Ducks no longer want to go in pen

[Geisel]

I have 3 mallards,2 kakis, and 5 Pekins since they were babies, they are 3 months old now. They are locked up at night and free to roam inside the backyard with the dog in cyclone fence. They have a pond 100 feet from the backyard with an island and a small duck boat house on the island for protection. The duck boat house was in the backyard and they would stay in it until I moved it on the island. For weeks the ducks would go 5 feet out in the pond and come back running in and out of water playing, and some days they refused to even go near the pond.
For weeks they have been going inside their duck house in the backyard without any trouble, now they refuse to go in the house and it’s a battle to get them in. Should I put them on the island and feed them every evening. The mallards and kakis will fly if I pressure them to go in their house. One Pekin is blind in one eye and I was going to keep him and a companion Pekin in the back yard. They will follow me And always come when I call. But now they only want kiddie pool. I stopped giving them treats during the day so I know they are hungry in the evening. Help, what is going on with my ducks?

 

[DuckyDonna]

I see you posted this on Saturday and nobody has replied! I really don't know what to say but lets get @Miss Lydia @WVduckchick @Jpat on to see what they say. Could there be something in the duck house that scares them? Snakes, etc would be a thought!

 

[Miss Lydia]

Have you been in the house and looked around for a predator or signs a predator has visited. Do you know if you have snapping turtles, snakes? Seems like something has spooked them and they don’t feel secure ..

 

[Miss Lydia]

Since they have their house now on the island do you close them up? Predators will swim for an easy meal Owls will swoop down and take a small duck if it’s out at night an not in a secure house. Mink and other predators are ruthless when they kill.

 

[WVduckchick]

Ducks are often terrified of change. Mine would go nuts when i moved their waterer and walk around it like they had never seen it before. But eventually they got thirsty enough to go for it. I suspect it might just take a couple days for them to realize the house is not going to eat them.