Ducks active at night?

[Bokbok]

I went outside just now and discovered that my ducks were in the pond, happily taking a bath at 10:30 at night. They are so funny! Sometimes if I go out the door when it's dark, they will wake up and rush to their tiny pond, begging for some new water to be put in it. They look at the water, quack, look at me, quack, look back at the water. Before I only raised chickens, and they did little more than ruffle their feathers if I somehow woke them up. But the ducks seem to want to party after dark. Does anyone else find this to be true? It's pretty normal, right? They are buff ducks, by the way, about three months old.

 

[azrc]

Yes! Mine are up all night. Had to eat three of them because they were so loud.

I think a lot of this had to do with neighborhood cats visiting. Whenever I go out at night to check on the chickens, they all run away and jump into or out of the water.

Sometimes I'll go out and feed them at 2am just to get them to shut up for a while.

 

[Wifezilla]

Ducks nap off and on throughout the day. They seem to wake several times during the night too. Sometimes I leave them a full water bucket late at night in case I sleep in on the weekends, then get up early anyway. When I go out to the pen, most of the water is gone and it is filthy, so obviously they were eating and drinking at some point during the night.

 

[Katy]

Mine are active all night.

 

[Gloria]

Yep, mine are too. As long as they are inside the coop doing it, I don't mind. I'm sure the chickens would like to evict them by now though!

 

[Dances with Ducks]

Yes, I read in a duck magazine that they have a sleep cycle that's something like an hour or something awake and then 40 min of sleep (can't remember exactly) that they just cycle through regardless of day or night. It also said they did a study of brain activity that proved that that they sleep with one eye open.

 

[Deedee]

I learn something new everyday!!!

 

[BackSwampGirl]

Yall have not got any thing wrong with your ducks and geese if you have them.Ours stay awake all the time.They take turns sleeping.And there is always one on the watch.So if they get dirty water that is because they like to mate in clean water.I found that out the hard way.We keep lights out in our pens so if there is a problem we can see out there.But believe me,they will let you know.I love my ducks,geese,and silkies.Sometimes they will even lay eggs in the water.As you can see we have plenty of them ,that is not counting the ones in the brooder.
They also enjoy getting out in the green,but we have so many hawks ,owls,eagles,and crows that thye will attack them and take them away.So we have covers over our pens.And it works so far.And electric fence.

....I think they are the sweetest thing I have ever had.We use big swimming pools and clean them about everyday.And they just love it.Plus we are trying to set up a time and place to dig a pond.And make sure we put fence on top and around.And let just one groupo out one day,and so on and so worth.Know it will be a job.But that I love to see them swimming,they love it.

 

[azrc]

Quote:
Yes, I've seen mine sleep in the day with one eye open. I have a dog who sleeps with his eyes open most of the time.

 

[One Acre Wonder Farm]

I did not know this before I got ducks; I assumed they slept all night like chickens. Imagine my shock when I went out before daylight the first morning I had my new-to-me-6-month-old-ducks and found an EGG in their enclosure! An egg before daylight? Awesome!