Is it just my ducks or...?

[SilverPhoenix]

Is it just my crazy ducks or are your ducks night ducks, too? My ducks seem more active at night than they are during the day. If I walk out of the house, they hear me from the coop and go "Quack, quack, quack." I go out there and what are they doing but waddling around in the dark, drinking water, mating, doing normal duck things. Doesn't matter how late it is! If anything happens in the yard at night, the ducks are the first ones to quack about it. They're not loud or bothersome or anything, I just think it's funny and a little odd. It's rare for me to actually find them in the henhouse at night, they're usually in the run partying instead!

I put my call ducks to bed in their little henhouse with the seramas because their run isn't as secure as the one with my large ducks, but sometimes I don't put them away until fairly late and if I do oftentimes I'll find them swimming in their mini-"pond" (storage tub) even if it's midnight or later.

Are my ducks just weird, or do all ducks like to spend their nights waddling around and socializing? Are ducks the sort who nap periodically throughout the day and night and spend the rest of their time doing whatever, or what? They don't seem diurnal like the chickens. I'm just curious! I could probably find out with a Google search or something but it's more interesting to hear what you guys have to say.

 

[savingdogs]

I have muscovy and cayuga, they are all around four months old. When we look outside our window at night we can see them and I agree, they do seem to be moving about much like they do during the day. The cayuga will like to be swimming and the muscovy are waddling about and some are resting, but that is how they are during the day too.

I think they have fun swimming in the moonlight!

 

[callducklover20]

I thought it was just all my crazy animals on my crazy hours lol-I work nights and they are always up with me when Im off-right now they are all awake having a ducky party, along with the cats and dogs lol. Mine are call ducks too, also my silkies and seramas are up eating right now lol-Maybe they are just becoming adjusted to the 24 hour world we live in, we just have to make sure they are safe since this is also the time the predators are out hunting

 

[lovesduckies]

i can't tell. everytime i go outside my drake goes nuts no matter what time of day it is. he's a complete momma's boy. he will stop what ever it is he's doing (even mating!!!) to come greet me at the fence. he wags his tail, hisses, puts his head up and opens and closes his beak (i call it air kisses lol). i did just peek my head out and everyone was laying down. my dad said when he leaves for work he opens the door to say hi to my babies and my drake is always up but doesn't get as excited.

 

[duckyfromoz]

The ones I lock up at night are quiet...But my Pekin girl..OMG...she makes up for all of them...

I have been lucky too though...my waterfowl have saved me twice from attempted breakins. So I cant complain if they are a little noisey at times. The problem I have at the moment is with my ten day old ducklings.. I feed and water them..change the bedding..give them a swim.. But nothing stops them peeping when they want cuddles..I have to give in to them and pick them up- but its getting a bit much at night as they keep waking me up. I sometimes move the box right next to my bed so I can sleep with one arm hanging down into the brooder - its the only way I can get some sleep!! Of course..I could move them to another room...But I would miss them too much - and they grow up so quick it will only be a few more days until they move out into a larger brooder in the lounge room.

 

[katharinad]

Ducks are like cats they never really sleep. They take small naps, but they are otherwise busy all day and night. I've trained my ducks to sleep in a duck house since they were small. They go into it when it gets dark outside and I lock the door each night. I the morning they are standing at the human glass door waiting for us to let them out. Our duck house also has windows at floor level and they love to look out. They go in through the dog door, but go out through the human door, cross the parking lot and run straight for their outdoor enclosed field. No guiding needed, they are that smart. Well ducks love routines and it is good to embed that into their little heads. I do provide food and water in their duck house at night.

 

[Jeeper1540]

after it was almost dark a few days ago, i remembered i hadnt closed the door on the coop yet, so i ran down and all the chickens were on the roost, but the ducks were still out free ranging! i had to chase them in! lol

 

[gryeyes]

My Cayuga pair are VERY active at night. For a while, they would go into the coop with the chickens, into their little corner, before the auto door closed. Then they started "missing" the opportunity, and they'd go into the bottom section of the A-Frame coop at night. Now they want to be swimming at dusk. And long after dark, they wander the yard. They tend to snuggle up to the front door, on the welcome mat, some time during the night.

But they're also up well before dawn, and Thelma's already laid her egg by sunrise. She made herself a little nest under a rose bush next to the back porch. I put a bit of a wood thingie, which makes two connected walls (a 90 degree angle of two smallish boards nailed to each other to make a corner) so there would be less chicken foot traffic over her nest. She doesn't set on her egg(s) at all. Just makes the very nice nest, covers her egg, and off she goes free ranging.

But I hear them all night long, if I'm awake. Sometimes under a window, quietly gabbling to each other.

Night ducks. Day ducks. I guess they're Watch Ducks, helping out when the rooster is cooped up at night.

 

[L0rraine]

Yep, mine will go into their houses and pens at night, but you can hear them moving about and talking to each other. If we get home from a late evening out, they'll start quacking like it's time to get up and get going again. I think the only reason they go into the pens at night is that they are really creatures of habit and once they learn that that's where they get their evening meal they're trained.

And the chickens (except for the odd rooster that likes to start crowing at 2:00 am) will sleep through everything.

 

[heatherindeskies]

My free range call ducks would be out allnight if i didn't round them up by pointing at the barn door and walking behind them.