Getting Ducks in a coop

[DuckyBabies]

I wait until the sun is almost completely down, and feed them dinner. They always come running right in. This past week, we put plastic around a part of their coop to block the wind, and I had to coax them in for 3 nights in a row after that. They are not big fans of change. It’s all about getting them used to it. Good luck with your ducks!

 

[llombardo]

We had decent weather today. I let them stay out until about 9pm(the pen has a light) they swam right up until bed time. I go in there, tell them night night and point to the house as I walk toward them, they all go in right away and I lock them in. There is no food of any kind in the house or water overnight. They do go right in once I tell them night night--I don't have to chase them around. They remind me of little soldiers.

I may have to put the food in there if the weather is rain or snow. I've done that in the past and it confuses them at first because they are not used to food in there.

I have started fermenting their feed, so the bulk of their food will be the fermented feed and the dry food will be more supplemental for winter time. That will be less mess if I have to put it in the house.

Last night I gave them some warm oatmeal right before bed. I make sure they dunk their heads before they go to sleep or whatever they do all night.

 

[PirateGirl]

Well... I did it. I physically put them in the doghouse and after the first one popped back out, they stayed in, at least until I shut the main kennel door. I won’t close them in the doghouse because I don’t think it’s vented enough. I really don’t think they care that much about the cold, either. It’s 34 degrees right now and they were soaking wet from sitting in their water dish. I removed that as well. We’ll see if they are still in the doghouse by morning.

Oh, they definitely don't mind the cold as much as you'd think! If it hits 34 they are excited because it's above freezing which means it's warm enough to swim!

 

[Callender Girl]

I modified an old wooden dog house by making a ventilated door out of the back grate of a big, old box fan, framed it with 1-by-2 strips, hinged the bottom and put a latch on the top that's secured with a carabiner. They are secure, it's a couple of inches off the ground and there appears to be plenty of ventilation. And, since I did it myself, it clearly didn't require much construction skill. Of course, ducks are ducks, and it did take a couple of weeks before the runners truly appreciated their house.

 

[thumper650]

Mine will sleep outside even if it's snowing, but I make them go inside because I'm top duck!

 

[Brahmb]

Success! They were still in this morning and did not want to come out. They must be quite a bit warmer. It’s an insulated doghouse. They hopped out right before I went to work. I’ll see if they get in on their own tonight, or whether I’ll have to stuff them in again. I’ll take a picture this time either way.

 

[Sundevill11]

Okay, because we are the people we are, the ducks now have a small coop. They've never had one, as they are free birds 24/7. But, the almanac and weather predictions has this winter being very wet and very cold. We wanted to give our ducks a place to go that keeps out the wind, cold and bitter rain.

They watched us put it together yesterday, which was funny. They stood in a semi-circle, off about 10 feet, and stood and watched. Periodically, one would turn ot the other and talk, then look back. It was very human...

Now, because they have never had a coop, house or enclosure that had walls, as far as we know, they only look at it. We want the to know it is for them, and hopefully start using it. They already cuddle up on the porch, so we know they love sleeping nearly on top of each other.

How do you get ducks to look at a coop and think "wow, this will be a sweet place"?

 

[Mixed flock enthusiast]

Our ducks are trained to go in the coop at night, and will use the automatic door and go in. They roost later than our chickens who share the coop.

 

[SkyeT]

We have let them mill around the house right now. Their natural curiosity has led them to look in and talk amongst themselves. We got the fluff shavings today and since the rain will finally stop tomorrow and there will be sunshine, I will install the fluff and set out some treats to search for in the house. Hopefully, they will be interested in the new thing in the house.

I would love to use peas to entice them... but they won't eat them. It's rather frustrating.

 

[Miss Lydia]

My birds including the ducks love to noodle in the shavings I say they are good excavators if they know there is something in there they will most likely investigate.