- Sep 3, 2012
- 8
- 0
- 7
Hi all. I have one or two questions I'm hoping you can help a new duck owner with.
We've had our 4 Indian Runners since Sunday, and they are settling into a good routine. They are kept in a good size wooden purpose built duck house, which has an 8' x 4' run attached. We keep a large galvanised pellet feeder in the run, and a galvanised bucket style drink feeder also in the run. At very first light we open up the house so they cam move into the run, and we leave them in there for an hour so they can take the opportunity to feed and drink (no feed and drink in the house overnight). After an hour we open the run door and let them forage in the entire back garden all day. The back garden is nice and secure, it's quite big and nothing can get in. About an hour before it starts to get dark we shepherd the ducks back into the run, during which time they feed and drink, and we then shut them into the house for the night when it gets fully dark. They seem happy with this routine, and we have noticed them steadily getting a bit braver each day this week.
Now for the problem (or maybe not?). We have placed two childrens sandpits full of water in the garden away from the house, and we fill a large bucket and place it by the hedge where they spend quite a bit of their day. For some reason they never use the water from the pits or the bucket, they return to their open run to drink, then when they've finished drinking they go back into the garden.
Our Runners are 18 weeks old. We are feeding them growers pellets and plan to do so through the winter, and will switch to layers when spring starts and they will hopefully start laying. We have given them small treats in fresh peas, marmite on very small pieces of toast (which they love), and we have thrown them a few worms collected from the garden.
On Monday (first day out of the run) it took ages to shepherd them into the run at night. Yesterday it took a few minutes, and tonight they headed into the run straight away.
Does this routine seem to be a good one?
Are we doing right not having water or food in the house, only in the run, so they don't have access to either from dark until dawn? (they seem healthy doing this)
Is the diet of growers until Spring a good one?
Is there a way to get them to use the sandpits full of water?
Is there a reason why they don't want to use them?
Sorry for the lengthy essay, but I thought it best to give all the facts in order to get the best answers. I would appreciate any advice. Thanks.
We've had our 4 Indian Runners since Sunday, and they are settling into a good routine. They are kept in a good size wooden purpose built duck house, which has an 8' x 4' run attached. We keep a large galvanised pellet feeder in the run, and a galvanised bucket style drink feeder also in the run. At very first light we open up the house so they cam move into the run, and we leave them in there for an hour so they can take the opportunity to feed and drink (no feed and drink in the house overnight). After an hour we open the run door and let them forage in the entire back garden all day. The back garden is nice and secure, it's quite big and nothing can get in. About an hour before it starts to get dark we shepherd the ducks back into the run, during which time they feed and drink, and we then shut them into the house for the night when it gets fully dark. They seem happy with this routine, and we have noticed them steadily getting a bit braver each day this week.
Now for the problem (or maybe not?). We have placed two childrens sandpits full of water in the garden away from the house, and we fill a large bucket and place it by the hedge where they spend quite a bit of their day. For some reason they never use the water from the pits or the bucket, they return to their open run to drink, then when they've finished drinking they go back into the garden.
Our Runners are 18 weeks old. We are feeding them growers pellets and plan to do so through the winter, and will switch to layers when spring starts and they will hopefully start laying. We have given them small treats in fresh peas, marmite on very small pieces of toast (which they love), and we have thrown them a few worms collected from the garden.
On Monday (first day out of the run) it took ages to shepherd them into the run at night. Yesterday it took a few minutes, and tonight they headed into the run straight away.
Does this routine seem to be a good one?
Are we doing right not having water or food in the house, only in the run, so they don't have access to either from dark until dawn? (they seem healthy doing this)
Is the diet of growers until Spring a good one?
Is there a way to get them to use the sandpits full of water?
Is there a reason why they don't want to use them?
Sorry for the lengthy essay, but I thought it best to give all the facts in order to get the best answers. I would appreciate any advice. Thanks.
