Ducks Confuse Me

[DellaMyDarling]

1. How do I get my laying hens to lay anywhere other than the ground?

I have tried making a nesting bucket identical to the one their breeder used.
I bought a cute little nesting basket to try.

2. How do I get the ducks to utilize their house?!

They were getting inside it sometimes when we spooked them in the run, so I know they saw it as safe. We did have to move it's location in run, wondering if that threw them off.
I do not know if they ever slept in it. There's clean shavings/no poo after cleaning it 2 weeks ago, so I know they aren't using it.
Do they just prefer to sleep outside?! (They are put in a chain link run at night.)
I'd be happy if they laid in here at least!
The breeder always locked her mixed bird species flock up in a big coop overnight. She never had issues with this and everyone would head in together to be locked up. I figured the concept of having a night house would be automatic for these silly ducks.

3. Free ranging "skills"?

Some days they free range on our property just fine, but other days they run off to our neighbor's.
How do you keep your ducks close by?
Things have certainly improved in our free ranging of ducks, but I don't consider it smooth sailing yet.

 

[DuckWhisperer06]

What does their house look like?

We use an old dog house for ours and very rarely do they lay outside of it.

 

[DellaMyDarling]

Here's our house for ducks.
After making the coop window access for chickens, they've decided duck house is good place to lay.
Oy.

 

[DuckWhisperer06]

Hmm... maybe the doorway/opening is too small for the ducks’ liking?

Our chickens love to lay in the duck pen any time we let them free range.

 

[DuckWhisperer06]

One more thing.

How old are your ducks?

 

[AquaDuck]

Ducks are stubborn, individual and do exactly what they want!

They like sleeping outside, they're much more insulated than chickens, so adults have no problem with nightly cold. I'm guessing they think the house is too cramped. Try removing the two lower planks to ease the access and make it more airy?

As for them running off when free ranging; what are they after in your neighbors place that they can't get on their home ground? Compost pile? Bugs? A particularly juicy piece of mud? Figuring that out would give you an indication of their needs and how to replicate it so they stay close. They looooove water, a running garden hose would attract them from miles away!

Laying eggs, put out several nice, cozy burrows made of different materials and sizes and see which one they like. If any. Ah ducks, manipulation runs right off them, they have to decide for themselves.

 

[DellaMyDarling]

I could very easily take out a doorway board for height of entry.
I could not alter width however, there's a support beam there.
I did construction to allow for much ventilation above duck heads. Not sure you can see gaps in pic or not, and no side boards are perfectly flush nor sealed so plenty air flow

I haven't figured out the allure of neighbor yard yet. When they go, they hang out in exactly the same type of environment as over here!
Some day I'll have a fancy duck pond. Right now we have multiple water stations available and that bucket next to the duck house. Multiple feeders. Huge variety of shade, tall grasses, trees, shrubs, woods lines,open mowed grass, dandelion patches, leaf piles. They visit them all! Then they run to neighbor's and sit in his mowed lawn or his tree shade lol.

I seem to have more success if I don't let them out every day all day, which bothers me and makes them go nuts with duck mud pies. Letting them out seems to keep the water non mucked. When they're roaming I only need to dump pool every two days and refill water founts once a day. If confined in run, they need new water every two hours and that's just not realistic.