My ducks run away from us now and I don't know why!

[nettie]

if you have a dremel, use that, if you can catch them! lol. a dremel works just as good as a pedipaws... I bought it on impulse and don't use to too often.

 

[vickie2133]

OK, LOL it is the Quacking Duck Momma here. I was impressed with the Quackers tonight, they are doing great by me calling them, even went in quicker tonight.

My boys said when we hatchied the Mallards, if they knew ducks were so fun, we would have gotten them first LOL.

I love my chickens also. My daughter went out to give the chicks some snacks and I watched as around 30 young ones, about 3 to 3 months old, running and flying behind her. I thought yep, she is addicted also, just like her momma.

 

[Andora]

Tonight I decided to try giving them treats as I was chasing them into the coop. We had Mexican for supper, so I saved some chopped (uncooked) pepper pieces and some strawberry tops. They stared at me like I was offering them poison and took off quacking and running, haha. So I cornered them and tossed the treats at them. Finally one of the ducks tried a piece and they all went wild. Then they were staring up at me with those cute cocked heads, looked like they were thinking, "Wait...did you just give us these? The evil grabbing hand gave us treats!?!"

I still couldn't catch two of them though. I gave up and sat down after half an hour, and when I looked up there they went marching right into the coop on their own. Figures.

 

[Ducklove334]

I've found the best thing, Honestly, is when they go through that stange(wich almost ALL ducklings do) is to let them alone, don't push yourself on them, I've had ducks going on about, well, 6 or so years this year, on and off, every single duckling I've EVER raised(from the feed store ducklings, to the hatchery ducklings, to even the few rescued orphans I'd found at the park where my grandpa lives were handled every single day as babies, they all slept in my arms, and in my armpits, LMAO.

My mallards were like that, friendly ass babies, up until the point where they went outside, where they stayed fairly friendly for a few weeks,then they went wild sort of, Boris and Sage were the same,they would eat peas out of my hands, the muscovy ducklings I got at 2 weeks old tamed up really quickly, but it was the same for them once they went outside, and Jumper and Junna I never really fooled with.

BUT now every single duck I've got, Including Jumper and Junna, are super sweet, Albeit they don't like it if I reach for them, but they all follow me around,and let me get real close, wich apposed to a few months ago, they wouldn't even give me the 10 foot rule.

I've found that just being in the pen, and watching them as much as I do, they've grown to know me much better, I let them go about thier lives as they would without me, though i provide food and water.

AND! I bribbed them with...CLOVER, lots and lots of clover :O

now that the spring crop of wild clover in the old horse field is up, and we're not gonna eat it, they get a bucket full of clover in their "pond" every day, and they love it!, so they've quickly come to expect it, and they also come running when they know I've got food.

I love meh duckies.

 

[dixygirl]

Mine used to run away from me too... But I used it to my advantage to teach them to be herded. I stand behind them on their right side if I want them to go to the left and vice versa. I also use a voice cue of quacking to them whenever I am herding them. I quack to them constantly when I want them to go in front of me to the house. Now they let me get closer (especially if they are eating )without running away unless I am quacking.

A year later, now they associate me quacking with coming to me and seeing what I want and if necessary going into their pen.
See this interesting event that happened to us yesterday. Shows how voice cues can pay off
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=163176

 

[Andora]

I'm going to have to try quacking at mine! I've noticed that they quack at each other to gather together, when one is lost they quack to it until it finds them.

 

[azrc]

Mine have done the same thing. They have free range to the yard and only come within a few feet for feeding or watering.

I just got some baby geese at about 2 days old. They've always run away from me

I have some turkeys though and it's all that I can do not to step on them when I walk out to check on them. The other day on flew up and landed on my head

 

[Shanay235]

My ducks, all 13 of them, are afraid of the little red dot of a lazer pointer. 95% of the time they go into the house at night on their own. On the nights they refuse to go we just pull the lazer out of our pocket, shine it on the water or ground behind them and they'll waddle to the house as quick as their feet will carry them. Plus it's a little funny to watch.

 

[headred]

I just let my 6 week old ducks out of the pen for the first time and honestly after reading posts I was a little afraid how I might get them back in. After 2 hours of exploring the yard, they ended up settling for a nap right at the door of the pen! All I had to do was walk out and herd them from behind. WOW, it will never be that easy again I'm sure!

Click on my website to see the cuties swimming their first time. THAT was a riot!! Who needs TV when you have ducks!!

 

[Andora]

I know, we watch our ducks and chickens for entertainment a lot during the day!

I just looked out and panicked because one of my Pekins was flat on its back with its little feet waving in the air! I ran out and the poor thing was just stuck like a big beetle. Is that normal?

It seemed fine once I flipped it back over, it wattled off quacking to the rest of the ducks.