ruthhope
Free Ranging
My ducks have been like that for a few months now, since I got their sleeping arrangements sorted.
My ditsy special needs pekin always sleeps in a dog crate as he seems to annoy the muscovies -- probably by chattering loudly at night -- and they can be mean to him. He loves his dog crate. His bonded buddy muscovy drake sleeps atop the dog crate from choice. I found I had to partition off the floor to separate the other two muscovy that take it in turn to be mean to each other. Now peace reigns, and the ducks either take themselves down to their door or come up and wait by my back door at bedtime, then follow me down. Daffy, muscovy, comes in first -- he always wants attention -- and I scoot him into his compartment. Ping, pekin, comes in next and straight into his dog crate. The other two, muscovies, go in as I go out: they eat their supper on the floor and then bonded muscovy, O Pato, jumps up on the dog crate. Butter generally stays on the floor but when it's cold, gets up with O Pato -- I presume to keep warm.
I close the door and safely lock it with a heavy padlock and cross bars against predators -- a fox has tried to get in at night. I go back to the house, breathing a sigh of relief as they are safe while locked up at night.
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