Putting your ducks to bed

[Eluria]

Hi! I am wondering how you all encourage your ducks to return to their pen for the night. I absolutely could not chase 3 ducks around the yard to get them in the pen, and we definitely need to have them penned. Do you feed them in the pen at the end of the evening? Do they come in on their own?

Also, can ducks walk up a ramp to get into a pen? We are trying to design our pen right now and are thinking of making it up off the ground for cleanliness, but am not sure how high up it should be (maybe 2 feet?) and whether the ducks would be able to walk up a ramp to get to it?

Thanks!

 

[KuroKitsune]

alot of people will offer a super yummy treat only at bed time and in the pen so the ducks go in the pen and they close the pen door/gate behind the ducks once their in.


my 4 go into the pen and then into the coop by themselves every night...touch wood...i have never had to herd them into their pen at night

 

[lina500]

I honestly don't understand why ducks don't automatically go into their house at night. I had chickens as a kid and they would always go into their house at dusk whether or not we were around. Our ducks, on the other hand, will sit in our driveway all night waiting for us to tell them to go to bed. That said, it's very easy to herd them in. I put my arms out and just walk behind them and they walk right in to the house.

But my question is: is there any way to get them to go in on their own? I hate the fact that we always need someone home when the sun goes down.

 

[KuroKitsune]

mine go in by themselves...they go into the pen by themselves and into the coop by themselves....when they were young and had just been put outside it took no more then three times of herding them into the coop for them to get it and i never had to herd them into the pen when they were younger either.


i think maybe mine might of learned from watching my chickens go to bed at night and thats why they do it without me needing to make them

 

[lina500]

You're lucky. Mine have gone in on their own ONE time in three months.

 

[Going Quackers]

I honestly don't understand why ducks don't automatically go into their house at night. I had chickens as a kid and they would always go into their house at dusk whether or not we were around. Our ducks, on the other hand, will sit in our driveway all night waiting for us to tell them to go to bed. That said, it's very easy to herd them in. I put my arms out and just walk behind them and they walk right in to the house.

But my question is: is there any way to get them to go in on their own? I hate the fact that we always need someone home when the sun goes down.

Because chickens come home to roost, ducks are waterfowl and often stay around ponds or on them at night completely different species with very different habits.

I actually have some roosting ducks here(muscovy) but that doesn't mean they behave like chickens. My ducks do return to the fenced area that surrounds the barn and coops, that said beyond.. only some go into housing, we herd the rest in.

As for encouraging, keeping most desired areas close to housing does aid.. ie; water, feed, pools...

 

[Eluria]

Thanks! We will try the ramp and treats and see how that goes

 

[JoyAnna]

Yesterday, I finally could move my three Anconas into their new duck house and pen. It took some doing but they finally went in. I let them out to free-range all day as usual and was so pleased that at 6:00 they marched right into the new pen by themselves, so I fed them, gave them a bucket of fresh water, and turned on a small sprinkler in the pen along with a small pool. Later, about 7:00 I went outside and they were happily lounging outside in the cool air.

 

[jebber]

Mine get peas for bedtime treat. No problems with getting them to bed

 

[donkeydew2farms]

my guys get peas or meal worms and I just point to the pen and they walk in to it ,they look so funny like little soldiers .