Ducks are stupid

[Daphne_loves_mealworms]

They can definitely leave me scratching my head sometimes. We have a garden that is fenced off during growing season - no ducks allowed! This fall, after we harvested everything, we removed the fence leaving a a lovely area chock-full of insects of all sorts. The ducks refused to go into the garden, even when encouraged. They said there was a fence. I agreed, but told them the fence was now gone. They pondered that for a long while, then stated that they weren’t allowed and weren’t going near it! Their loss, I guess!

 

[Crazy Maizie]

They can definitely leave me scratching my head sometimes. We have a garden that is fenced off during growing season - no ducks allowed! This fall, after we harvested everything, we removed the fence leaving a a lovely area chock-full of insects of all sorts. The ducks refused to go into the garden, even when encouraged. They said there was a fence. I agreed, but told them the fence was now gone. They pondered that for a long while, then stated that they weren’t allowed and weren’t going near it! Their loss, I guess!

See how smart they are.

 

[Magnolia Ducks]

Mine go in the garden through the gate then forget where the gate is and panic because they can't get out.

 

[Treasuremeeh]

The part that always makes me shake my head on my ducks is when they try to fit through a one inch opening in a fence three different ways like if the put their head in and turn left they will suddenly fit. Lol

Omg yes!!!!! My Muscovy, when she gets out you can just walk slowly behind her and she'll waddle in the gate just fine, but if the kids try to guide her in they are a little too over excited, getting too close, TOO FAST and pretty much terrify her. So much so that yep-ZOOOOM- suddenly she quickly cuts right, 6 ft sooner than the opened gate and of course straight into the 1 inch hole of the chicken wire, thinking direction will somehow get her to fit if it's changed or maybe even jumping will do it!!! Ducks are simply THE BEST pets ever!!!

 

[TundraFang]

My ducks free range in a different pasture than their coop to give the grass a break so every morning I open the coop and the ducks go running to their pasture. Sometimes the call ducks get a little too excited and they fly over the fence. This usually starts a chain reaction where the Pekins think they can fly after them and crash into the fence, followed by the others who are confused by the sudden change in direction. This usually alerts my dog and he'll come charging across the pasture thinking there's a threat to his precious birds. The barking scares the ducks and they scatter in all directions. The call ducks who have been pacing the fence like they didn't just fly over it usually end up on the neighbors roof. The moral of this story is I need to build a temporary coop

 

[igorsMistress]

Seriously, i love them, but I have no idea how the species has survived this long. I put a light on the outside of their coop. Now they are afraid to go in, they would spend all night outside if i didn’t make them go inside. If the light is turned off, they go in when it gets dark.
If I go out with 2 bowls of peas or a dish of meal worms they follow me around like the Pied Piper, if i go out with a bale of shavings they freak out in terror.
All last winter i kept refreshing a pile of straw for them to lay in outside in the sun, they loved it, put it there yesterday since the snow and they wouldn’t go near the “big scary spot” rather they hung out on the ramp of their house and continue to poop in their own way. This morning I tried to herd them to the “scary spot” to no avail. I scooped up Scuba and carried her to it and plopped her in the middle, seeing her enjoying rooting around for whatever and not being swallowed by the earth or worse, the rest of them came running to also be in the “spot”. Really, sometimes I just shake my head.

The story of my life

 

[igorsMistress]

I don't think they are dumb or stupid. They just don't like change and are leery of new things this has to do with the fact that they are prey animals and have no real defense from predators. As for the light, did you know that at night you can guide them by using a flash light? I am not sure why ducks are leery of light especially when its directly in front of them, but they are and you can use it to your advantage. But, obviously not install one at an opening where they are supposed to enter.
Ducks are actually very intelligent and learn things quickly. A domestic duck is thought to be as intelligent as a 3 yr old child which would be on par with dogs. It's all about the trainer or the stimulus you provide for them.

This is article compares ducks to other animals: https://www.birdwatchingusa.org/are-ducks-smart

This is another great article: https://www.tyrantfarms.com/7-amazing-duck-facts/
Especially this section:

DUCKS ARE MAKING SCIENTISTS RETHINK ABSTRACT INTELLIGENCE.​

Abstract intelligence is defined as “the capacity to understand and manage abstract ideas and symbols.” In humans, abstract intelligence is essential for such things as creative problem solving, humor, and novel ideas and inventions.

Conventional scientific wisdom has held that abstract thinking was only possible in a handful of super-intelligent animals such as apes, crows, and dolphins. It was also thought that abstract intelligence required experiential learning and possibly teaching/instructing from an adult in combination with punishments/rewards. Then along came a 2016 study where scientists performed a range of tests on ducklings…

Researchers found that as soon as ducklings hatch, they have a remarkable degree of abstract intelligence. The study’s co-author, Alex Kacelnik, of Oxford University’s zoology department, said: “To our knowledge, this is the first demonstration of a non-human organism learning to discriminate between abstract relational concepts without any reinforcement training.”

Thanks for the links!

 

[Magnolia Ducks]

Mine have a light in their coop 24 hrs. I know its not good for them but if I turn it out at night they freak out and try duck suicide by running full tilt into the walls. So light all night. My current ducknagers are in axe murder mode and do this when they see me. They forgot that I sang to their eggs, watered and fed them several times a day every day for 4 weeks when they peeped to see me. Now they scream and run. Ducks

 

[Crazy Maizie]

I must have the smartest ducks on the planet.

 

[thumper650]

They don’t like anything new, that’s for sure. They sometimes freak out if I’m wearing something they’re not used to. If I put something new in their pen, like a smashed pumpkin they’ll eye it for a long time. My black runner, Bill, is always the first to check out anything new. He’s like the ducky bomb squad.