My ducks are terrified of me

[austroberta]

Patience ... Try finding some hand carry treats they like, hand carry don't use a food bowl. Have a low stool, sit & sprinkle some around you. As for ducks/geese vs water, I've found make it available & them aware it's there, toss in some lettuce or bread. Once they know it's there, they'll use it when they need to.

They are aware that it is there, as they have used it before. I did use the tossing peas in the pool trick today and they didn't budge.

 

[Duckworth]

I have five Welsh harlequins, three of which I raised by hand from a couple of days old. They did the same running in terror thing when they were younger. They are over two years old now and they are much more sedate. Our newer ducks, who arrived two months ago at a year old, still think we are ax murderers. It’s slowly getting better, but even if it doesn’t, it’s not a big problem.

When it comes to the kiddie pool, my original three ducks go right for it when I put fresh water in it, but after they have had a good bath, they are pretty much done with it for the day. They also can be a bit territorial about the pool and try to prevent the newer ducks from getting in, though one of them just gets right in anyway. If there was more space in my enclosure, I would put a second pool in there, but that’s not in the cards.

The older girls will gather around when I put down feed and will hop into the pool while I fill it with the hose. They run if I try to touch or catch them and won’t eat from my hand. I haven’t tried much to hand feed them, so it’s not a surprise. I find all of our ducks to be quite calm unless they feel threatened or we try to touch them, so I think this breed being described as calm is accurate, but doesn’t mean that they are “tame.”

 

[Trimurtisan]

Patience ... Try finding some hand carry treats they like, hand carry don't use a food bowl. Have a low stool, sit & sprinkle some around you. As for ducks/geese vs water, I've found make it available & them aware it's there, toss in some lettuce or bread. Once they know it's there, they'll use it when they need to.

Some reason in my mind, you have a very soothing voice. That's at least how your post read in my head.

Thank you for the suggestions. I've found a few things in the garden they do enjoy, and they will eat from my hand for a brief time.

I got the four pekin in 2 different adoptions, both being for 2 ducks. They where all hand raised, but the first 2 where actually handled daily as pets. Truly loved as family. The gentleman I recieved then from even cried when I showed up.

The second 2 where just left in a yard with no shade, no secure housing, and one of their siblings was attacked/killed just 6 hours before I picked them up. The family that owned them was not expecting them, or prepared whatsoever. Somebody (no the parents) gave their nine-year-old daughter three ducks for Easter, which makes me sick. At least the people I got them from knew they had no business with ducks.

The reason I bring that up is the first 2 pekin where fine with me till I introduced the other 2 pekin. The 4 ducks seems to get along great, only time I saw a pecking order established was day 1. Do you think maybe the later 2 broght and shared some human fear? Is it maybe a collective mind, or flock mentality thing?

In general I'm relatively patient, and I'm sure they will come around, even if they don't that's okay too. I do have other birds that I can't even walk by without them wanting to perch on my shoulder, so the companion part is covered, but it'd be awfully cool if my bigger ducks wanted to hang out with me too.

In regards to using the pool, I don't really have a problem with it although I appreciate the suggestions. I was tired and not very clear in my post. I was just trying to let @austroberta know that sometimes mine will sit right in the middle of the heat when the pool is available. They do often go in there though, and I commonly find then sleeping in it. That's when they are their cutest.

 

[firefowl]

My runner duck does a similar thing. It gets nervous when I get to near it or even when I look at it then it will start to back away and go somewhere else. Only when the chickens are hanging near to me for reason then the duck will be more relaxed.

Then again my chickens are easily spooked too, they are marans so not very sociable. And one barnevelder will completely spaz out if it's by itself near me. I think these animals are hardwired to fear humans due to many generations of people raising them for meat. So I think that's the normal way for them to act unless someone goes exceptionally out of their way to make them friendly.

My birds won't eat treat out of my hand either and that's as much effort as I want to put into making them friendly

 

[Mixed flock enthusiast]

We hatched 15 Welsh Harlequin and mallard type ducks last year. We even imprinted one that hatched well after the others and then needed care. Despite handling and cuddling each before putting them in the brooder, those ducks were always terrified of us. We currently have four females and one mallard female left from that group. Two of the WH are pretty bold and will eagerly take food from my hands. The other two will maybe, maybe take food from me on a good day. The mallard is still terrified. If I try to touch any of them, they freak out. One WH is broody and bit hard enough to draw blood when her nest was disturbed! So, only kind of scared of me! If we ever get more ducks, I’d consider doing the imprint on both human and duckling at the same time. We were very cautious about not imprinting in these ducks!

 

[austroberta]

I have five Welsh harlequins, three of which I raised by hand from a couple of days old. They did the same running in terror thing when they were younger. They are over two years old now and they are much more sedate. Our newer ducks, who arrived two months ago at a year old, still think we are ax murderers. It’s slowly getting better, but even if it doesn’t, it’s not a big problem.

When it comes to the kiddie pool, my original three ducks go right for it when I put fresh water in it, but after they have had a good bath, they are pretty much done with it for the day. They also can be a bit territorial about the pool and try to prevent the newer ducks from getting in, though one of them just gets right in anyway. If there was more space in my enclosure, I would put a second pool in there, but that’s not in the cards.

The older girls will gather around when I put down feed and will hop into the pool while I fill it with the hose. They run if I try to touch or catch them and won’t eat from my hand. I haven’t tried much to hand feed them, so it’s not a surprise. I find all of our ducks to be quite calm unless they feel threatened or we try to touch them, so I think this breed being described as calm is accurate, but doesn’t mean that they are “tame.”

I guess I lucked out with my runner ducks, as they'll let me pet them, feed them and hang out with them with zero sense of fear. One of them will let me pick her up and hold her.

These guys are definitely not calm. I would go so far as to call them restless.

It's good to know that your ducks eventually mellowed out. I hope that will be the case with mine.

It makes me wonder about those folks with blog posts who show their ducks taking naps on them, sitting calmly on their laps while they get a good pet, etc. Maybe they slip them some cannabis?!

 

[austroberta]

My ducklings were very social when we first got them. They would come up to me, sit in my hand, cry constantly for me when I was not in the room and show absolutely no fear at all around me. When they got bigger, they started the freaking out.

 

[JRies]

Dried meal worms in the pool made mine love it. there runners so they prefer a bath about 5 inches deep they are not really swimmers and if they hear the bag they will follow me anywhere

 

[austroberta]

Dried meal worms in the pool made mine love it. there runners so they prefer a bath about 5 inches deep they are not really swimmers and if they hear the bag they will follow me anywhere

I've heard that meal worms are a favorite for ducks, but mine wouldn't touch them. I got a huge bag and they took a nibble and walked away. Like a dummy I left it outside and by the next day, they were all gone. They must be really tasty, as there was not a crumb left the next day. The raccoons must have gorged themselves.

 

[Jbently28]

Sounds to me like they are in the schitzo duckling stage where the predator instincts have kicked in full force. I would just keep doing what you're doing and wait for the phase to pass. My female WH was the same way when she was young. Now at a year and a half old, my kids, including my spastic 2 year old, can go up to her and pet her with no problems. In fact, she is my 12 year old's favorite duck out of the 8 that we currently have.