I had to train mine or they would never go up by them selves...I spent many years of my youth herding them up through the winter.... swimming and all
...when we got them again a few years ago, again, I wanted to avoid this...the 1st batch I used treats at night time and they eventually got the idea...my new group this year I am raising with chickens and a night light...the chickens help herd the ducks up, as they are good at it...I have had to move them a few time because of predators and they are beside the house right now in our fenced in yard ... and all I do is put up a light so they know where to go, the chickens lead and the ducks follow... hopefully once the chickens move to their permanent coop the ducks will still remember what to do haha geese are better i think. No one is at our pond right now, I have to get it fenced in 1st... they sometimes seem to go wild when on a real pond for the 1st time, so I probably wont introduce them to it until this fall after plenty of free ranging my yard and once they are a bit older, and once it is fenced in!!! I'm trying to decide the best location for their coop/house...at the pond, between the pond and my house (the pond is about 100 yards away) or in my yard and they can walk to the pond
but then I think they will not put themselves up as well????so much to think about! any other ideas on getting ducks and geese into their coops at night?