to do is to let them in and lock the gate that is
not a bad idea. Also, thank you Kevon for your response as per as house being small for the night. However, this house has to do until saturday. Trust me, they were in a smaller house than this for a year and the back yard was was 1/16 of this size and the pond is a kiddle pool. They would have fine I think in this house. However, I just want to have a house./ pen combo and after it is build, I will not let them out for a week. Ater a week, then I let them out, I know they will walk from the big pond area where this house is to the small pond. My only hope that they will go back from the small pond to the big pond area at the night time.

Every thing is possible but wasting time chasing ducks are not fun and if they get used to their pen and come there waiting to be let in at the night fall, then, I am gave with this project. I know I should not be usinng chicken wire by reading all of your posts and going to Medina tractor supply to get hardware cloth. I think I will use combination of both doors and windows will be made out of hardware cloth and other welded metal chain link. I tend to do every thing right at first since that is the way to sucess for Kois, blue birds ( that I have coming back every year and brooding) and other plants. How do I post pictures in here?

Why are alll coops are higher thant from the ground on posts? what adverse situation could it be with having this house to be build on the ground?

Thanks