About a month ago I picked up a couple of Pekin ducklings from the feed store. They seemed so skittish whenever I reached in to change the water and feed them. So I would hold them to try to calm them down..I wanted them to understand I wasn't going to harm them. They won't relax. Now they are almost full sized ducks and they still avoid me and hate it if I try to hold and pet them. Is this the nature of these ducks? Did I go about it all wrong? On a different note...I have question.....I keep the chickens water and food in the coop. the ducks won't go in the coop and seek it out. If I leave it in the coop with they eventually get hungary enouph to go in and eat? I have been catching them and putting them in the coop then they don't want to leave and they make a terrible mess of the waterer. So then I put the food and water outside hoping they would learn to go in and out. They make my chickens look like geniuses. I think I'll try giving them thier own water outside and leave them out there.....
Ducks are suspicious characters. I have a few that will eat from my hand and it only took a year for them to realize I was not going to pull their feet off and BBQ them. Just be calm around them and don't chase them or force yourself on them. Offer them treats on your open hand and be patient. Eventually they may come close enough to eat from your hand, but ducks rarely want to cuddle like a dog or cat, which is a shame because those fluffy butts are made for cuddling.
I have 4 ducklings right now, 3 of them love to be petted, only 1 is a bit reserved. They are all different breeds. The method I have used is being calm and gentle around them. I don't pick them up every time I see them, either. Several times a day, I go to their brooder and just sit and talk with them. I dangle my hand over the side so they are fine with the way it looks. It only took about 2 weeks of doing this to get them to be friendly. Now, every time I go visit them, they rush over peeping at me, waiting for me to let them nibble the ends of my hair or tug on whtever pants or shorts I am wearing. **Sometimes, if I have my back turned to them and I'm crouched down to within reach, my Khaki Campbell drake, Truffle, will bite my bum! Then, when I turn around and make a big deal of it(lol), they start peeping really fast and running around in circles having way too much fun. They clearly hve a sense of humor! Anyway, the gentler you are, and if you only grab them and pick them up occasionally, letting them come to you the rest of the time, they should come around.
Thanks for giving me a sense of hope....I've been going about my business in the yard which involves walking by them, I can walk by fairly close without them taking off. And I can sit within about four feet and they will feel comfortable enouph to continue preening with me nearby. . Your ducks sound like characters and a lot of fun! Thanks
I'm in the same boat. My little girl who I've had from days old used to love sitting on my lap and follow me around and falling asleep on me. Now she's over a year old and it seems like she hates me. She will still eat out of my hand but she hates being picked up to the point where she bites me now. On the other hand my boy who we didn't get until 9 months old has become increasingly effectionate and loving. He's like a teddy bear. But my little girl I've raised as a baby. Why does she suddenly hate me? From a heart broken duck mum x
I have a male and female pair of white ducks sold as Pekins, but I'm beginning to suspect they are white layers because they just don't seem heavy enough. They have just fully feathered, but are still loaded with lots of pin feathers. Anyway. They hate me. And seem about as smart as a box of rocks, except that they are smart enough to like to dip in their water bath when I refill it with cool water a couple of times a day to help with the hot temps. They not only hate me... they will basically jam themselves into a corner and beat their heads against the wall/wire when I'm doing normal things like refilling water and food. I do not think they will be staying. There is absolutely no way I can consider allowing them out of the pen with the way they freak out all the time... thy would certainly either disappear or never be touched again to be gotten back in. My young geese OTOH, lovely little creatures. Calm and sweet.
Here are ideas for watering without a huge mess. https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/641902/created-a-water-saver-for-my-duck-brooder https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/679433/water-water-everywhere/10 https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/858161/feed-water-solution-for-brooder#post_12901321 http://frankiemakes.blogspot.ca/2012/06/watering-solution-for-ducks.html https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/259876/do-your-ducks-have-water-at-night/10#post_13568197 post number 8 from this https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/959603/ducklings-getting-stuck-on-their-backs#post_14939819 https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/969751/help-baby-ducklings#post_15125952