Sleeping outside.

[DaiquiriDuck]

I noticed my duck house has been much cleaner lately and couldn't understand why until we went to check on the new chicks late tonight.
I found all 5 of my indian runners asleep outside on the grass! I'm guessing they have been sleeping out for a while now.
I ushered them in the house and shut them in, much to the protest of Darcy my drake. I feel a bit mean putting them in but even with an electric fence I am worried about predators on the ground and in the air.

We moved their house yesterday and found mice under it, are they like chickens, avoiding a house because the mice/rats scare them? Or do they just like sleeping out!?

Like I said, I don't want to upset my ducks but I dont want them to get eaten either. I will leave them in the house tonight and let them out first thing.
Any thoughts?

 

[kahara]

My duck (and her parents who are no longer with us) prefers to sleep outside when the weather permits. She has a nice Dogloo filled with shavings and lays her eggs there about 6:30am, but for the most part if we visit her at night she's sleeping outside of it.

My chickens loved to sleep inside though.

 

[MysticalMom]

I have a beautiful duck house that my ducks NEVER use. NEVER!

They prefer just to sleep in the pen area on the ground, and my girls set in the plastic dog houses I have in there. If I didn't lure them in the pen every night with a treat, I do believe they'd sleep right out in the yard and the muscovy would be in the trees.

 

[easton coop]

be aware from above. we have had quite a few pigeons snatched away from the garden by Buzzards lately, some rest for my vegetable patch though!!

 

[FenDruadin]

Mine never ever ever sleep in the house. They go in to eat and to lay, and that's it. They have a secure run, though--chain link, with welded wire over the top, welded wire underneath, fine-mesh hardware wire around the bottom 2 feet (to prevent raccoons reaching through and grabbing them in their sleep--which they will do, and eat their heads off through the wire--I know this from sad experience), and a strand of electric wire 12 inches above the ground to discourage prying. I have had no losses since instituting these measures, and the ducks are happy because they get to sleep outside.

 

[miniwhipkey]

I also have a chainlink run with electric on top and on bottom. My ducks never sleep in. I can't get them to go in. So, I just put more protection on the run. That is the best thing to do, because they are happy outside.