teaching ducklings to roost...?

[PirateGirl]

I herd my ducks. I walk slowly towards them with my arms spread wide (you can even carry a broomstick or something long to make your reach even wider). I shine a light into their house. I walk slowly towards them and towards their house until they are all inside and I shut the door behind them. They have learned the routine. They don't put themselves to bed at night like the chickens, but if they see me come out after dark, most of them will run into their house.

 

[chickens really]

any suggestions welcome. i have 4 ducklings-2 cayuga & 2 blue swedish. they are fully feathered so we moved them outside about a week ago.

they free range in a fenced in yard & have a small run attached to their coop. each morning they come out into the run quacking to be let out.

the problem is they do not go in at night fall, they simply settle in to the grass & fall asleep. each night i have to go out & pick them up & put them in the coop. this makes them very upset & they have become scared of me. so 2 problems: my ducks won’t put themselves to bed & also they are now frightened of me whereas when they were brooding they would happily sit on my lap & snooze (we always handle our birds so when they’re adults & have issues we can catch them to check them out).

any suggestions for teaching ducks to roost & also help them not be so scared? i’ve tried enticing them w/ treats but they are too scared of me to pay any attention.

Only Muscovy Roost so impossible to teach them. You need to heard them in each night.

 

[Knighstar679]

My welshies always put themselves to bed. Upon hearing everyone’s stories I feel like I was very spoiled with them.

 

[sehfergy]

Ducks will be actively moving around during the night. I set a trail cam up on my feeder to see what the birds do at night and the muscovies and mules were coming to the feeder from dusk till dawn. I did not test the MD ducks but I know they are active too. View attachment 1758076
Ducks don't sleep through the night like chickens do. If you do not herd them in and lock them in then they won't stay in.

i’ve noticed the ducks are so active at night. i had read about that but didn’t realize how much until they actually moved in. this is why we decided to separate the ducks & chickens, the poor chickens were getting spooked when the ducks would chatter & splash water throughout the night.

ducks certainly are so different from chickens in just about every way, but they are so much fun to watch. this has been a really interesting experience after keeping chickens for many years.

 

[FluffTheDuck]

I give my ducks lettuce every night when they do come in before I go out. Still outside, no treats. They learned quickly to come in before 6:00PM to get delicious romaine lettuce.

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

I think it's just an issue of terminology here.....rather than "roost", you want them to "coop up" so they can be secured at night, correct?
Teaching them recall, coming when called, is going to help. The process is the same as with chickens....associating the call with the response, generating the reward from you. This would allow you to call them to the secure area at will, ie for securing before dusk. You'll want to do it before their normal setting time, so they arent already nestled in in their chosen undesirable spots

 

[cheezenkwackers]

Before sunset I sprinkle meal worms around the coop. Then, I heard them all in. As a result, if I am late they will put themselves to bed. I think yours just need incentive, training, and to be put in before they have fallen asleep.