Getting ducks to use feeder.

[emjaydee]

Hi, I got a pair of 1 year old cayuga ducks a couple of weeks ago, and I have been failing at getting them to use the same feeder barrel my chickens use. The barrel has 6 3" PVC elbows as openings. I figured by seeing all the chickens eating from there, they would see that food was there, so now I am not sure if a 3" hole is just too small for the ducks.



Has anyone gotten their ducks to eat from a setup like this? The alternative was I was going to ct a long oval shaped opened on one or 2 sides, and the ducks would be able to easily reach in, but I was hoping to avoid it since it would really limit how much food I could store in the barrel.

Thanks

 

[Amiga]

I think that they are going to need a little more time to work it out.

Older ducks (not ducklings) are used to being fed a certain way, and I think they don't know what to make of that.

Also a possibility, if they are like my ducks, is something large and dark like that looks like Death. I have accidentally scared the willies out of my ducks with something as simple a a black rubber bucket. Oh, have mercy, they ran screaming.....

So, some kinds of objects are just worrisome to them.

I hope you're giving them food in a different container for now.

 

[emjaydee]

Yeah, I have been leaving out a small open container. I have also been leaving little piles of food on the edges of the PVC openings in hopes the ducks will see it, those dont last long though before the chickens clean it all up