Duck ramp ideas???

[duckduckgoose13]

Hello everyone! So I have two female Pekin ducks and they are about 3 months old and I was trying to think of some ideas for a ramp so they can get in and out of their kiddie pool. Right now I have a ramp made out of two fence boards and they don’t even want to go near it, they won’t even get in the pool of it is in there. When the ramp is not there, they can get in just fine but I notice they can’t get out unless they jump out ungracefully or I lift them out. Most of the time I will come back a couple hours later and they’ll still be in the pool so I go in and I lift them out which they don’t seem to mind. I just don’t want them to jump out ungracefully and hurt themselves so is there something I could do to help them get out easier?

 

[cheezenkwackers]

I use cinder blocks (whole and half) to build stairs to get in and out. They like a block in the pool to step on to get out. Mine prefer steps to get in and then a block in the pool to step out onto the ramp of fence boards to get out.

 

[KaleIAm]

I have really big rocks to help mine get out. We have a few methods to help them get in depending on the pool. We made them a staircase. And also a platform. Another time they had a wide, not steep ramp.

I don't have photos of our kiddie pool method, but we still put rocks in it because they can't get out. I had a duck who damaged a blood feather on a hard plastic kid pool trying to get in - so we use a platform to help out with that, too.

 

[LT71689]

I did just a piece of plywood with a non-slip shelf liner on the outside, and built a pair of steps on the inside. Ducks are clumsy and generally dont love ramps or stairs. Going up is always easier than going down so the lower and less steep the better, but they also dont care for really long lengths either so its a bit tricky to figure out how much they'll tolerate before saying "screw it" and falling off the side. My ramp was pretty steep but they got the hang of it once I bribed them with enough treats. (it didnt *completely* deter them from just launching themselves over the edge of the pool, but it helped) The stairs they really only had to go up in order to get out which they did easily, the water line was high enough above the lowest step that when they stepped down they floated before having to reach the step. I would have done something much nicer/sturdier/larger for a more permanent solution but I only had them for a few weeks so this is what we cooked up. The overall idea would have been the same for a permanent design, just some tweaks. The pool height was about 16 inches

 

[Stoney Meadow Maple]

Poor pic, I’ll get one tomorow better, this happens to be A picket fence piece I had around with a bit of stall mat on it, cement block in the pool then often flutter out but use the ramp in. Common to see one just hanging out on the barely submerged cement block.

 

[corriemartin]

I use cinder blocks (whole and half) to build stairs to get in and out. They like a block in the pool to step on to get out. Mine prefer steps to get in and then a block in the pool to step out onto the ramp of fence boards to get out.

That's what I do too. I have a cinder block IN the tank a couple inches below the surface of the water to aid in exiting, and a ramp made with 2x2s and hardware cloth on the outside. It's 2 feet wide, so very roomy.

 

[BigLar368]

This is what I did. Made out of cedar fence pickets so they will not rot for a very long time. Frame underneath is treated. I thought it was too steep at first as they had trouble climbing it. Now they hop up the steps without a problem.