Getting Ducks to go to their coop at night?

[nayeli]

We have had a hard time getting our ducks to go in their coop. They don't seem to trust us at all so we have to "herd" them then catch them. Tonights episode was an hour long. I hate to think of it but I think they will have to be trapped in a dog coop for a week when we go on our super late honeymoon, my moms not great with animals and its either keep them safe in the coop or them risk being eaten by predators...

Anyone, help to get them trained to go into the coop? I was thinking of getting a bell or something to ring at night to train them bell means bed? I tried peas, no luck....

 

[Going Quackers]

I taught mine to herd in.. right now though it;'s so cold most are in before i even get out there.. honestly, it's all routine which ducks are big on.

Um, you tried romaine? mine really aren't pea lovers.. they'd kill you for romaine lol

 

[Carcajou]

nayeli, do you have a fence around your coop? I finally had to build an enclosure around my coop. I feed in the morning and take the feeder away around noon or don't put any more feed in the feeder than they will eat by noon. I then feed again around suppertime. It didn't take long for them to learn to follow me into the fenced area to get their feed. Once in the enclosure it is easy to get them into the coop at dark. At times, they put themselves in at dark. Now and then I have to coax them inside the fence with lettuce.

 

[nayeli]

They remain within a smaller enclosure (fenced) within our fenced in backyard! They love these bushes that have thorns though so they hide under them! I think we might get trimmers and cut the bottoms back because the bushes didn't protect them from my wolf dog who is big so I doubt its really protection as much as hiding from ariel birds.

Mine won't eat anything I give them other than their feed... they think I'm trying to poison them or something. I'm almost ready to keep one in my lap after catching it for a while to prove I'm not a threat... but I feel like that may over stress him or her..

=/

Right now I'm trying to take the food away and only feed them at night in their coop. I'm hoping they will be hungry and go in!

 

[Carcajou]

How old are they?

 

[nayeli]

6 months but they recently joined our family and the coop is new too. They did go in voluntarily today when I was outside sitting with them reading... which is a great sign. I'm sure they are hungry too so I hope tonight is easy.

Would adding a window in their coop help?

 

[Carcajou]

Your coop needs to be ventilated but not drafty. If it doesn't have any windows I recommend cutting some in so they will be higher off the floor than the ducks heads and cover with 1/2 inch hardware cloth well secured. It could be a combo of new and not enough ventilation - ducks need adequate ventilation. And it takes time for them to adjust to new things. Everything needs to be done slowly with ducks.

I would also feed them a little in the morning then make the main feeding around suppertime. It wouldn't let them go all day without food especially since they may start laying soon if not already.

Sitting outside? Do you live in the sunny south or in the southern hemisphere? Didn't get about 28 F here today!

Here are some photos of my coop. I have vents in the rear, above the door, and one in the door that can be covered in the winter. I also have one in the side toward the pond that can't be seen here.

What kind of ducks do you have? Post photos, we all like seeing photos of each others ducks.








Here are my Khaki Campbells back in January.

 

[nayeli]

I won =) We took away food this morning when we let them out and waited til tonight to feed them. I filled up their food (and gave them water of course) and put it in the coop, then I sat a few feet away and waited. They went in after a couple minutes =)

I plan on adding windows later as well as making the roof (green) I will lay down a plastic sheet liner then "plant" moss up there. The moss should help keep the coop insulated and its currently not waterproof just predator proof. It is ventilated plenty.

It is our first building project so I know its not the best but it does its job to secure them as well as we can. Eventually we will build another but so far so good =)

 

[nayeli]

See the small gaps in construction? They are all small enough to not allow predators or paws but they do allow fresh air and ventilation!

 

[Carcajou]

Congrats on getting them in to eat!
Does the door on your coop lock securely? Raccoons are adept at climbing the types of fences I see in your photos and can jimmy latches open with ease.