HOW CAN I GET MY DUCKS TO LIKE ME

[Poultry2017]

I have 3 khaki Campbell ducks (I think the person I bought them off never told me the breed). I bought them when they were around 2 weeks old. I can never get close to them or they just run away. I have hens and they let me touch them and pick them up if needed. I would really like to be able to even touch one of my ducks but if I go to touch them they sort of freak out. The only thing they really eat is actual duck food they’re not into vegetables I’ve tried before. They’re pretty happy in general and they don’t mind hens,cats or dogs going near them, just humans

 

[chickens really]

Welcome to the world of Ducks......

 

[CayugaJana]

My khaki campbell is very flighty. One thing to take note is they are a prey animal, not predator. Being prey, they will naturally be more skidish than your cats and dogs. That's how they survive in the wild. So you aren't doing anything wrong. I give mine treats while stooped down. Mealworms are their favorite. But gosh are they expensive. I spend a lot of time with mine in small confined areas where they don't have a choice but to be near me. I always sit down, move very slowly or just sit still. Try throwing treats near them and slowly toss them closer and closer to you. They will eventually get more used to you. But it takes time. All of my kiddos want to hold the ducks but they are so loud and wild that the ducks stay clear!

 

[Poultry2017]

My khaki campbell is very flighty. One thing to take note is they are a prey animal, not predator. Being prey, they will naturally be more skidish than your cats and dogs. That's how they survive in the wild. So you aren't doing anything wrong. I give mine treats while stooped down. Mealworms are their favorite. But gosh are they expensive. I spend a lot of time with mine in small confined areas where they don't have a choice but to be near me. I always sit down, move very slowly or just sit still. Try throwing treats near them and slowly toss them closer and closer to you. They will eventually get more used to you. But it takes time. All of my kiddos want to hold the ducks but they are so loud and wild that the ducks stay clear!

Thank you for the help

 

[Ducktown]

Here's my duck story.
I have successfully incubated a duck egg and got a feisty drake, which is completely OK with my presence and taught all the ducks I bought later on how to act in my presence. When I whistle (to call them or my dogs), they will come to me, if they feel like it. If they don't, they won't even bother - I need to do something about it.
Wjen they are next to me, my two drakes eat from my hand. The second drake arrived when he was 4 weeks old and I trusts me almost as much as the one I hatched myself. Then there are 3 hens that I got when they were 8 weeks old or even older. They are not afraid of me, but they are extremely cautious and will keep distance when I walk by them. None of them ate from my palm (except very quick try that usually ends as failure to grab the seed) yet and I'm not even trying. I am feeding the two drakes from my palm and while doing it, I toss some of the stuff close to me for them to eat.

And the fascinating thing about them is, they have learned to annoy my dogs. The leading drake (the one I hatched) chases them as soon as he sees them. When the dogs start barking, the whole duck fleet turns towards the dogs, and they go check on them. It looks like there's an army of (5) ducks and (2) dogs guarding the house. I'm not sure what the ducks are trying to do when they go towards the dogs that are barking, most likely they are playful, because they don't always charge the dogs, looks like just check on them. Perhaps they would attack an intruder.

 

[CarleeAnn]

My ducks are so silly, they are scared of vegetables! One time I put watermelon rind down for them to eat but they stayed frozen in the corner of the yard for well over thirty minutes. I eventually just had to toss it. Anywho, food is the way to an animals heart! If they like their duck food, feed it to them from your hands! Mine seem to like it even more when it's from me. My ducks would get so freaked out if I threw anything at them, but that's just my duckies! I have a little spot I like to sit in their duck yard and if I'm there long enough and relatively still, they come "inspect" me and start nibbling and my clothes and such.

I hope your babies warm up to you soon. Good luck!