One of these days…

[Cryss]

Rofl ya know I started saying it was Pippa. Then realized it was louie so I went back to change all the shes to hes
Guess I missed ..cant slip one by ya

NONONONO!!! Don't change it! Its funnier!

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

mine is not as dramatic, but is along the same lines, has happened more than once, blizzard moving in, I am laying in bed, done for the night and can hear the wind banging things around outside and get that guilty feeling that I really should lock the ducks in their house, which becomes a nagging that is preventing sleep as I know the wind may hit 75 miles an hour, so i throw on a jacket and muck boots and head out in the cold in the dark to herd the ducks inside, which you wouldn't think would be difficult since they are already confined in their run, just not their house, but as you know, herding ducks can be a challenge and routinely as the last goes in the house one will slip out and as I turn around to grab it the rest follow and now it's a game... but then, when I finally get them in and I can barely feel my fingers I find that I cannot latch the door, somehow with the freezing and the moisture wood has a way of swelling and warping and just when you need the door to line up perfectly so that you can lock up the ducks, it won't!

Whow! I wasn't aware that you have such bad snowstorms in Colorado! I thought that'd be more something for Montana, the Dakotas, Minnesota and Wisconsin.

 

[quackiemama]

Mine too think the pine shavings are a bag of death. I have to put them out of they repeatedly slam themselves into the wall to get away from the evil shavings.

seriously though. Let's not even mention my big devilish umbrella. I won't even be near the ducks but if they see it they freak the **** out!. I have had them all since they were days old and can guarantee that pine shavings packaging or an umbrella have never hurt them. Silly ducks!

 

[Tannerpauldean]

I am loving reading all these stories! It makes me feel like I'm not alone.

This winter I added an extra windbreak to the duck house for those particularly cold nights. Apparently a clear plastic sheet (painter's drop cloth from Home Depot) is the scariest thing in the world to my ducks, and they absolutely refused to go in the house. I can't tell you how many evenings I was about ready to lose it - it was cold and I was ready to go inside by the fireplace!

But now that it is warm and the sheet is gone they go in without a problem. Once the sun starts going down they usually beat me to it and I find them waiting patiently for me in their house. Definitely creatures of habit!

 

[quackiemama]

I am loving reading all these stories! It makes me feel like I'm not alone.

This winter I added an extra windbreak to the duck house for those particularly cold nights. Apparently a clear plastic sheet (painter's drop cloth from Home Depot) is the scariest thing in the world to my ducks, and they absolutely refused to go in the house. I can't tell you how many evenings I was about ready to lose it - it was cold and I was ready to go inside by the fireplace!

But now that it is warm and the sheet is gone they go in without a problem. Once the sun starts going down they usually beat me to it and I find them waiting patiently for me in their house. Definitely creatures of habit!

You are definitely not alone. I forgot all about the clear plastic that we wrapped their run in for the winter. Geeeeessssssss! They all ran into the house and would not come out for hours. They finally did when I got the mealworms out. Duck crack!

 

[Miss Lydia]

Years ago I had 3 Muscovy sister that refused to go into their house one evening in dead of winter. We have a steep bank behind our home and of course that Is where they planted their butts and refused to come down. I tried everything and about froze to death waiting. Finally I just left them and hoped nothing would find them. They were down and ready for breakfast the next morning. But I sure didn't sleep very well at all. That day I rigged up fencing around part of their coop so when they came into the smaller fenced area I could herd them inside their house and they couldn't get away. Then another time 2 of My young Muscovy's flew up to the top of the roof of their house and thought they were going to sleep up there all night well I finally got out the hose with hard pressure nozzle and literally blew them off the roof. No more roosting on the roof after that. Boy what we will do for our birds.

 

[DuckWhisperer06]

Then another time 2 of My young Muscovy's flew up to the top of the roof of their house and thought they were going to sleep up there all night well I finally got out the hose with hard pressure nozzle and literally blew them off the roof. No more roosting on the roof after that. Boy what we will do for our birds.[/QUOTE]


My friend used to do that to her chickens. They would perch up in the trees over the patio, which didn’t have a cover so poop was everywhere. She finally had enough and got the hose and started spraying them down.

They quickly learned which trees they weren’t allowed on.

 

[Miss Lydia]

lol I bet they didn't like that.

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

Years ago I had 3 Muscovy sister that refused to go into their house one evening in dead of winter. We have a steep bank behind our home and of course that Is where they planted their butts and refused to come down. I tried everything and about froze to death waiting. Finally I just left them and hoped nothing would find them. They were down and ready for breakfast the next morning. But I sure didn't sleep very well at all. That day I rigged up fencing around part of their coop so when they came into the smaller fenced area I could herd them inside their house and they couldn't get away. Then another time 2 of My young Muscovy's flew up to the top of the roof of their house and thought they were going to sleep up there all night well I finally got out the hose with hard pressure nozzle and literally blew them off the roof. No more roosting on the roof after that. Boy what we will do for our birds.

Limpy always pretends he is unable to get out of the pool, struggling with this feet, flapping his wings and refusing to use the ramp! But when i point the garden hose at the pool he's out in a second!
He sits the whole day in that thing, even when it is raining cats 'n dogs, but Garden-Hose water from above must somehow hurt Indian Runner ducks. The other's enjoy a hose-shower on warm days, catching drops out of the air - the Runner ducks just run away.

 

[Skye'sDucks]

I remember when I let my hen hatch out 25 ducklings...I was new to ducks (and I still am--this is technically my second year with them) and when I look back to it, I wonder if I should have pulled some eggs!

But pretty regularly those ducklings never wanted to go inside at night. Ever. The majority would follow mama duck, but the problem was, mama duck didn't want to go inside either. Cue to me racing around and around the coop and in the yard chasing those little buggers, sometimes with a rake or stick that they've learned to righteously fear. (Anyone else have that one broom or rake that the ducks are terrified of and won't go near? )

The worst was when there were one or two ducklings left that I just couldn't catch or chase into the coop.

I won't go into that time that I could NOT get my one duck into the coop...back when I just had 2. I'd race all over the yard after her, get her in, then my other duck would escape, and on and on it went seemingly forever...

You'd think (and I know a lot of ducks can and are like this) they'd get used to the routine and never give us trouble...