Duck sleeping arrangements

[364992Laura]

I’m in NC, first time duck & geese owner, they’re around 4 months old now. They free range for some of the day & we have a predator proof run with a coop attached, currently we lock them in the coop at dusk which now is around 8.30pm & let them out at dawn which is around 6.30am. My question is do I really need to be locking them in the coop if the run itself is predator proof? They never seem to want to go inside the coop, perhaps since the run has a pool and other fun things & I'm worried about the length of time they’ll have to spend in the coop once winter comes. Would locking them in the coop from 5pm-8am in the winter really be necessary or would locking them in just the run with access to the coop suffice? Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

 

[cheezenkwackers]

They would be fine in the run as long as it isn’t too cold. Mine are locked in the coop-run at night and free range the garden during the day. They put themselves to bed in the coop part. But, I live in a warmer place. I also cover my run with plastic shower curtains in the winter (open at top for ventilation). My run isn’t very big and although it does have food and water, it does not have a pool.

 

[ruthhope]

I’m in NC, first time duck & geese owner, they’re around 4 months old now. They free range for some of the day & we have a predator proof run with a coop attached, currently we lock them in the coop at dusk which now is around 8.30pm & let them out at dawn which is around 6.30am. My question is do I really need to be locking them in the coop if the run itself is predator proof? They never seem to want to go inside the coop, perhaps since the run has a pool and other fun things & I'm worried about the length of time they’ll have to spend in the coop once winter comes. Would locking them in the coop from 5pm-8am in the winter really be necessary or would locking them in just the run with access to the coop suffice? Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

You have a similar set up to my son's in NE Florida. He has a secure coop and his ducks free ranged in the garden during the day. But an escaped husky dog from his neighborhood got over the 4ft gate or fence and attacked his ducks. So he now has a 20' x 10' pen around his coop. It is 6ft tall and we fastened chicken wire across the top and predator proofed the bottom of the pen with hardware cloth. His ducks still, mostly, go into the coop at night, but he nolonger has to dash home at dusk and make sure they are safely inside the coop and secure the door. As long as your ducks can readily access a safe dry space away from rain or wind, you need not lock them inside the coop at night. But do remember that raccoons and probably other predators such as fishers can dig under pen walls. We use hardware cloth buried under the pen perimeter to stop digging. The coop itself has hardware cloth under its soil floor. He once, several years ago, had a predator try and dig under a corner from two sides. The hardware cloth thwarted it and it hasn't been back. I am sure a raccoon could climb over a 6ft pen, hence the chicken wire fixed over it.
BYW, I'm slow to get going in the morning and I often don't get my ducks up until 9.00 or 9.30am. I put them to bed at dusk, currently 8.15pm in St Augustine, FL. It can be as early as 6pm in December. They adapt and are not harmed by long hours over night in the coop.