Help! My neighbors moved and I've taken over their flock of 9 ducks!

[Lindsey Michelle]

Hello!!

My neighbors have moved away and thought if they just left their flock of 9 ducks that they would learn to be wild. We found them walking up the street squawking away starving!

We live in New England and want to get them a shelter since the new home owners have a dog we have noticed they aren't going home at night anymore.we have a little island of marsh land in our lake behind the house that we are thinking is the best place for the hit.

How should we teach them that this is their new home if they want it? How else can we help them.if our lake freezes should we put a pump in to keep it from freezing in front of their hut so they have water? We are first time duck owners and we have definitely gained their trust over the last few months feeding them but now it's winter in Massachusetts. We need to help them stay warm..

Any other advise will be happily taken?

Thank you?

 

[Hei 20]

Hello!!

My neighbors have moved away and thought if they just left their flock of 9 ducks that they would learn to be wild. We found them walking up the street squawking away starving!

We live in New England and want to get them a shelter since the new home owners have a dog we have noticed they aren't going home at night anymore.we have a little island of marsh land in our lake behind the house that we are thinking is the best place for the hit.

How should we teach them that this is their new home if they want it? How else can we help them.if our lake freezes should we put a pump in to keep it from freezing in front of their hut so they have water? We are first time duck owners and we have definitely gained their trust over the last few months feeding them but now it's winter in Massachusetts. We need to help them stay warm..

Any other advise will be happily taken?

Thank you?

 

[FuzzyCritters]

Welcome to BYC!

Ducks need to be able to submerge their heads in water to clean their nostrils, so if the pond freezes they will be fine if you bring them a bucket of water every day so they can clean their heads. You could put a pump in the pond if you want to, but they don't need full baths.

You can teach ducks what their new home is by luring them in with treats every night and then locking the door. Eventually they will learn to go in on their own. You can keep their food in the house so they have to go in to eat too.

 

[3 quails an 2 humans]

 

[Beaglegal]

So do you have to catch the ducks?

 

[Lindsey Michelle]

No we live on a lake so the ducks have started sleeping on our next door neighbors beach instead of going down to their old house since they now have a dog in their old back yard so they swim up to our stairs when they are are hungry and we feed them there and are just looking to get a hut to teach them it's theirs if they want to get out of the weather since it's now December in New England

 

[threebrookscorner]

Thats a nice thing youre doing for those ducks because they wont make it on their own. Any shelter is good but if you could set something up on your property with a door that will be best. Our ducks free range in the brook 7-8 months a year and get locked in every night. Last night after they went in i put their winter run up to keep them close, were getting our first snowstorm and the brooks been freezing up.

 

[Lindsey Michelle]

See that's kinda our problem,we don't exactly have the spot to do that on our property. We live on a lake but we do not have a beachy area in our yard to do that. There is a marshy area pretty close to the edge of our yard that we could place it on or we thought about one of our docks that right now is attached to our back deck area for the winter and then come summer when we can move it back out to the anchor we can keep it on there for them but I think we'd have to have a ramp? Assuming they can't jump up there since they don't fly. Our lake hasn't frozen yet but we did get our first kinda good snow storm.

 

[Quatie]

You may want to consider catching the ducks and having them re-homed with someone who has the property and space to care for them. They are domestic ducks, as you have seen, they can't take care of themselves. It sounds like rehoming may be a better option for you. If they are females, you should have no problems finding someone to take them.

 

[SulkyBantam]

My neighbors have moved away and thought if they just left their flock of 9 ducks that they would learn to be wild. We found them walking up the street squawking away starving!

APPALLING behaviour. I am SHOCKED.