It’s getting cold here! Ducks absolutely will NOT use their house!

[chickens really]

A wider sheet of plywood attached under the ramp works better..2 1/2 feet wide is great...All I say is bedtime and my Ducks zip up the ramp...Trained using a long stick..

 

[AshleyNicole06]

The ramp looks good but like onaharley says you might want to put sides up. About as wide as a 2X4 or they may freak out if they are any wider ducks can be weird with anything new. [as you are finding out] And how about where the ramp comes to inside how easy it for them to get onto it?

There’s like a little step inside so they can get onto it. They didn’t have any trouble this morning except they were pushing others out of the way. Lol

 

[AshleyNicole06]

A wider sheet of plywood attached under the ramp works better..2 1/2 feet wide is great...All I say is bedtime and my Ducks zip up the ramp...Trained using a long stick..

Mine are 7 months and might be too spoiled. Lol they’ve always got to do what they wanted. So I have a feeling this will take awhile lol

 

[AshleyNicole06]

I have to herd my two in their house as well, but they usually hang out in front of it at dusk. I talk to them and say bedtime and they know that word now. We have raccoons that jump over the privacy fence all the time so it’s really important that they get locked up for the night. Make sure the house is ventilated so they will be comfy.

We haven’t had any raccoons or anything come up close to them yet. (Not that I’ve seen anyways) but we have a couple rabbits. My ducks like when only one of them comes around.. but when both rabbits come it’s like they’re scared. Lol

 

[AshleyNicole06]

I got the biggest kiddy pool I could find... they love it but it's put away until spring

Ours is put away too. I’m thinking we are going to need a bigger one. I want more ducks. Lol

 

[Ducktown]

The trick is that you are strict and make them go into their house even if they resist. It is in their nature to search for a safe place, and they can feel safer in the pond or next to it.

I have incubated an egg and got a duckling that was inside his brooder box most of the time. Then when the weather allowed when it was around 1 week old, I started bringing him outside. I then carried him in again, and in a while, when it was big and old enough to roam freely without my constant supervision, he decided it's time to go back and I found him going into direction of the house where I kept him in my room. Little bugger watched out from the box when I carried him around, and remembered the path. They are not stupid, I can assure you!
Well, soon after that, I introduced him and his duckling friends I bought to keep him company to their duck house. They instantly figured out they need to go in for the night, and they did that at dusk. But then, they grew some more and they discovered the pond and summer storms which made everything wet and muddy.
They did not want to see the duck house. Forcing them to go inside made things worse and they loudly protested and avoid being herd into it. They even avoided it during the day. I was weak and let them sleep in the water, despite knowing better. Now, with cooler weather, they won't have a pool at their disposal as the water freezes completely in a day or two when the temperature dips below freezing. I had to (well, it's still ongoing process) teach them about their house again. There's another factor with my ducks, because I've lost the two smart and imprinted drakes and ended with not so smart ladies, that won't even come near me. Well, it's sloooooooowly improving, and they now head for the house when it gets dark and I come with a large bamboo stick in my hand. At first I had to chase them with such a stick around the pond for 30 minutes or even more, trying to get them to their hut.

Be strict, and do not allow them to pick their sleeping place, you will have hard time getting them closed and locked up again later, trust me. Ducks are smart, but they are also quite bullheaded. When they decide they want something, they won't abandon the idea easily.

Good luck!

 

[AshleyNicole06]

The trick is that you are strict and make them go into their house even if they resist. It is in their nature to search for a safe place, and they can feel safer in the pond or next to it.

I have incubated an egg and got a duckling that was inside his brooder box most of the time. Then when the weather allowed when it was around 1 week old, I started bringing him outside. I then carried him in again, and in a while, when it was big and old enough to roam freely without my constant supervision, he decided it's time to go back and I found him going into direction of the house where I kept him in my room. Little bugger watched out from the box when I carried him around, and remembered the path. They are not stupid, I can assure you!
Well, soon after that, I introduced him and his duckling friends I bought to keep him company to their duck house. They instantly figured out they need to go in for the night, and they did that at dusk. But then, they grew some more and they discovered the pond and summer storms which made everything wet and muddy.
They did not want to see the duck house. Forcing them to go inside made things worse and they loudly protested and avoid being herd into it. They even avoided it during the day. I was weak and let them sleep in the water, despite knowing better. Now, with cooler weather, they won't have a pool at their disposal as the water freezes completely in a day or two when the temperature dips below freezing. I had to (well, it's still ongoing process) teach them about their house again. There's another factor with my ducks, because I've lost the two smart and imprinted drakes and ended with not so smart ladies, that won't even come near me. Well, it's sloooooooowly improving, and they now head for the house when it gets dark and I come with a large bamboo stick in my hand. At first I had to chase them with such a stick around the pond for 30 minutes or even more, trying to get them to their hut.

Be strict, and do not allow them to pick their sleeping place, you will have hard time getting them closed and locked up again later, trust me. Ducks are smart, but they are also quite bullheaded. When they decide they want something, they won't abandon the idea easily.

Good luck!

Awesome! Thanks! Our Rouens don’t mind us grabbing them and putting them in. But our adopted Cayuga hates us. He will try to fly away and run from us. So he’s very difficult. But the Rouens are supper easy to put in for the night.

They sleep by our house during the day and wander around the yard. All of them are pretty good at going inside the fence at dark at least. So they aren’t very far away when we have to catch them.

 

[Miss Lydia]

You may have a Cayuga that can fly [some breeds can] you might want to clip a wing to keep from losing him one of these days.

 

[AshleyNicole06]

You may have a Cayuga that can fly [some breeds can] you might want to clip a wing to keep from losing him one of these days.

He’s got a twisted wing already.. so he can’t go anywhere. But my Rouens fly over trees and power lines.

 

[Miss Lydia]

That's scary any chance they can get fried. What about neighbors with dogs? I keep my scovy's home by clipping wings just too many things out there to let them fly.