Ducks going in at night

[Crashlystarr]

What time do you put your to bed?

So at 4 weeks it’s ok to just put food in their pen at night and leave no food out during the day?

 

[bhaugh]

What time do you put your to bed?

They come to the fence at 7. Sometimes I forget but they don't. When your training with food, Always have that treat when they enter their pen. I tried it one night without treats and the new ducks were like "We're out of Here" learned my lesson

 

[Chelsa'sChicks]

Whatever you do DONT let them find out you have a water source lol. Our ducks found out about the pond behind the barn and never came back into the barn. We did try to get them back, and ended up building them an area. Over time though they did all get eaten due to being more exposed and out of the barn.

 

[Muscovy-palooza]

So at 4 weeks it’s ok to just put food in their pen at night and leave no food out during the day?

Well, I have food out during the day in the shaded area between the pond and the coop. That way the Drake and little ones can have a snack throughout the day without having to go back to the coop. It's a way of luring them closer to the coop so that at dusk, or a little before, they will head to the coop. It would be great to eventually have them come when called for a treat. I will work on that. I just have to find that awesome treat that they would die for. My ducks don't care for mealworms. They simply would not have anything to do with them. It may have something to do with the fact that they have access to free range and they find live, juicy worms and other water creatures in addition to all the pasture grasses.
So back to your question, it may depend on how large of an area they have to run and how much they can forage to satisfy their tummies and nutritional needs. I honestly am not sure if they will go back in and out during the day. Maybe someone else will give their advice on this. Key info to help advisors would be, Are they penned or free range and what amount of area do they have access to during the day to forage?

 

[Muscovy-palooza]

It only took us about three days to get em trained to fo in at night. I have a duck tractor that I move every day but the principle is the same.

I only feed them at night, the first night it took me and my wife both with sti ks about 30 mins chasing them around to get them in in the house. The second night took both of us about 10 mins.

The 3rd night I did it myself in about 5 mins. Now every night they tell me when its bed time and get mad if I am late to open their house for them.

I can totally relate to chasing ducks
Do most people close their coops during the day? I have 3 hens on nests in my coop and they come out a couple of times a day to take spread their wings and fly to the pond for a dip and a little foraging so I can't close mine.

 

[Muscovy-palooza]

Whatever you do DONT let them find out you have a water source lol. Our ducks found out about the pond behind the barn and never came back into the barn. We did try to get them back, and ended up building them an area. Over time though they did all get eaten due to being more exposed and out of the barn.

Our ducks love our pond. When the hens that are now adults were babies, we didn't have the coop available for them so they were raised free range 24/7. It has taken so much time to train them to the coop. It's still touch and go. Lets put it this way, I am sure that the neighbors have been well entertained if they happen to be watching the nightly coop frenzy. Training hens with ducklings scattering every which way.
Every situation is very different because everyone's property is different both on demographics, size and layout of it all. Our pond is in a safe spot in front of our house. We have 7 donkeys that are likely the reason why we haven't seen any predators though we have had a hen come up missing. We know that It is risky letting our ducks free range but they are also able to fly and get away and that is what works for us at this time.

 

[Chelsa'sChicks]

@Muscovy-palooza I am so jealous you have 7 donkeys! I have a horse, my other horse recently passed away and I was considering getting her a buddy. Also my horse that passed away was actually great with my dogs, but if a strange dog was around (like my friends or a coyote) she would violently chase the dog with an open mouth and if she caught them try to stomp them. It was an amazing thing to see a full Belgian draft horse do this. I was also impressed how she knew our dogs from other dogs even though they were the same color.

 

[Muscovy-palooza]

@Muscovy-palooza I am so jealous you have 7 donkeys! I have a horse, my other horse recently passed away and I was considering getting her a buddy. Also my horse that passed away was actually great with my dogs, but if a strange dog was around (like my friends or a coyote) she would violently chase the dog with an open mouth and if she caught them try to stomp them. It was an amazing thing to see a full Belgian draft horse do this. I was also impressed how she knew our dogs from other dogs even though they were the same color.

Wow! sounds like your Belgian earned her keep. Sorry for your loss. It is pretty amazing to see them do their thing. We witnessed our newly foaled Jenny take out after our Golden Retriever. He had been annoying but at this particular moment he was down the pasture a ways minding his own business. That Jenny charged our dog and proceeded to drop down in top of him with her mouth open, teeth bared and going in for the kill. If we had not been close by, checking out the new goal, she would have killed him. That was like watching the TV series, Mutual of Omaha's The Wild Kingdom.
We are planning to downsize our donkey population, though it will be hard, to make room for some goats and sheep. All but one of the 7 were born here. There are 4 that I can't imagine parting with. Need a donkey companion for your horse I'm in East, TN. Come and pick you one out?

 

[Chelsa'sChicks]

Yes, she was a strange, big and funny Belgian. That's why I worry about my horse now because she will "be a normal horse" and run - not fight back. Something scared her (which is rare to begin with) and I saw her running, I was afraid she would sprain her knee (again) as the terrain is uneven. Well, when I called her name she saw me and ran over to me literally hid behind me peeking around me. This is a 1,400 Lb Belgain QH cross so no chance of me blocking any of her lol. I love her dearly and I was so mad that something scared her that bad I went and got the gun to find out what and why.

I would, I'm just not 100% sure yet of what my living situation will be. I may have to move and don't own a horse trailer. I would like to in the future, but I don't want to have to move more if I don't need to. Especially the animals. It's their home too. It's all they have know and they have grew up here since babies.