Happy Little Ducklings

no tips, as we don't have a duck house built (yet) so for now we carry ours to the nigh-time housing but i wanted to comment how cute your ducks are and what a great duck house! May i ask how you'll winterize it?

 

When I switched my ducks/chicks from the small brooder to the big brooder I locked them in there for about week, I think it turned out to be like 5 days. Now they all go back every night to it. Although it may be a bit more difficult considering you have so many with such a small house.

 

Oh, those are indeed some very happy little ducklings!

Good luck on the night time housing issue, as my ducks are night patrol guards. They do not want to go in at night, and they patrol the yard all night long. They're Cayugas, all black, so I call them my Ninja Stealth ducks.

I wish I had managed to teach them to go in at night; they did at first, but after a while they would NOT go in. So I just count them every single morning...

 

Quote:Lucky!!! I wish I could get mine to go into our pond. Grrrr!

 

The best way to encourage them out of the pond is to have a treat for them. Use the same container (bright bucket, plastic bag, whatever) to carry peas out to them a bunch of times throughout the first day, calling "duck duck duck". At evening time when you want them out of the pond stand there shaking the bucket or bag while calling "duck duck duck"..they'll probably come running to get some peas. Once out of the pond and after having a quick treat herd them into the house and shut the doors. Herd them by walking behind them and raising your right arm when you want them to go to the left, raise your left arm when you want them to go right. Do this a few days in a row and before you know it they'll start coming when you call duck duck duck or already be out of the pond waiting on your at supper or bed time. Ducks learn really fast. I trained all of my ducks to come up from the pond at supper time this way. My 13 week old Muscovies just started following the grown ducks to the pond 3 days ago and it took a fair bit of calling the past two nights before they'd come up the hill. Tonight I went out to the duck pen at 5 pm and all of my ducks were in the pen waiting for me, even my stubborn Mallard girls LOL

Michelle

 

Just darling ducklings!!!!


oh oh oh and btw: i love vermont!!! We were just this weekend!!!!!!! Off the topic a bit, At one time we were looking at land in vermont for maybe having a second home. Then are kids got bigger, and needed more things, life got a bit more expensive etc. But its our dream to have a small home their, one day......

 

Quote:Great! It takes time and a lot of effort...lol

 

Beautiful, beautiful pond and coop!
Scares the bejeeses out of me to think of turtles or other varmints around the pond but I know your duckly wucklies are very happy. I see the smile on their faces.

Mine coop up at night when I say "bedtime". It has been the ritual since they came here as wee babies. Though mine free range or are in the 15x60 runs. I have to put the Golden Cascades in a run or they would run themselves to death all over the farm scared of everything. Craziest ducks I have ever seen.
Pekins are cool! I have one growing up and he is quite nifty. Out of my pair, George and Gracie. You know from the Burns and Allen show? Er, must be showing my age here.