getting duck back in the evening

[fred debros]

i raised 12 peking ducks in a small cage first, then in their coop. until they had rudimentary feathers they were cooped in. then i started to open the door and put out water and at age 5 weeks they started to go out, always in a tight bundle, i played a hawk on my ipod and they ran back in! i herded them back in at 6pm exactly with fresh food and water for a week. then they discovered the pond, so today they ran out at 6am, spent their time near/in the pond and at 6pm returned unprompted to their coop. a long stick with rubbans on the top, raised and waived is enough to tell them times up to come in. these are much more sticking together ducks than my mallards.

 

[sannabelle]

I think Pekins have been domesticated to that point- mine have always been great about going in!! I put a baby pool out for them and our other ducks since our large pond is a good three acres away and I'd prefer they not venture over there, since our LGD hangs close to the coop with the chickens and turkeys. !

 

[Ducktown]

My ducks did that too. They went into the duck house themselves as soon as the sun went down. But at one point, they started going into the pond, and they remain in the water during the night. I can't make them leave the pond when they get in, so for now, I just stopped chasing them into the house. I will however try the hawk / phone trick! I thought about that several times, but never actually tried it. I will do it tomorrow.

What caused them to stop going into their house?
For me, not sure, it happened when I was on vacation for a week. At that time, rainy weather also started and they just loved to be outside in the rain too much to go back inside. I'll have a hard time making them go inside again...

 

[darrylv50]

I have 4 Buff Oprington Ducks that were hatched around the end of May. I keep them in with my 8 chickens and have not had any problems. They have a big coop but I like to let the hens free range after I get my garden picked in the fall. I am nervous about letting the ducks free range for just that reason. The hens go in in the evening all by themselves but my yard is not fenced in and I am worried about the ducks not going into the chicken yard when they should. My yard is not fenced in and we are surrounded by a cornfield until October when it is harvested. They are somewhat tame but don't really come to me when I call them. Any suggestions? I've had hens for about 4 years but these are my first ducks.