Ducks terrified of everything?

[firewalker1]

i have 4 female ducks, 2 golden 300, and 2 Cayuga. I got them when they were a day old. They are 8 weeks, 3 weeks ago they went outside to live permanently. They used to follow me around, and seemed happy. Now they are continually getting more and more scared of everything and I’m hoping it doesn’t kill them.
About a week and a half ago we had a crazy wind/rain storm that was supposed to last a few days. In an attempt to keep them, their run, and house dry, I covered it all with a tarp. One came screaming out of the house and ran into the wire clear on the other side of the run, the other 3 soon followed. Then they stayed outside in the rain until I removed the tarp and physically picked them up one by one and put them back in their house. Then they stayed in there and I had to force them back out to get food and water mid day the next day.
Fast forward a few days and they still haven’t touched their house, they only stay in one corner (about 4ftx3ft) and only left to get food out of the hanging feeder in the center of their coop.
I work 48hrs in a row so my wife will feed them whenever I’m gone. I came home one day to find there feeder full, and they didn’t touch it because part of the rope it was hanging from fell down next to it.
Today I got back from a 3 day vacation and had my Nieghbor feeding them. There food was completely full, Duck house not touched, and they are now terrified of their feeder. I hand fed them a little and put peas in there feeder and they wouldn’t touch it. I even put their food in a small Tupperware and they still won’t touch it.
I went out there tonight with a flashlight and that was clearly a mistake because you could hear their screams a mile away.

How can these things be this terrified of everything? I’m afraid they are going to starve themselves to death

 

[firewalker1]

 

[Matt119911]

Hmm they must have anxiety

 

[Matt119911]

They don't like being confined

 

[shawluvsbirds]

oh my goodness. . funny. . but not funny. . I understand!
Yes ducks are VERY resistant to change and anything different in their environment is interpreted as a threat and especially anything over head since that is where most of their danger comes from is above.
I don't *think* they would starve themselves to death. . but you may have to entice them to their feeder with treats they really like or something until they decide it's not going to axe murder them.

 

[Matt119911]

Lol

 

[Matt119911]

We brought my ducks outside every day since we first got them for 6-10 minutes so they got used to it

 

[Patrick McKee]

Cute babies, but yea, they are babies and change or new things scare ducklings. So a bottle left on the ground, perfect, they won't go near it. It wasn't there yesterday so it must be bad or possible food, let's watch it until it does something or we get bored.

Without their real parent around to go up and nudge that bottle and say, 'hey this is ok!' they have to figure it out for themselves.

Oh yea, and they don't have hands...

 

[shawluvsbirds]

Maybe try putting their feeder on the ground .. Since it is probably moving a little with the wind or when they eat from it. . It may be freaking them out on top of the rope thing that happened. . now they just think it is a dangerous thing

 

[thumper650]

Mine are freaked out by a tarp I put on their run. I just let them get wet now. They are also terrified of strings hanging down, yet they love strings on sweatshirts. I'd give them some time. Talk to them a lot, especially when approaching and they can't see you.