She recognized me!

[Oncoming Storm]

So I’ve never been great with maintaining close relationships with my flock once they move outside. The barn is a bit of a walk from my house so I don’t make that many trips a day since the path is one whole hill. Even so, my chocolate runner, Waddles, and I were close when she was a baby. She’d sit up on my shoulder and just chill with me for hours. Well, once she moved outside, she mixed with the flock and basically forgot about me. I don’t usually try to catch my ducks as it tends to stress them out more than the chickens. Well, today, I was given an opportunity and I snatched her real quick. At first, she wiggled. But then I pet her chest (which is what I did when she was a baby) and said her name. She stopped and stared at me like “ah, it’s you” before slapping me in the face and flying off.

 

[DucksOhio]

Adorable. My ducks don’t realize how much work I put into their care. I’m only the crazy pea lady.

 

[Duck mommy 2019]

why do some people’s duck stop liking them? mine still love me and follow me around the yard (and will cuddle on the couch when i let them!)

is it the breed? i want to get a runner duck but have heard they can be skittish

 

[Oncoming Storm]

why do some people’s duck stop liking them? mine still love me and follow me around the yard (and will cuddle on the couch when i let them!)

is it the breed? i want to get a runner duck but have heard they can be skittish

All of my ducks are skittish. My Pekin, my orphington (especially the orphington), my golden layer hybrid and Waddles the Runner are all pretty skittish. I think it’s because I don’t work with them consistently.

 

[416bigbore]

Adorable. My ducks don’t realize how much work I put into their care. I’m only the crazy pea lady.

Feathered teenagers ! Those silly Gooses!

 

[Duck mommy 2019]

All of my ducks are skittish. My Pekin, my orphington (especially the orphington), my golden layer hybrid and Waddles the Runner are all pretty skittish. I think it’s because I don’t work with them consistently.

that’s weird for them to be scared, my pekin drake is the sweetest duck i have

 

[Oncoming Storm]

that’s weird for them to be scared, my pekin drake is the sweetest duck i have

I just haven’t mastered the way of the duck I guess. I’ve never done anything to give them a reason to be scared. They just get tired of me I guess.

 

[PioneerChicks]

I love your story!

I had some chicks I worked with for every day until they were 2 months old. Then I stopped working with them for a month. They went mostly wild. But I have started spending more time with them and it is getting better. If you want tame poultry you will need to work with them fairly consistantly.

 

[Duck mommy 2019]

I just haven’t mastered the way of the duck I guess. I’ve never done anything to give them a reason to be scared. They just get tired of me I guess.

how often do you spend time with them? i usually have them outside all day then let them lay with me indoors for like an hour before bed which seems to help bonding (i also am with them a lot of the time outside)

 

[Oncoming Storm]

how often do you spend time with them? i usually have them outside all day then let them lay with me indoors for like an hour before bed which seems to help bonding (i also am with them a lot of the time outside)

I go down every day. This is an outdoor flock seeing as if I asked my mother to let Waddles stay in the house I would be tossed to the pigs. I spend about an hour or so doing miscellaneous chores while I feed all the animals. More recently, I’ve started sitting where I feed them. Most of the chickens are confident to eat out of my hand (rip my hand) but the ducks are like nahhhhh bruh and don’t come near me. Seeing as Waddles considers herself a chicken and not a duck, preferring the company of her broodermates over those of her kind, she’s much more confident around me and will walk around where I’m standing. I never fed this group of chicks from my hand but I got her to take a quick bite today after several days of intense staring. But it’s hard to get them (more specifically Waddles) to come to me since so many of the other birds are willing to eat from my hand and Waddles and her Turken buddies get bullied by my polish.