Catching ducks?

[docdubz]

My ducklings have outgrown their kiddie pool, the mess making has reached apocalyptic proportions. I've been working as hard as I can to finish the coop but I still got a couple days. In the mean time I built a pen to keep them outside during the day close to where I am building the coop. This has made keeping the kiddie pool clean a little more doable since they are only in it at night when I'm not building. But, Im having a hard time figuring out a better way to catch them to move em between the pen and the kiddie pool.

I tried getting them to come to me with peas and meal worms but only one is brave enough to eat out of my hand. The other 3 will run back and forth head first into the welded wire fence no matter how I try to get them. Are there any tricks to catching ducklings without them hurting themselves or you hurting them?

I did so much research before purchasing them and still, somehow, I managed to never read something about how quickly they outgrow any sort of indoor brooder arrangement. Oh well, hopefully I'll be finished with the coop by Wednesday.

 

[Sasha-chickens]

My ducklings have outgrown their kiddie pool, the mess making has reached apocalyptic proportions. I've been working as hard as I can to finish the coop but I still got a couple days. In the mean time I built a pen to keep them outside during the day close to where I am building the coop. This has made keeping the kiddie pool clean a little more doable since they are only in it at night when I'm not building. But, Im having a hard time figuring out a better way to catch them to move em between the pen and the kiddie pool.

I tried getting them to come to me with peas and meal worms but only one is brave enough to eat out of my hand. The other 3 will run back and forth head first into the welded wire fence no matter how I try to get them. Are there any tricks to catching ducklings without them hurting themselves or you hurting them?

I did so much research before purchasing them and still, somehow, I managed to never read something about how quickly they outgrow any sort of indoor brooder arrangement. Oh well, hopefully I'll be finished with the coop by Wednesday.

just sit in the coop and be patient. put treats in your hand and sit still. they will get use to that. or when my ducks get feisty with me and i don’t want to hurt them, i get a old blanket or sheet and catch them with it.

 

[docdubz]

I've sat for a while with treats. One of them comes to me and eats from my hand, 2 of the others will eventually see what's going on and come over and then the last duck, who I've aptly named Donald, comes running over quacking like crazy to scare them away from me. Donald is a complete menace and makes everything 10 times harder. Guess I'll tell my wife I'm stealing her blanket lol.

 

[HalfWayUpAMountain]

Welcome to the duck life !

Its definitely an art and it does get easier - in my experience though, there usually is a drama.

Ducklings in particular get into a tiz at the thought of being seperated from the others by The Big Tall Thing.

I think its important to be quick and certain and make sure you get the whole bird in your hand, not just a wing or a leg !

If you are in a small space and they are small enough, i'd practice scooping them up with one or both hands and popping them in a bucket or tub - give them a chest scratch on the way.

If they are larger and its a big space, time to purchase a fishing net. More drama but still quick.

I would try and avoid long periods of stress for you and the little ones.

Mealworms on the floor and then go for the grab (net or hand) works for us !

 

[threebrookscorner]

When we need to catch a duck we use a big towel but thats rare nowadays unless health related. Our ducks free range until november when the brook starts freezing up, and have a big run until spring. We also have a light on a timer in their house that goes off 930 or so, which works better for us to put them in. We use a teardrop shaped run attached to their house making it easy to funnel them in. They will learn a routine and ours usually come up to the house on their own. If not, a shout and a shake of the dry cat food container will bring em running out of the brook for home!

 

[corriemartin]

nd still, somehow, I managed to never read something about how quickly they outgrow any sort of indoor brooder arrangement.

This took me completely by surprise too. Mine lasted only 4 days inside in the duck tub. Is there any way you can gently "herd" them? Make some kind of passageway for them to follow?

 

[LT71689]

My ducks have been with me since the day they hatched and I THOUGHT I handled them enough to get them used to me, and they still dont come to me unless they think I've got a treat in my hands (and they do a 180 REAL quick if I move towards them. They're tough to trick. They want to always have me in their line of sight and be near me but not NEAR me.)

The only way i can catch them without seriously stressing them out is to slowly walk them into a corner, slowly lean/squat down, and try to get my hands low under them so it doesnt look like I'm attacking them from above so much. They've got seriously hard-wired predator/prey instincts and anything big above them is a threat, even if they know you. I definitely cant come at them with a towel, I'd look like a giant bird about to land on them - at best someone else holds a towel ready in their lap but I still have to catch them first. I scoop one forearm under them from their chest down their bellies (they're usually facing away from me trying to get away) and support their feet best I can with the other hand, though they'd prefer to flap wildly than keep their feet still and firm in my hands/on my arm. My arms regularly look like I got in a fight with a tiger. My girl sometimes spins around and in a last-second-panic winds up leaping right into my hands but I'm not always that lucky. If they have to go somewhere they have to go together in a box or they freak out the second they get separated. If you can avoid picking them up a bunch and instead just corral them along that would be ideal


It's a slow tedious process for sure but it's better on everyone's heart rate - mine included

 

[docdubz]

This took me completely by surprise too. Mine lasted only 4 days inside in the duck tub. Is there any way you can gently "herd" them? Make some kind of passageway for them to follow?

Not really, there's a couple obstacles between the brooder and the temporary pen. I've been getting better at grabbing them in a way that won't hurt them but they've also gotten better at running. It's kind of funny they go absolutely nuts when I grab them from the brooder and go even crazier once I get them outside, until they see the pen and then they start happily chirping.

 

[HalfWayUpAMountain]

Not really, there's a couple obstacles between the brooder and the temporary pen. I've been getting better at grabbing them in a way that won't hurt them but they've also gotten better at running. It's kind of funny they go absolutely nuts when I grab them from the brooder and go even crazier once I get them outside, until they see the pen and then they start happily chirping.

Thats ducks for you !

 

[LT71689]

It's a bit tougher with 4 (I only have 2) but if you have a box big enough and you can steadily carry it, that's what i do with mine when I need to move them (their pool is currently up some stairs). They dont like going in the box for sure but it means i can move them both at the same time, and if I close the lid on them they freak out less. They're only in it for about 30 seconds, just walk them into a corner, put the box down, quickly put them in the box and shut the lid and then off we go