Ducks being stubborn or is it me??

[Duathman]

Nashville, Tn.............I bought 2 ducks last year trying to get eggs and I knew next to nothing about raising ducks or getting eggs. I got 2 Indian runners that were very young and the guy said give them a few months and they will start laying. This was in April of 2021 and they did lay very sporadically. It was an open cage with chicken wire in my backyard. I put them in a crate every night so predators wouldn't get them. They had a pool which I put fresh water in daily. Lots of TLC and few eggs and a hawk found them in November 2021 and that was the end of that. Now in February 2022 I bought a fully reinforced "fortress" enclosed coup and I bought 2 Indian Runners and 2 Khaki Campbells from another local guy that calls himself "THE DUCKMAN" on his voicemail. I asked him how soon should the 4 new ducks start laying eggs he said "now". Well, I took them home and the very next day I had 4 beautiful eggs waiting on me the next day. The next day I had 3, the next few days 2 eggs then the past 2.5 weeks nothing. I took photos down to the local tractor supply and thought maybe it was the food. Now they are on the Purina Duck food. I even bought a predator cage thinking the ducks were getting scared at night. Water, Food, protection........What could possibly be the problem??

 

[BabyGotQuack]

It could be the stress of rehoming. Give them a little more time to adjust

 

[WIchickMama]

not sure if this matters or not but do they have enough room? places to lay/hide/etc? I know our neighbor's ducks walk and walk and walk all day long.

could very well be stress too.

 

[Isadora]

My initial thought is stress from being rehomed. I got a few new ducks a couple weeks ago and they only just started laying a couple days ago.

 

[BabyGotQuack]

not sure if this matters or not but do they have enough room? places to lay/hide/etc? I know our neighbor's ducks walk and walk and walk all day long.

could very well be stress too.

I think their run looks great. Maybe you could get something more like a dog house instead of a crate, just make sure it has some type of venting and isn’t 100% sealed up. It’ll give them more cover if you got a dog house or something similar.

Do you let them roam the yard ever? While I think your run looks good sized I don’t know if it’s big enough for them to be locked up in 24/7. Ours love to roam and will walk, nap, walk, nap and they just love it! They’re pretty good about staying in our yard, every once in a while I catch them sunbathing at the neighbors.

 

[Duathman]

I think their run looks great. Maybe you could get something more like a dog house instead of a crate, just make sure it has some type of venting and isn’t 100% sealed up. It’ll give them more cover if you got a dog house or something similar.

Do you let them roam the yard ever? While I think your run looks good sized I don’t know if it’s big enough for them to be locked up in 24/7. Ours love to roam and will walk, nap, walk, nap and they just love it! They’re pretty good about staying in our yard, every once in a while I catch them sunbathing at the neighbors.

I don't let them out. Would they stay close by?? I live in a neighborhood and don't want to be chasing them all over the place. I don't have a fenced in yard. I am all about letting the have more room but is this something that can be done without too much stress on me? I can definitely change the crate to an enclosed dog house.

 

[BabyGotQuack]

I don't let them out. Would they stay close by?? I live in a neighborhood and don't want to be chasing them all over the place. I don't have a fenced in yard. I am all about letting the have more room but is this something that can be done without too much stress on me? I can definitely change the crate to an enclosed dog house.

Mine stay close, they’re too scared to venture too far my yard isn’t fully fenced either and 95% of the time they stay in it. If you’re worried about them taking off you should try doing it while you’re outside to supervise. Maybe while you do yard work or something? If they start going out of the yard just go heard them back.

That’d be awesome if you could change out the crate, I think they’d love that.

 

[BabyGotQuack]

Maybe you could even fence off a section with welded wire fencing and tposts? I did that for my garden to keep them out and it was easy, I did it by myself and didn’t cost very much. Probably less than $100?

 

[telandra2]

Mine prefer dark hidey-holes to nest in. Maybe the open-ness of the pen is part of the problem? Perhaps a cover over the crate. This plastic bin from Walmart was an instant hit (but a bit pricy at $10 each.)

 

[BelovedBirds]

Nashville, Tn.............I bought 2 ducks last year trying to get eggs and I knew next to nothing about raising ducks or getting eggs. I got 2 Indian runners that were very young and the guy said give them a few months and they will start laying. This was in April of 2021 and they did lay very sporadically. It was an open cage with chicken wire in my backyard. I put them in a crate every night so predators wouldn't get them. They had a pool which I put fresh water in daily. Lots of TLC and few eggs and a hawk found them in November 2021 and that was the end of that. Now in February 2022 I bought a fully reinforced "fortress" enclosed coup and I bought 2 Indian Runners and 2 Khaki Campbells from another local guy that calls himself "THE DUCKMAN" on his voicemail. I asked him how soon should the 4 new ducks start laying eggs he said "now". Well, I took them home and the very next day I had 4 beautiful eggs waiting on me the next day. The next day I had 3, the next few days 2 eggs then the past 2.5 weeks nothing. I took photos down to the local tractor supply and thought maybe it was the food. Now they are on the Purina Duck food. I even bought a predator cage thinking the ducks were getting scared at night. Water, Food, protection........What could possibly be the problem?? View attachment 3027647View attachment 3027648View attachment 3027649View attachment 3027650View attachment 3027651View attachment 3027652View attachment 3027653

I'm no expert, just going off of initial reaction to the photos- So just consider this a suggestion-
Perhaps a more secure sleeping arrangement? Something to protect them more from the elements, and make them feel secure. They're likely pretty safe in the dog kennel, but they probably don't *feel* very safe at night... A duck house/converted dog kennel might be better for them, you would have to allow for ventilation though since ducks are good at making everything wet! It would act as a place to feel safe in, and they may be more relaxed to lay their eggs, since stress would likely be a factor.
Also might just be worth asking, what calcium supplements are you using? Oyster shell, or?