training ducks to go into the hut

[RavenClawPekin6]

This solution works 100% for me,
Shake a mealworm packet as you're approaching the ducks. At first, they won't have a clue what's going on and you will have to try and catch them but it's only for a few more nights. Then you give them the mealworms {around 2 handfuls each every night}. Lead them into the coop and after 1-2 weeks they will come to you {carefully} to get the mealworms. Then after 2-3 months if, only if, they're tired they will just go up to bed themselves, but I would give them the mealworms anyway. So really the solution is mealworms. Mine love it more than peas.

 

[ducks1959]

Thank you for the very good suggestion. I started today simply giving them their green peas in the duck hut. I am going to try and find meal worms in the a.m.. Do you feed your ducks on a regular schedule. Mine are fed throughout the day. Tom

 

[Y-Knot]

The first flock started out as a rodeo but then started going into the duck house. I made up a song called, "In the Duck House." When they hear that they know it is time. Not saying one or two won't do a loop around the pool but that is tradition! When I wait until after dark they either go in or stand at the door of the duck house. Probably waiting for the first line of that song.

 

[cayugaducklady]

Thanks for giving me a dose of perspective. I've been complaining constantly because my ducks go to their night pen when they are confused or can't see me.


If i go around a corner in the yard & they cant see me? Answer- go back to bed in the night pen!

Forage pen in a place they haven't been in a while? Answer- go back to bed in the night pen!

Wrong hen leading the pack to day pen/forage pen? Answer- go back to bed in the night pen!

Any combination of 1,2 or 3 and I shut the coop door to keep them from going inside? Answer- quack-yell-complain at me until I open the night pen door or get them restarted in the right direction.

This has only been happening for the past few weeks. They're frazzled by their new hormones & re-establishing the dominance order in the flock.

Before the hormones turned on they followed perfectly even if I went out of view for a few seconds. Now I'm wasting minutes each time I move them between pens or forage areas/pens.

Herding

They've always herded easily even though I rarely need to do it. All I have to do is stick my arm out to the side to block them from going off to the side or stick it straight out in front of me to drive them in a straight line. I walk calmly behind them to drive them. I only have to herd them if they're taunting my dogs through the patio door or when decide they want to forage someplace other than where i've set up their foraging pen.

Following

My girls aren't picky & they'll accept any treat but I swear they would bark like a dog if i offered them steamed mashed potato or mealworms & asked them to bark. They love tomatoes too but they turn that into an amusing clumsy game of roller derby to keep their flock mates away from the tomato slices.

When I graduated them from the bathtub to the garage, I wanted them to walk to their forage pen and their night pen.

I trained mine to come to me by squatting down and calling "duck duck duck duck". I started calling "duck duck duck duck" to them while they were still in the box from the hatchery.

When they come over to me, I give each duck a taste of potato, or worms, or whatever the treat du jour is. Then I stood up & walked a few feet away, squatted & started calling "duck duck duck duck." I continued this religiously until every followed well. Then i started offer treats every other stop but always offered treats on the first stop. When t hey were all doing this perfectly then I stopped offering treats on the first stop.

I still always have them ready and i dole them out whenever someone is particularly cute or well behaved.

 

[astronomer]

Mine free range in our 3 acre pond all day. Around dusk (or a few hours before if they're impatient), they come home wanting some feed. We put the feed in their hut and they waddle in there.

This did take some training, and I'm not sure what you're doing with them during the day, but I found that I could not feed them for several hours before bedtime. If so, they would show little interest in my bribe.

Doing this for a couple of weeks was all it took.

 

[ducks1959]

I truly like to know I am not alone in my duck dilemmas. Today I decided to only feed them in their hut. So far it is working though they have not gone more than four feet from it The books on poultry sure make sound easy. Backyard Poultry really helps and often with a humorous spin. Tom

 

[RavenClawPekin6]

Thank you for the very good suggestion. I started today simply giving them their green peas in the duck hut. I am going to try and find meal worms in the a.m.. Do you feed your ducks on a regular schedule. Mine are fed throughout the day. Tom

Every night I'd feed them. This does take a little bit of training though. But it's actually really good fun.

 

[Duckloverjoy]

Haha i know this very well I have been doing it for around three weeks so far at around about the same time in the evening now for the last four nights they see me coming and jump into the water casually swimming looking at me so I now try and sneak out grab two put them in the hut and after chasing the rest round a little they plod into where the others are. My neighbours have a loft conversion and I'm pretty sure they find my chasing my featherd friends highly amusing it's all good fun really. Haha

 

[cfgroen]

I have been lurking here for some time now but I finally decided to jump into the pond so to speak and post.
I started out training my ducks this year (10 Pekin and 8 Rouen) in a fenced day run with my 8 turkeys (4 BBB & 4 BBW). I really didn't want to turn the turkeys loose and let them free range as I am not sure they would return to the coop at night but any way. I started out talking to everyone as soon as they came home from the feed store so they would get used to my voice. Then at night when I went to put them to bed at night I would always say "In the house, everyone in the house". I walk with a crutch so that is my hurding stick and use it as others describe. Then it got to the point all I had to say was go to the house and everybody would head. Now, all I have to do is show up and they head for the house! I attempt to do this at the same time, relative to sundown. (I think this helps more than anything). When it came time to put my trust in the ducks that they would go to the House at night after free ranging all day, I raised the fence about 6-8" so the ducks can scoot under it and come and go as they please but the turkeys (so far at least) remain penned. This has helped with the feed bill and I wish I was comfortable with letting the turkeys run free also as they are eating machines. I made the first year mistake of buying the turkeys too early this year. (This was 2nd year for ducks). Maybe by next year I will be comfortable with free ranging the turkeys, although next year I may switch to heritage breeds which means another year of uncertainty with turning that much $ loose on their own! I had ducks last year and had two drakes that got to winter over and they were turned loose and always came home at night. Wish I could upload the video of this but it won't let me.

 

[GraceHomestead]

It has been a rodeo for sure with my 5 ducks!! I have had them since 12 days old. They were in their broader until they graduated to their pen. (An upside down trampoline with orange safety fence around it) at first I used an Old plastic dog house and had it sideways so I could herd them into it! It wasn't easy at first because they were terrified to go in. Also they WILL NOT put themselves up!!!! I did an experiment and for a week seeing later and later if they would go up by themselves, NOPE!! The last night was 2am and I said forget it I guess I will ALWAYS have to put them up!!
Now I built a duck house with a ramp and raisable roof. The first night it took 35minutes by myself herding them finally I grabbed the rake and was able to Rangel them into the house!! Sometimes it takes my husband, son and myself to get them to go! Last night it took 5 minutes with two making an extra lap around but geeeeeeeeeesh the chickens put themselves up, just wish the ducks would do the same!!
Oh and all my poultry (10 chickens, 4 guineas and 5 ducks)comes running when they here peep, peep, peep!!! I can peep peep from the house and it gets the ducks loudly going lol.