One rebellious duckling in the bunch!!

[rlmitchell]

My ducklings, at 5 weeks old, have finally gone from the garage to their outside home!! They are loving it and I am loving it even more!!

The only problem we're having is getting them into their "house" at night. I have 3 of them that will follow me if I tempt them with food. However, our seemingly dominant female, Quacker, will lag behind. When the others go into their house and I reach for her (she won't go in on her own), she starts quacking like someone is trying to kill her. That freaks the OTHER ducks out and then they all scatter. It takes us about an hour to round them all up at night!!!!

HELP!!! How do I get Quacker to realize that I am NOT out to kill her?!?! The others seem to get it.

Exhausted duck owner!

 

[LaceyMae]

I would like to know the answer to this, also.

 

[Amiga]

Okay, let's all breathe in, breathe out.

Couple of things going on here, I think.

At that age, instincts kick in and anything taller than a duckling is terrifying, in most cases. So your three may be particularly brave, or behind in developing that instinct

So imagine, your little one is now feeling like the world is a scary place, and then you - you tall, fearsome giant - you turn and grab for her. wow.

I used to throw a pea party in the night shelter - during the day - a few times a day at first. That way, no pressure, we all had a good time in the shelter. When it came time to go in, I got behind them and always said (sweetly of course) "in the house! in the house!" And walked them in.

And.

There were two or three little stinkers who tried to avoid going in at first. But I learned that having a herding stick (never jabbing at them or doing anything other than holding it horizontally as an extension to my arm) got them to grudgingly go in. And after umpteen rehearsals, "in the house" meant go in, no questions asked. 99% of the time. Golly, every now and then someone decides to fake right and dash left. But not often.

 

[LaceyMae]

What kind of peas do you use? Fresh, frozen, or canned?

 

[Amiga]

Fresh or frozen. I like the peas that are not salted (can you believe many brands contain salt?). I thaw them with hot water and put them in a red enameled steel mixing bowl. When the ducks see the bowl, they come running! There's another idea for you. Always use the same bowl for their favorite treat. I believe based on my observations that ducks can see color.

 

[jonhpdx]

At 5 weeks old I still limited my ducks' time outside to only when supervised. That way, they knew and got used to my presence around me.

Ducks seem to have this "terrible teens" phase that starts at about 4-5 weeks old where they really don't want to be picked up and they really just want to do their own thing and for you to ignore them. So, I basically did. Besides a few feeding fests with lettuce we generally stayed out of each other's way. Then, suddenly at around 11-12 weeks old my ducks really liked following me around the yard again and would come up to me even if I didn't have treats in my hand. Within a few weeks, they would run up to me whenever I knelt down and called for them (of course, they're always looking for treats but that's ducks for ya). Staying low to the ground really lets them know that you're not a threat to them. Treats reinforce that behavior when they approach you.

During this period where they really weren't responding to me well I was quite frustrated but kept reading that I needed to be patient and wait out this adolescent phase they go through. And, sure enough, it worked swimmingly.

I, like Amiga, have found that peas are their absolute favorite food. I buy the bags of frozen peas and corn (another favorite) for cheap at the local discount store and keep a few bags in the freezer and one thawed in the fridge for whenever I feel like giving them a treat. I've found this system is super manageable from a time perspective (no need to prepare/cut up any food for them), super cheap (2 bags a week at ~$0.75/bag) and very rewarding in that I can sit down with my ducks and have them crawling all over me for treats. If you are a little stingy with your treat giving (handing out only one pea out at a time to one duck), you'll get hilarious results from the others getting jealous. You just have to remember to distribute the treats evenly.

 

[rlmitchell]

I think you're right! I never thought about that. I am always standing up and shuffling around. I probably AM an intimidating giant. I also think it makes sense that the other 3 are a little behind on their instincts (my grumpy girl is the only one who has developed a "quack" and she is a LOT bigger than the other 3, obviously a week or so older I think).

I'm going to make it a point to come home at lunch break and do a pea or watermelon (they are loving that too!) party without capturing them. Cross your fingers!

 

[rlmitchell]

I'm buying peas today! I hope this works. I think it's possible that Quacker is a week or so older than the other 3. I guess she has begun her teenage years. I just hope the others don't go through the same thing lol

 

[Amiga]

I think you're right! I never thought about that. I am always standing up and shuffling around. I probably AM an intimidating giant. I also think it makes sense that the other 3 are a little behind on their instincts (my grumpy girl is the only one who has developed a "quack" and she is a LOT bigger than the other 3, obviously a week or so older I think).

I'm going to make it a point to come home at lunch break and do a pea or watermelon (they are loving that too!) party without capturing them. Cross your fingers!

Okay, the age difference makes sense, then. Wow, you are a dedicated duck parent!!

I'm buying peas today! I hope this works. I think it's possible that Quacker is a week or so older than the other 3. I guess she has begun her teenage years. I just hope the others don't go through the same thing lol

Some ducklings don't seem to go through this as intensely as others. So proud of you for working with normal duck behavior for everyone's benefit.

 

[LaceyMae]

Will any kind of peas do? Field peas, black-eyed peas, english peas, chick peas? What about other frozen veggies? Butterbeans? Mixed veggies? I am sorry for all the questions, but I am new to ducks, and learning a lot!