I need help making friends with my ducks

[menageriemama]

Wow! I am so glad that I am not the only one!!!! I spent sooo much time with my ducks, just sitting quietly with them, giving them treats, fussing over their happiness. They hate me too!

 

[conny63malies]

a lawn chair in the yard and some boiled noodles. thats how i did it. and now i have some spoiled yuckies that wont eat rice and run over a two year old with a pink bowl in her hands.

 

[dixygirl]

Mine are scared of me too. The chickens are a little more personable. They will follow me around some still but that's it. I have to catch them to pick them up. I think I will look into getting some call ducks that seem to be less skittish. What about geese? Are they any less afraid of people? I was going to get embdens. The Chinese geese look scary with that big point on top of their heads.

 

[Laurena]

My ducks hate me , but that's okay . I never really expected them to like me , they're ducks , runners at that . They've calmed down considerably since they have realized I'm the food lady .

 

[Sparrow]

I find that with my ducks, you have to entice them to come play with you. Think of the difference between chickens and ducks like the difference between dogs and cats. My chickens love to be picked up, petted, smooshed, whatever. My ducks, on the other hand, like to come to me for attention on their own terms.

I started both batches of my ducklings using the same methods, and I now have a nearly grown lap drake, 2 cuddly babies, and the rest love to be near me, are OBSESSED with nibbling on my hands/clothes, and occasionally want to be petted. Not bad odds out of 9 ducks!

What I did was I made a point of picking up each duck gently once a day. More for the ones who obviously want to be picked up. They will run initially, but it gets them to understand that picking up=nothing terrible happening. It might even mean something pleasant! hehe Then, I visit them numerous times a day and just sit near their brooder and talk to them. Look at their little faces, they will look at you, too.

Also, occaasionally put your hand into the brooder, very slowly and gently, and just leave it there next to the wall. It sounds loony...but try to "radiate" kindness and gentleness to them. If you think that way, it subconsciously makes you "seem" more that way to the ducks. They are very intuitive creatures, they pick up on these subtle things.

Just continue doing this as your routine. Make sounds similar to what they do when you are around them...justdon't make the high pitched terror shriek they do when they are horrified.

It makes them feel more connected to you. Something all my ducks enjoy once they are used to my presence is playing with my fingers. I just offer my hand extreeeeemely slowly to the scared ones palm up, and try to touch the beak tip with my fingers. Very gently. They might run at first, but just let them go, never chase one. In fact, if they DO run, move your hand back, too. If they don't run, just lightly touch or rub their little beak tip, and their entire beak if they allow you. ALWAYS offer your hand at a lower level than their heads, and NEVER come down over them, it terrifies them. Eventually, you will have little mobs of duckys nibbling on you when you turn your back!!

 

[Miss Dottie]

Conny-Boiled noodles, thats a great idea! I will try that.

Sparrow-Thanks for all the advice. That is really helpful.

Everyday they get a little friendlier. I was just out there hanging out with them for almost an hour. They crawl all over me for food, and while they're eating from my hand, I quietly and slowly move my other hand all over them. They are so funny. My dog follows me everywhere and she helps me feed them everyday. She is a 6 month old welsh corgi puppy. She is supposed to help me herd them, but she was a little overwhelmed by them at first. While we were in their pen today, one of the ducks bit her 3 times! She is such a good girl, she just walks away from them and sits next to me. She tries so hard to help!

I will try the noodles tomorrow. We'll see how that goes!

 

[Miss Dottie]

Well, I tried the noodles and they went nuts. They really liked the noodles and I'm continuing to feed them a little bit of their regular food from my hands every time I feed them. I am really pleased with our progress. They let me pet them and they don't freak out anymore. It seems like they like having me around now, even if it is all about food.

I am still being patient, and even if this is as good as it gets, I guess we're still ahead of the game.

Thanks for all the advice everyone!

 

[conny63malies]

Noodles always work , dont know why but they go bonkers over them. I have to cook a portion or two extra just for my yuckies.

 

[kodiakchicken]

Any kind of noodles or something specific?

My ducks absolutely don't want us to pick them up. The minute I step in their cage they run to the other side, even though they know its the only way to get out of their pen right now.

They will eat from my hand though, and will nibble my fingers when I hang them in the pen and let me touch the underneath of their beaks (do they have feeling in their beaks? I didn't think so.)

I enjoy watching them so much that I've made my terms with not being able to hold them. The chickens let me snuggle them though and I do that often. The only one that's really skittish is my EE. It runs like the hounds of hell are after it!