How to deal with stupid ducks

[Busheybird]

I bought five ducks back in March and built them a little floating house. I kept them in a fenced in area until they were fully grown and now they live in the pond on my property but they are terrified of the water! They had a deep pool to swim in before but now they won't go any deeper then they can stand and they refuse to go into the duck house. Before I moved them to the pond they were trained to go into it at night but since I moved it into the pond they are terrified of that's too! What should I do? How can I train them to go in the house at night? Help!

 

[Onlyducks]

I'm not sure of the fear of water nor about a floating duck house. I can't see a duck going into a floating house at all. No matter what you do. If they don't want to go into the deep water of the pond, why is that a problem? They are going in far enough to "bathe", correct? To be honest, none of my ducks have been that excited about water. The Pekins have a shallow pan. Only my Rouens ever actually got into a pond that was about 3 feet deep. The Pekins and Muscovies prefer to play under the sprinkler. You might get the Pekins to go into the house at night if you put it on land and toss in treats.

I realize ducks are not very bright, but in this case, you may have unrealistic expectations of your ducks. People think that ducks love water and ponds, which is true in some cases, but domestic ducks have had a lot of the wild breed out of them. Perhaps the ducks find your expectations something they cannot meet. I don't want to sound mean or anything, it's just that we look at animals and say "they should do this" and when they don't, we tend to blame the animal. Try just getting the ducks to go into the house on land for now. Maybe if they have a place that they feel safe in on land, they'll increase in bravery and venture into the pond.

 

[Onlyducks]

An example of ducks not cooperating: I have one Muscovy female that used to break out of the pen. I finally got the pen secure. Then she dissappeared. Found her brooding eggs under one of our sheds. After about 6 weeks, it became obvious that she had not managed to hatch any ducklings, so I put her back with the other five Muscovy ducks. She disappeared again after two days and I found she had pushed her way under the shed fencing (I put a fence to try and discourage her). After penning her up for a week in a small area of the pen all to herself, I let her out today. It occured to me that she was trying to avoid being with the other ducks, so I left the small area open. Tonight, she went to "her" section and the other five to the larger pen. Don't know how long it will last, but for now it seems I may have succeded in making the duck happy!

 

[emmyeggplant]

Is your pond stocked with fish? If so what kind? We have a lot of fish in our pond (bluegills, large mouth bass, koi, and channel catfish). I noticed that once I introduced my ducks to our pond they too would only stick to the shallow areas to bathe and forage. I wondered why this was until I realized the bluegill were nibbling at their feet and scaring them. Every once in a while a bass will get close and make a splash scaring them as well. My ducks feel safer in the shallow areas and in the reeds so they generally avoid swimming out too far. Every once in a while they go out to the middle in a tight knit group. I can tell when a fish comes up to bother them though because one duck will jump from surprise and then they all rush back to the shallows together to recoup. I wonder if your ducks are experiencing the same thing?

 

[Amykins]

Is your pond stocked with fish? If so what kind? We have a lot of fish in our pond (bluegills, large mouth bass, koi, and channel catfish). I noticed that once I introduced my ducks to our pond they too would only stick to the shallow areas to bathe and forage. I wondered why this was until I realized the bluegill were nibbling at their feet and scaring them. Every once in a while a bass will get close and make a splash scaring them as well. My ducks feel safer in the shallow areas and in the reeds so they generally avoid swimming out too far. Every once in a while they go out to the middle in a tight knit group. I can tell when a fish comes up to bother them though because one duck will jump from surprise and then they all rush back to the shallows together to recoup. I wonder if your ducks are experiencing the same thing?

Awww, that sounds adorable and sad at the same time!

I'm quickly learning that when it comes to ducks, they kind of tell YOU what to do, not the other way around. I wish mine would allow herself to be picked up without hassle but she flips out whenever her feet aren't touching the ground. Don't know why, as long as her feet are touching a solid surface she's A-ok. I've seen some ducks go limp and happily let their legs dangle when picked up. Every duck is an individual.

Could it be that they just don't feel safe? Out on open water there's probably a lot of predators they're wary of, ducks like to spend nights in the reeds or somewhere hidden away. They probably think that something's going to get them out there.

 

[islandgirl82]

Maybe their instincts are telling them they're safer on land than they are in the water. Maybe they feel too exposed to aerial predators or maybe there's something lurking in the water that you haven't noticed...you're listed in FL where snakes and alligators are in abundance....I don't know how big your pond is but ducks are on the menu for quite a few predators and they could be frequenting that particular watering hole.

 

[Miss Lydia]

I really don't think ducks are stupid something is bothering them to the point they don't feel safe, snapping turtles snakes gators fish all pose a threat to our ducks. Maybe look under water first before saying they are stupid. They have instincts that keep them alive.

 

[Busheybird]

It's a pretty small pond where all alligators and snapping turtles have been removed. The only thing I worry about is them at night. I close and lock the door every night but I won't be able to do it in the future do you guys have any suggestions about that?

 

[Onlyducks]

Why won't you be able to close and lock the door every night soon? What changes?