Bedtime?

[DrVix2021]

Hi all,

I was wondering what time you put your ducks to bed? This is my first winter with ducks and it gets dark so early. We have Alexa alarms that blast through our house at 5pm but when I came back today it was dark by 4:30pm.

My ducks free range all the time from when they’re let out of their house to nighttime. I’m wondering if I should be putting them away sooner? They have a house in a small pen. Picture to follow. I could put them in their pen earlier then not close their house until later. Generally they put themselves to bed anyway but obviously the house isn’t closed!

Thank you

 

[Yardmom]

We free range our ducks during the day and pen them at night. We just work around when they put themselves to bed. We are out doing the chores with all the other animals, so we are outside when they do. The ducks always wait until it is almost dark to head for their pen.

 

[Galaxyfalcon]

What cute babies! We put our ducks to bed around sunset or shortly after, so currently we get them to bed between 4:30-5. They don't go in on their own, se we usually bribe them with peas

 

[Peas4Ducks]

Where I live, sunset is currently at 5:18 pm and the duck coop’s automatic door closes at 5:40. I think it really depends on whether you have predators that are brave enough to be out and about early in the evening. Our automatic door opens at 7:45 am, at which point it’s fully light outside. It’s probably overkill but one time we had a raccoon still hanging around after sunrise and it really freaked us/the ducks out.

 

[DrVix2021]

We free range our ducks during the day and pen them at night. We just work around when they put themselves to bed. We are out doing the chores with all the other animals, so we are outside when they do. The ducks always wait until it is almost dark to head for their pen.

Thank you. I think I’d just got used to the summer… I feel mean putting them to bed so early, seems such a long time to be in their house. Saying that… I don’t think they’d appreciate being eaten either by Mr Fox!

 

[DrVix2021]

What cute babies! We put our ducks to bed around sunset or shortly after, so currently we get them to bed between 4:30-5. They don't go in on their own, se we usually bribe them with peas

Yup they love peas! And sweetcorn! Oh that’s good to know that you’re a similar time. They’ve just started laying. We’ve had five eggs this weeks!

 

[DrVix2021]

Where I live, sunset is currently at 5:18 pm and the duck coop’s automatic door closes at 5:40. I think it really depends on whether you have predators that are brave enough to be out and about early in the evening. Our automatic door opens at 7:45 am, at which point it’s fully light outside. It’s probably overkill but one time we had a raccoon still hanging around after sunrise and it really freaked us/the ducks out.

Yeah it’s crazy. I’m in the UK. We live next to/kind of in a woodland but kids are noisy. We’ve got dogs and cats… which I doubt would defend but it’s just means we’re noisy and the pen is metres from our house. But there’s definitely foxes about and god knows what else! I think I’m going to put them into their pen a lot earlier (it has a roof) then put them to bed in their house at 5pm. We had our poorly dug put to sleep last week… I cannot cope with any more animal losses

 

[indianaducks]

They go to bed at dusk, or a little before. And they get let out when its light out. We've lost a few to predators recently and have had a lot of hawks waiting for the buffet. So mine haven't been free ranging in over a week now, and they pretty much hide in their covered pen now. Sucks, but better than the alternative right now.

 

[Silkie Princess]

Hi all,

I was wondering what time you put your ducks to bed? This is my first winter with ducks and it gets dark so early. We have Alexa alarms that blast through our house at 5pm but when I came back today it was dark by 4:30pm.

My ducks free range all the time from when they’re let out of their house to nighttime. I’m wondering if I should be putting them away sooner? They have a house in a small pen. Picture to follow. I could put them in their pen earlier then not close their house until later. Generally they put themselves to bed anyway but obviously the house isn’t closed!

Thank you

That run looks absolutely AMAZING!

 

[WhiteTreeOfGondor]

Mine have a large yard, but I put them in a smaller pen with their house about an hour or so before dark and feed them. Then they put themselves to bed when it gets dark and I lock them in shortly after. I love your duck house; did you build it?