The khaki-Campbell duck Thread !!!!!!!!

[jtn42248]

Well, if mine are too stupid to come in at night they're on their own. I'll do as best I can to shoot any varmints I see, but I certainly don't plan to stand guard every day over them and try to herd them in at night.

Funny thing. Mine are actually too stupid to come in at night and I don't have a pond. They are smart enough however to wait for me to put them to bed at night where they and I know they will be safe. I did see a really neat picture somewhere on BYC of a guy that had a large pond. He had a sort of ramp from the duck pen to the pond. At night he went out in a Kayak and rowed them back up the ramp into their pen. Wish I had a pond that size. I would get all sorts of exercise and my ducks would love it as well.

 

[AA Maple]

Funny thing. Mine are actually too stupid to come in at night and I don't have a pond. They are smart enough however to wait for me to put them to bed at night where they and I know they will be safe. I did see a really neat picture somewhere on BYC of a guy that had a large pond. He had a sort of ramp from the duck pen to the pond. At night he went out in a Kayak and rowed them back up the ramp into their pen. Wish I had a pond that size. I would get all sorts of exercise and my ducks would love it as well.

So how do you gather them up and put them in their house? I was given the impression that chickens generally come home to their nests in the evening not so much with ducks? If I can't get these things to lay their eggs in one place for me to harvest they're pretty worthless as layers and will become meat.

 

[jtn42248]

So how do you gather them up and put them in their house? I was given the impression that chickens generally come home to their nests in the evening not so much with ducks? If I can't get these things to lay their eggs in one place for me to harvest they're pretty worthless as layers and will become meat.

How many do you have? First of all Ducks are prone to just drop their eggs wherever they are when the urge strikes unless they have begun to go broody and/or it is breeding season. At that time they will try to build nest, usually on the ground, and when their eggs go missing they will start trying to hide the eggs from you. Secondly ducks tend to be creatures of habit. The will follow a certain routine and will, in fact, wait for you to fulfil your part of the function before they start theirs.

Example: I have 16 Cayugas that have a large overnight house as well as a sizable enclosed run with kiddie pool, shaded shelters, etc. I take them out into a large field so that they can eat bugs and grasshoppers and use a long stick to herd them. The will follow where I lead and when I click on the stick twice they know that means it is time to go back to their run, turn about and run/waddle back to be locks inside again. Then at about sunset they know (from habit) it is time to go inside their house for the night. I open the gate that lead to the door to the barn that they have to go through to get through another door into their secure house. I then tap on the guide stick twice and they waddle through all that maze, 2 abreast in a neat little line into their home for the night. Usually when I let them out in the a.m. there are 14 eggs scattered about inside their house. Sometimes there will be a late layer but I have figured out where they lay outside and can easily gather their eggs that way.

My Khakis and Blue Swedish do essentially the same thing just in smaller numbers since they are smaller flocks. Each breed has their own overnight space, they know where to go and go there.

I know that this is nothing unique or special since I learned to do it when I was just a kit some 50+ years ago from my grandfather and everyone else around us that had ducks did the same thing. It does require patience and developing the same pattern over and over until they learn it but it does work.

If you are free ranging in a much larger area you are going to have a greater distribution of hidden eggs so you want to encourage them to lay in their house at night. That should not be a real problem since ducks tend to be night layers to begin with.

 

[Darnbunnies]

My chickens single file it into the hen house on their roosters command. Once he announces he is going to roost they follow. They do not look for their nests but roost on the bars set up in the hen house.

The ducks stay on the ground in an area where they are protected on three sides. Very early in the morning the ducks lay their eggs in one place, a dark secluded nest box set up in the run. Often I'll find chicken eggs in that nest as well.

Most of my chickens prefer to lay in the nest boxes in the hen house to which they have access all day.

 

[Darnbunnies]

How many do you have? First of all Ducks are prone to just drop their eggs wherever they are when the urge strikes unless they have begun to go broody and/or it is breeding season. At that time they will try to build nest, usually on the ground, and when their eggs go missing they will start trying to hide the eggs from you. Secondly ducks tend to be creatures of habit. The will follow a certain routine and will, in fact, wait for you to fulfil your part of the function before they start theirs.

Example: I have 16 Cayugas that have a large overnight house as well as a sizable enclosed run with kiddie pool, shaded shelters, etc. I take them out into a large field so that they can eat bugs and grasshoppers and use a long stick to herd them. The will follow where I lead and when I click on the stick twice they know that means it is time to go back to their run, turn about and run/waddle back to be locks inside again. Then at about sunset they know (from habit) it is time to go inside their house for the night. I open the gate that lead to the door to the barn that they have to go through to get through another door into their secure house. I then tap on the guide stick twice and they waddle through all that maze, 2 abreast in a neat little line into their home for the night. Usually when I let them out in the a.m. there are 14 eggs scattered about inside their house. Sometimes there will be a late layer but I have figured out where they lay outside and can easily gather their eggs that way.

My Khakis and Blue Swedish do essentially the same thing just in smaller numbers since they are smaller flocks. Each breed has their own overnight space, they know where to go and go there.

I know that this is nothing unique or special since I learned to do it when I was just a kit some 50+ years ago from my grandfather and everyone else around us that had ducks did the same thing. It does require patience and developing the same pattern over and over until they learn it but it does work.

If you are free ranging in a much larger area you are going to have a greater distribution of hidden eggs so you want to encourage them to lay in their house at night. That should not be a real problem since ducks tend to be night layers to begin with.

I would love to see a video of this.
My ducks are easy to herd as well. There is a training center near by that uses ducks to train herding dogs.

 

[AA Maple]

I would love to see a video of this.
My ducks are easy to herd as well. There is a training center near by that uses ducks to train herding dogs.

LOL. Mine are like herding cats! I'm the worst momma ever the way they shriek and fight when I try to pick them up to put them back in their brooder. Every time I think I buy a little affection with my offerings of lettuce scraps, or stale bread, they seem to quickly forget who is responsible for the nice things they get.

Thanks for the input, guys. I guess some training is in order to get them into a going in at night pattern (would also love to see a video of a well trained flock).

I simply can't deal with feeding and watering them daily so it's going to be free-range or bust for these fellas. I was sold on "excellent foragers" so they had best deliver.

We have about 50 acres here with a stream that cuts through the center so the ducks will have a LOT of area at their disposal. I do NOT wish to play egg hunt every day with that much space to work with. The stream is pretty well surrounded by plenty of hiding spots so should be good for birds to avoid possible death-from-above by hawks but also a plethora of places where I wouldn't find an egg in a million years.

 

[AA Maple]

How many do you have?

Just six. I was going to play it by ear on if I can manage raising the chicks and how they do outside before I committed to any more. At some point I'll be limited on winter storage as well. I have family in town with a big chicken house where I can winter them over, but they will hit a limit eventually.

 

[Darnbunnies]

50 acres with a stream sounds like duck heaven but you many not have 6 for long as it is predator heaven as well. Maybe you need a border collie and a Hula Hoop:

 

[AA Maple]

50 acres with a stream sounds like duck heaven but you many not have 6 for long as it is predator heaven as well. Maybe you need a border collie and a Hula Hoop:

It's redneck heaven as well. A fox, coyote, marten or coon would have to run a gauntlet to get near here only to become a new hat for me. Hawks are probably the only thing we wouldn't shoot; ours are rather small and there's plenty of cover along the stream since much of it lies between raspberries and the sugarbush.

Sadly my favorite dog breeds are bird dogs (Setter, Spaniel, etc.) so the flock probably wouldn't get along well with the sort of dog I'd own.

 

[OldMissionChick]

I saw in a previous comment that you can tell gender by bill color. Can someone help me? Two males or two females?

They are both almost 10 weeks. They also don't quack like a male or female either.