Do your ducks free range?

[PlumTuckered]

Quote:
Did you train your dogs, or are they just like that? Mine chase the poultry. Can this be worked on, because they totally lose their heads and all other training goes right out the window the second there is a loose bird. Short of a shock collar, I can't figure how to "fix" them.....

When our first flock of chickens were about 5 months old our oldest dog killed one, my husband slapped the dog with the dead hen and then tied her to his collar for an hour. In four years we've not lost another chicken or duck to the dogs, in fact they all lay around the yard together, and my dogs and ducks all swim in the same pond together LOL

A broody hen with 7 babies taught our kittens to leave the birds alone...our cats are now almost 2 yrs old and they don't have any interest in the chickens or ducks at all.

Michelle

 

[tony garza]

We live out in the country and the nearest neigbor is 1/2 mile away. We free range all our non-flying ducks and bantam chickens with their chicks 24/7. We have a great pyranese, an anatolyan, 2 heelers and a chihuahua running loose and neither of them bother the feathered critters. We did lose some chicks to a feral cat (don't know how it got past the dogs) but the cat is no longer a problem. The only critters I pen are our full blooded chickens, ducks that fly and our peafowl. The rest have to fend for themselves until feeding time.

Tony

 

[JosieR]

OK, I feel a little better now. We do have woods around the yard (which means hiding places for predators) and there is a stray cat that a neighbor feeds that comes up to the yard when I have the ducks out but I want them to enjoy themselves. I don't know what I'm going to do with that cat, it bothers me more than the possibility of snapping turtles in my pond.

I guess I will put them out in the enclosed area to start and once they are big I will let them free range during the day when I can watch and gradually transition them (or maybe me LOL) to letting them free range during the day unless I know I will be gone until late.

Do you all put them in based on how dark it is or the hour of the day? Are you putting them in at 8 in the evening all year or just in the summer?

Also, I know this is a silly question but how do you get them to come back to the shelter? I had them out on the lawn in a little 3 sided pen I made to sit and feed them in and one got spooked and it was like duck anarchy!

4 of them running from me and one hiding under the cart I used to wheel them from the garage to the yard, refusing to come out and moving with it as I tried to wheel it away!! I can't let them walk from the garage to where I let them play because even with my husband and 3 kids helping me we can't get them all going in the same direction! The runners even at about 5 weeks are fast.

Between all of you and Storeys Guide I feel like I'm slowly becoming a crazy duck lady

Thanks!!

 

[chickboss]

Mine all have houses that are really only accomdating for sleeping, so I go by the light in the sky. I will be going out here soon for evening chores, and put them to bed last. If I had larger housing, I would put them up earlier for my own convienence. Had to sacrific living space in order to be able to move the housing to fresh pasture, so this time of year is is late to bed, EARLY to rise...

 

[AmyinNC]

I usually put them in around 7:30-8. For me, what worked best at first was getting behind them and coaxing them in. Now, they have learned to go in on their own. When my husband gets home from work, he's outside if I'm not and often times they will be back in the kennel before either of us have to go coax them. It was quite funny for me as well at first, but I found that moving slowly rather than trying to hurry them in worked best as well. They will eventually get used to it. They will follow me around on their own especially when they know I have a treat with me. They acted at first like I was going to kill them..haha, but they soon found out I meant no harm.

I'm still new here so others may have better suggestions. That's just what worked for me.

 

[columbiacritter]

Mine free range when we're home. They rarely go far and a routine of evening snacks has taught them to come in before sunset.