Get off my porch!

[saxet]

I have been owned by a small flock of ducks for 4 years now. Some came because some others went. Living the good life on a half acre pond is nice as long as there is enough water and as long as you follow the example of the smart leader who stays right in the middle at night when the predators come out to circle the pond. I have no duck house. They are on their own. This has gone relatively well and my current group has not lost anyone (touch wood) for about a year now. But the newest habit is driving me nuts. They stick together like glue, probably born out of need? So now that one pekin is laying close to the house under a tree, the rest come with her and roost on my porch, and steal catfood while they are at it. All day long, they sit and sh*t there. In loo of putting on ducky diapers I sure wished they'd go off and do what ducks are supposed to do: swim. This is the first year I have had them do this. Sure, they have always knoced on the sliding doors when they thought it was time to eat, but I now wake up to their clucking by my bedroom window, and they don't leave until late afternoon. I would prefer not to fence off the view and am wondering if I should be more understanding? It is hot and dry here at the moment. And I do see (canid) prints around the pond from nightly prowlers.

But surely that does not affect their day activity when things are safe?

 

[chickboss]

I don't know if it will help, but maybe a small house where your duck could lay and feel safe by the pond? If they are no longer going to stay in the middle of the pond at night, you might want one anyway so they can go in at night, locked up and all. They all may go back to normal once she hatches her eggs. Duckie poo on the porch doesn't sound fun at all. My dad was one who believed, with our free ranging chickens, that they either get smart and make it or they don't. And I have to say, after a couple of generations, we had some pretty smart chickens that never stepped foot in a coop and thrived. So, not sure if you are from that camp, but if you are, and are against putting them up at night, you may just have to wait it out. Hopefully someone with some tremedously inspired ideas will come along and be of more help. Oh, and I would totally move that cat food, nothing more reinforcing than a free snack!

 

[nettie]

hopefully the poop doesn't get outlandish! I also hope you have a powerful hose! speaking of hosing off poop, you might be able to "hose the ducks" off the porch too. I know many people have ducks that are scared of hoses, so if you pull it out to clean off the porch, perhaps it will remind them that the pond is a better bet.

 

[Bleenie]

Sometimes i wish mine were scared of the hose. I turn that thing on and they all come running for it, they love playing in it and they love even more getting sprayed with it!!

 

[nettie]

Quote:
that is so funny how some ducks are scared out of their wits and other LOVE the hose.... have you ever tried waving around a big stick? lol... that seems to work too. I call mine a "Herding stick" (and if someone who doesn't know what the herding stick is hears me, I have to clarify that it's not a "hurtin stick" lol)

 

[chickboss]

Quote:
that is so funny how some ducks are scared out of their wits and other LOVE the hose.... have you ever tried waving around a big stick? lol... that seems to work too. I call mine a "Herding stick" (and if someone who doesn't know what the herding stick is hears me, I have to clarify that it's not a "hurtin stick" lol)

I have to clairify that to my kids to! LOL. I use a stick to help herd them in at night if they are all hanging out. Usually they let themselves in and I just lock them up. Great idea about the hose, mine do not like it, even though they dance in epic rainstorms...silly ducks.

 

[nettie]

my ducks just look up at the sky like they're thinking, "What the heck is this! who turned on the shower!" Some of my ducks hunch their shoulders up and their heads down like a person who'd scowl getting stuck in the rain... then they run for cover. lol... Aren't ducks silly animals

 

[saxet]

Quote:
I bought the place with a lone pekin floating on the pond. Felt sorry for him and added two more pekins. One went broody and was plucked off her nest by coons, no doubt. So I added two campbells. One went broody and... And so the story continues. The current crew seems to be smart, but the porch camping is new. You are right about the catfood. They will skip their own feed in favor of the snacks.

I just moved it all to the picnick table and keep putting the duckfood out by the pond. There is no real reason why they don't have a house. I probably do need one, but I just added to the status quo. A neighbor told me a system with a house on a floating barrel, just for shelter, but of course that would not work either if the water was too low (drought here right now!) and that is when I really need the house the most. I am just puzzeld by the new habit, but maybe it is simply the cat food they come for and he cool brick floor that makes them hang around? It's a horrible mess and if they keep it up, I will have to hunt for my 'canard a l'orange' recipies.

(just kidding! They are safe and will die of old age or bad jugement) I may try the hose technique. God knows I need that thing out anyway.

 

[newchickmom09]

My ducks are deathly affraid of the hose.

They LOVE the puddles that they know that "green thing" makes but if you pick it up around them then everything is off. The love the sprinkler also, just nothing big moving around them I guess.

You could put up some of that 18" high decorative fence for around gardens just around your porch and that will probably keep them off. I have that kind of fencing around all around my gardens and anything I don't want to ducks to eat. They never have attempted to get over it. Something like that you could just step over or move a piece to get on and off your porch.

I would say a duck house that they can go into probably would be your best bet also. I would assume that they got scared from the pond by something and now figured out your porch is safer.

Ducks can be the dumbest animals sometimes but they can also be VERY smart.

 

[freebird2014]

You know I started searching the internet today with the same question and all of the situations and suggestions really resonate with what has happened to my small flock mentioned in this forum.. My ducks started inhabiting my concrete patio about a week ago and now that I think about it... There is a bowl of cat food there, so I'm going to pick that up for sure. Also I remember a dog got into my yard and even went into their pen and scared them half to death. THAT was the first time they came to the patio and have been coming there every day to rest and sleep. My gate was left open and since then has been closed so no more dog incidents. I also bought a small picket fence, I'd say about a foot tall today, spend a bit of money on that and spent a lot of sweat setting it up and blocking them from getting in - so i thought- after I had it all blocked in, I look out the window and there they are back at the SAME PLACE. They jump and hop over it!
I'm going to have to hose everything down every night as part of my regimen until I can resolve this.