Do ducks normally hide during the day?

[WalkingSmall]

Hi all. I recently got a couple of Khaki/Swedish Blue mix ducks. They're probably 2 months old now and we're still keeping them inside at night until I can build a duck house. I let them out to free range in the yard every morning, where they have a baby pool with an umbrella. They also have a small dog pen in the back yard with tin covering it. I leave the door open so they can come and go as they please. Up until 2 days ago, they would forage all day and intermittently splash around in their pool, or rest next to it in the shade. Then as it got dark they would make their way to the pen, where I would catch them and put them up for the night. So the last 2 days, they splashed and foraged for a couple hours in the morning and then went straight to the pen and stayed there the rest of the day just resting. They have food and a small pan of water, but nothing to forage in the pen. And they don't even seem to be eating the food. Is it this normal for ducks or should they be foraging all day?

Thanks for any advice!

 

[scratch'n'peck]

It isn't necessarily abnormal to rest part of the day, but I understand any change in behavior makes us take notice. If it was warmer than usual I think they might not move around as much and I suppose they are not as active as they mature some. But of course it wouldn't hurt to check them over to see if you notice any other changes. If they have a favorite treat, offer it to them to make sure they still have an interest. You can chase them around a bit to make sure they are not listless

I suppose if they sensed a predator nearby they may decide it is safer near the pen, but it would be pretty hard to find evidence of that.

Others may have more specific suggestions for what to be on the lookout for...

Welcome to the Forum!

 

[showjumper_girl2002]

my parents have 4 muscovy's and they go in and out of their house all throughout the day.

 

[Angsminizoo]

scratch'n'peck :

It isn't necessarily abnormal to rest part of the day, but I understand any change in behavior makes us take notice. If it was warmer than usual I think they might not move around as much and I suppose they are not as active as they mature some. But of course it wouldn't hurt to check them over to see if you notice any other changes. If they have a favorite treat, offer it to them to make sure they still have an interest. You can chase them around a bit to make sure they are not listless

I suppose if they sensed a predator nearby they may decide it is safer near the pen, but it would be pretty hard to find evidence of that.

Others may have more specific suggestions for what to be on the lookout for...

Welcome to the Forum!

I agree with everything stated here. Mine tend to stay under my deck on days that there are a lot of large birds out, like turkey buzzards, crows and of course hawks.

They are also not as active on really hot days. However, it is not safe to assume that it is not an illness. I would definitely rule out that first.​

 

[Luvmyducks]

My ducks have been going in their house a lot lately during the day. I am guessing it is from the heat during the day. When the days were a bit cooler they would be out more and sit under a bush to get out of the sun. The house must be cooler. They even stand at their pool when it gets too hot and look at me as if to say, "Hey are you going to change this or what??". They line up and look into the pool and then at me. As soon as I dump it and start to fill it with cold water again they start talking and hop right in. They are SO happy!

 

[desertdarlene]

I do notice that ducks "hide" more when the weather is warm than when it's cool.

 

[WalkingSmall]

Quote:
Lol, well thanks for the replies, everyone. Maybe it was the predator thing. It's been cooler this week than last, so it was weird that they weren't coming out of the pen at all... even in the evening when it cooled down and was sprinkling lightly. They normally like to stand in the rain if it's not too hard (as I assume all ducks would.) They're definitely not listless, though. I got them out of the pen a little while ago and took them back to the pool. They jumped right in and then spent 20 minutes grooming and went back to foraging. Who knows what a duck's thinking?

 

[Heiko27]

My khakis are about two months old too. Most of the time now that its warmer they choose to stay in their kennel in the shade, but after a few days of being outside for their first time, the weather dropped like 10 -15 degrees and they stayed inside the doghouse most of the day. When it got warmer they went outside but still preferred to lounge in the shade. They still foraged and ran to the water every few hours between sitting there

 

[bt03]

In my 6 months of having ducks I have learned that they are ducks

When it was cool out they liked to hang out in their house and once it got hotter they like to hang out in their house even more

. They will do what they do but just make sure they are feeling well and other than that I'd be happy to let them be