My Ducks are Nocturnal?

[danwright]

I have two khaki campbells that are about 4 months old and they like to sit outside at night just in the grass or on their small pond. They're in a safe pen but I cant help but be a worried duck dad with them roaming the dark outdoors. They have a house to go into and they sleep in it during the day but at night they dont. They also seem like they're able to see pretty well which doesnt match up with what ive read. Should I be worried?

 

[Miss Lydia]

If you have predators yes, Ducks sleep through out the day and night. You say their in a safe pen can you post pics? A safe pen is one nothing can reach through and grab a duck and try and pull it through the fence, a safe pen is one that can't be dug into or under and has the top covered so nothing can fly or climb over and a safe pen is one that is covered in hardware cloth not chicken wire which only keeps our birds in but nothing out.
At 4 months you can begin to train them to go in every night by slowly herding them into their house. Does their house have good ventilation? They need really good air flow also. Windows and vents around the top.

Welcome to BYC @danwright

Love that avatar

 

[jmoschner]

Don't be worried, they are just being ducks.

Ducks are partially Nocturnal. They will be up and down throughout the night.

Ducks have excellent night vision. They even have an extra set of cones which allows them to see into the ultraviolet part of the spectrum.

If you want them to stay in their coop all night, you'll need to lock them in. They will get used to it as long as you keep a routine.

The wild ducks in our current neighborhood (moving soon) will roam the streets at all hours. I've even come home at 2am to find wild ducks wondering my driveway.

Here is a good article on nighttime waterfowl behavior by ducks unlimited: http://www.ducks.org/conservation/waterfowl-research-science/ducks-after-dark/page2

 

[3bird]

Our silver Appleyards are often up at night (we have a IR duck cam, and I frequently sneak a peek if I wake up in the middle of the night. They generally prefer to be out in the run instead of the duckhouse, even during blizzards. Our run is covered and predator proof. We only lock them in if it's going to be super cold (well below 0 F) or really windy and stormy.

 

[Michael P]

One of the things about ducks that surprised me after having chickens for decades is how active the ducks are at night.

 

[Miss Lydia]

And nothing wrong with having them in a run as long as you have made it safe, nothing worse than getting up in the morning and finding your ducks has been pulled through fencing and it's head is gone. One member lost 2 ducks that way. So sad.

 

[chickens really]

Ducks are nothing like Chickens so do not sleep at night. They have no set bedtime...

 

[jennybvcr]

My girls took very quickly to going into their house at night. Took about three days of going out once it was fully dark and popping them inside. On day 4 I got home around 10 pm and they had put themselves to bed. That said I took care to build a (as far as I can tell) predator proof run so they could come and go as they please. They’re normally back outside when the dog gets me up at 5 am.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Good for you, sure helps you sleep better too I bet.