Ducks are prey to many predators, they have minimal defenses and can be attacked and eaten by a predator very easily.
This why it’s so important to train your ducks to go in at night – leaving them in the backyard for hours at a time during the day is fine, but leaving them out at night is not a good idea.
Unfortunately, these birds do not always want to go in at night but you can train them to, this article explores how.
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How to train ducks to go in at night:
Training animals like dogs is common practice, in fact, there are many resources on how to do this, but ducks not so much. Here is what you need to know about training ducks and what to do
Can ducks be trained?
Yes, ducks can easily be trained. Training ducks to go in at night is both challenging and fun. Ducks can be trained to do a variety of activities. Training these animals will require patience and effort but you will soon realize that this is all very worth it.
This is how to train your duck:
How to train ducks to go in at night:
Ducks in the wild will sleep under fallen trees or in a small cave, but domestic ducks will likely not race to their duck houses to sleep in there at night. Because of this, you’d need to train the ducks to go into their coop at night.
Because ducks enjoy routine training them to go into their duck house at night will be simple, you just need some patience. Ducks are followers so if you train a small initial group the rest of the birds will follow along.
To do this start off by not feeding them all day, then feed them in the evening in their coop while saying a command. Herd the ducks into the coop as you say this command.
They will associate the command with going into their duck house and with getting the reward of food in the duck house.
Keep doing this until they associate you feeding them with the command.
Once the initial group gets used to this they will go into their coop on command and the rest of the birds will follow this initial group when they go towards the coop.
It’s a process that takes time and patience, but with consistency, it’s something your ducks can learn and get used to.
Why do ducks need to go in at night?
Ducks are very easy prey for predators, but them going into their duck houses at night will keep them safe. This is why they need to go in at night.
Predators are quiet, can see at night, and are quick. In addition, the majority of predators hunt at night.
Since ducks do not have any natural means of self-defense they are at risk of being attacked by these predators at night. Duck predators range from hawks, coyotes, minks, foxes, and even owls.
The surest protection against duck predators is keeping your ducks in their duck house or coop.
In addition to keeping ducks protected from predators, the coop should also shelter ducks against strong winds and harsh weather conditions. The shelter should also have clean bedding and not be too humid.
If you enjoyed this article then you may also be interested in other duck related articles. Here are some articles that you may be interested in: Waterlogged Duckling, How To Clean Duck Poop From Grass, Duckling Hatched Too Early, Waterlogged Duckling Symptoms
