reading about my ducks...still a question!

[annie3001]

hello.
As I have a duck book, it does not tell me anything about my question.
Its about the pop/door and duck pen.
i have cut a hole for the pop door to my duck pen, however will the ducks automatically go to bed at night when it starts to get dark out like chickens do?

thanks in advance!!!!!

btw: its real nice, because when its getting dark, i just secure the "girls" (chickens) however wondering and hoping thats all i have to do with the ducks.

 

[duckyfromoz]

It really depends on your ducks... and how much they really want to be inside. Some ducks are happier outside on the ground- but of course in many cases this means they arent safe. I have mine trained - they know they get fed dinner in the shed where the night pens are. They will go inside themselves if the door is open and wait for dinner- or if the door is closed- and its getting dark and I am late- they will stand by the door waiting for me to open it. I have also heard that some of my ducks- now in a new home are putting themselves to bed at night in their new home. It took a few nights for them to work it out- but they are happy to wander in without being herded. Food and training is the key to getting your ducks to put themselves in to bed- but you can still expect there may be an odd occasion they will need to be directed.

 

[gofasterstripe]

As you can see my ducks have to go up a set of 4 concrete steps to get into their house for the night. Sometimes I can go out 10 minutes late and the ducks on the house side of the fence have put themselves to bed....on their own side of the room. Sometimes I have to heard a stray 1 or 2 who are up to no good back onto their own side.
I always worry when I get a new duck if it will go up the steps as they are quite steep and sometimes its hard for them to figure out. Last week I got 4 new ducks and thought..here we go again. Once the 1st duck of mine went up the steps the rest followed like pros, not a stumble anywhere, it was like they had been doing it all along.
SOMETIMES...they dont want to go to bed and once I walk in their area they bomb burst on me and are all running round like crazy laughing at me...just like kids, ....but I dont want to go to bed yet its still light out and we have 10 more minutes......BED TIME...GO and I have to herd them it.
I only have problems with 1 duck at the moment...Elliot, I swear to god, every night he is the 1st to the steps and the last to go up them, hej ust lingers at the bottom while the rest push past him, and every night I go down to his level and have a chat and try to get him up the steps. I dont want to get into a routine of picking him up...thats what he wants, hes got legs, he can walk, and every night he stumbles, falls and trips his way up the steps. Im sure if he was looking where he was going and not looking to see if Im going to give him something he would walk up those steps no problem. hes such a duffus

 

[annie3001]

okay sounds good....... ill try with treats so they know when its getting time for bed.

thank you for your input!