My New ducks are not sleeping in coop

[Tyler0202]

Hello all, My new ducks (3) do not to want to go into there coop at night to sleep. should this be a concern? they just want to lay together on the run floor. however they will go into the coop during the day when someone walks by the pen. Maybe i am jumping the gun a bit or should i lock them in the coop at night to let them know that where they sleep. Thank for the advice in advance !!!

 

[drewskimac]

Nope, not a concern! It’s totally normal for the ducks to cruise the pen or lay in the run at night. I can’t really tell you why they do it, but they don’t reliably go into the coop every night like chickens to. This has caused problems with predation for me as they lay in the corner of the run and get grabbed by raccoons through the wire.

 

[drewskimac]

Nope, not a concern! It’s totally normal for the ducks to cruise the pen or lay in the run at night. I can’t really tell you why they do it, but they don’t reliably go into the coop every night like chickens to. This has caused problems with predation for me as they lay in the corner of the run and get grabbed by raccoons through the wire.

And if you’re worried about problems with predation, locking them in the coop may be a good idea. Just make sure they have water available to put their bills in.

 

[Kessel23]

Mine like to sleep out in the run, maybe they get pooped on by the roosting chickens?

 

[Conan]

We had the exact same issue - they just freaked out and wouldn't sleep in the coop. I locked them in for two weeks straight. They hated every minute of it. Never got used to it. We finally gave up and just let them sleep in their run.
We ended up losing a drake to a mink so we built a hoop house. Just made it secure, but also totally open, like a big run. They love it. No problems going in at all and they always return to it in the evenings. It's predator proof but we also placed it right next to the piggy's pen. Have to say, adding a couple pigs to the farm really did the trick when it comes to predators! Nothing wants to come face to face with a hog. But I digress.
The hoop house was an affordable fix for us. We added a dogloo for them to lay eggs in and called it good. In Winter, we add a tarp. That is for my benefit. I want that precious garden gold for myself

 

[cheezenkwackers]

I locked mine in for the first 3-4 months of their lives. Now they always sleep in the coop, not the run.