My daughter brought home two ducks....

[ElleMc]

So my daughter brought home two Pekin ducklings from Tractor Supply a couple of weeks ago thinking she could "set them free" when they were no longer cute. Being the responsible pet mom I am, I told her that was not an option, and went to work understanding duck care. I have two dogs, a cat, and a guinea pig. I had a rabbit, but she passed of old age about a year ago. I take pet care seriously which is why my guinea pig lives in a 4 x 4 pen, and my rabbit used to have her own 10 x 10 bedroom (where she stayed when we weren't home and at night).

So about my ducks - there are two, Webster and Bill. Right now, I think Bill is a boy and Webster is a girl, though I'm not 100% positive. They are free range in my fenced 1/2 acre back yard, and have a 4 x 10 predator proof pen for nighttime. We built a deck, then enclosed a 4' tall structure with hardware cloth and put on a tin roof. They have a Dogloo with a polar fleece blanket for sleeping (my guinea pig also uses polar fleece for bedding) which gets washed every day. In their pen they have a large cat box for water/swimming and in the yard, a kiddie pool which they just figured out how to use. Mostly they hang on my porch but wander off every now and then.

Right now, my biggest struggle is getting my ducks to trust me. They came to me when they were little, but then my dad passed and I was away for two weeks. When I came back, they didn't love me anymore

I joined this forum because you guys all seem to be chock full of great info. I look forward to learning more about being a duck mom, and hopefully contributing at some time. I attached a picture of my pen - I added keyed locks because I read so much about how smart raccoons are! The front door also acts as a ramp for the ducks to get in and out. So far, they've figured out how to leave, but not how to get back in.

 

[Hillaire]

congrats on the 2 new ducks. I'm sorry to hear about your dad. Keep spending time with the ducks, they will come around. Eventually they will understand that is home. Something to help them realize it is home is to may put a little feeder and waterer on the deck so they realize that is a source for food an water too and will eventually think of it as home. Also I'm not sure if you did or not but you can keep them in the pen for a few days without letting them out and that will help them realize it is home base as well

 

[redsoxs]

Greetings from Kansas, ElleMc, and

! Great to have you aboard! I'm also sorry to hear about your losing your dad.

I agree with Hillaire - spending time, slow movements, gentle voice, treats...they will slowly start to trust you again. You can also access some great duck articles in the Learning Center here: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/256233/ducks-sticky-topics-index
Best wishes and thanks for joining BYC!!

 

[Teila]

G’Day from down under ElleMc

Welcome!

I am sorry to hear about your Dad.

Besides the great link redsoxs gave you, you might also be interested to know that BYC has a Duck Forum should you have other duck related questions: https://www.backyardchickens.com/f/42/ducks

I hope you enjoy being a BYC member. There are lots of friendly and very helpful folks here so not only is it overflowing with useful information it is also a great place to make friends and have some fun.

You might want to also pop in and say hello on your local thread: https://www.backyardchickens.com/f/26/where-am-i-where-are-you ‘Find your State’s thread.

If you would like to share pictures and stories of your ducks, you have come to the right place. BYC’ers never tire of these and do not back away slowly or commence eye rolling when the photo album or home videos come out

 

[drumstick diva]

Sorry about your dad

. I don't know much about ducks but, think they aren't fond of getting picked up and cuddled as some chickens do. So they really don't dislike you, it's just the duck in them. You sound like a very caring, responsible person - I would give you my vote for Duck mom of the year., if there was such a competition.