How do I get them to go in the pool?

[SassyKat6181]

I have a large pool that I bought for the ducks.....I also put a few large bowls of water in the run. Today is their second day being in the run and they will not touch the pool or water bowls. They were panting and quacking at me to fill their indoor waterer. I am trying to keep the wetness out of the coop now that they can go outside. I picked up two different ducks and put them in the pool, which they immediately jumped out of. I finally gave in and filled the waterer and they are now happy back in their coop. How do I go about getting them to use the pool and outdoor bowls? Thanks!

 

[SassyKat6181]

Tried putting another in this afternoon......again jumped right out.....ran over to the other girls and told them how mean I was for catching her.

 

[mr.mc.]

try puting mealworms in the pool.

 

[JenniferK]

For my ducks I made some "stairs" by stacking concrete pavers, then made a trail of peas up the stairs. After a day they followed the peas and decided the water looked like a good idea.

 

[Oddyse]

Wait until they do get used to it, you will never get them out!!

 

[sirchrisd]

I've had ducks for about 3 months now and they are hillarious! They can be scared of the funniest things, but once they get used to it, they'll never go back.

 

[DurhamDuck]

toss the ducks in the pool with some peas for treats!

 

[flnatv]

Mine did the same thing... it took about 2 hours for them though...
I was wondering if the water was too cold early in the morning.
Anything new scares them... give them a little more time.
The peas sound like a good idea.

 

[mandelyn]

You want to make sure they have an obvious way in and out of it. I laid out a pile of creek stone, gradual steps, and set a cinder block inside for the exit. They walked round and round it for awhile, knowing it was water, knowing they wanted in it, but not knowing how the steps worked.

How old are yours? Mine were 4 weeks when I introduced them to the world of baby pools. I didn't use food, I just gave them time, and locked them out of the coop!

For indoors, you can build a catch system for all that water waste. A wooden frame made to fit around a flat plastic tote, with rabbit wire on the top. Set the waterer in the middle, and it catches all the waste water, preserving the bedding. I have about 8-10 inches of wire around the waterer, which seems to be enough. I bought a larger 3 gallon waterer, and my frame isn't big enough to be effective, with only 3-4 inches around. So take the size of the waterer, added a perimeter of 8+ inches, and that's the size of tote/frame you need.

My next duck house will be up off the ground, with a section of rabbit wire floor, that I can slide a concrete mixing pan under from outside. Then I can pull and dump it a lot easier and they don't have to climb on anything to get to water. But I had to work with what I had. The next duck house though, will have characteristics of both a rabbit hutch and a chicken coop.

 

[Oneacre Homestead]

Put some tasty plants in the pool and make sure they can get in easily ( I had to make a ramp) , but I found trying to force them in was o ly counter productive. Scardy cats!!!!