For people with ducks that will not leave their pond at night.

[SolarDuck]

Hello! I have seen quite a few posts in my time on this forum that all have a similar problem. The problem is that they bring their ducks out to their pond for the first time, and the ducks have too much fun and just never want to leave the pond. The thing I have seen most suggested by people, is having 2 people hold a long rope on either side of the pond to scare out the duck with the rope. I believe I just discovered a much easier way to do it.

I recently bought this laser pointer on amazon, and thought that maybe ducks foraging instincts would kick in and they would chase it like a cat. I tested this at my local park, and it turns out the exact opposite is true, they are terrified of it. I immediately thought of the posts I had seen with ducks not leaving their pond. I didn't want to scare the ducks much, so I just tested it with one Pekin to see if it would work, and it did!

If your ducks won't leave your pond to safely go into their coop at night, give it a try! It probably won't help much for breeds that are good fliers, but for flightless breeds all you should have to do is go to the opposite side of the pond as your coop, and use the laser to herd the ducks into the coop. Just be careful and make sure you do not shine it into their eyes at any point.

 

[fatty and friends]

mine just chase the laser lol, they also chase balls like dogs though so maybe they are just weirdos

 

[SolarDuck]

mine just chase the laser lol, they also chase balls like dogs though so maybe they are just weirdos

Haha well maybe you can still herd them with it if they chase it

 

[artbykarenehaley]

That duck's friends will never believe the story of the sinister looking glowing dot that chased it out of the pond

 

[Tankueray]

That duck's friends will never believe the story of the sinister looking glowing dot that chased it out of the pond

Especially when it got snatched from the sky and subjected to all kinds of poking and prodding before being placed in a nondescript room until morning.

DuckTales: Fire in the Sky - coming to theaters and Disney+ this fall (oooooh showing my age there, aren't I?)

(Mine also chase the laser, I thought it was hilarious when they were ducklings.) The coyotes start hollerin' about 30 minutes before dusk, and the raccoons go play in the water about an hour before. Mine are already high-tailing it in the coop when the howling starts, but I intend to allow them to see and hear the coons behind a fence, dog, and gun before they get an open corridor to the water. Unfortunately it took a predator attack for them to stop being so oblivious, but they're starting to realize that I'm the only thing that protects them from the bad things. The chickens on the other hand, have that part down. Every time I come into the yard they think that I'm their umbrella topped candy machine or something.

 

[nao57]

Well it would resemble a firefly or a dragonfly. So it makes sense.

But another thought I had...

I'd wondered if partly its a safety mechanism for them to stay on the ponds late in? When visiting the local pond, we saw the ducks would go to the center of the ponds to avoid people.

So maybe this is a strategy?

(Although it wouldn't work in lakes that had snapping turtles that go after ducks, etc.)

It probably would help to bring some bait snacks when taking ducks to ponds, because its clear they love the water.

 

[Debby Duck]

Hello! I have seen quite a few posts in my time on this forum that all have a similar problem. The problem is that they bring their ducks out to their pond for the first time, and the ducks have too much fun and just never want to leave the pond. The thing I have seen most suggested by people, is having 2 people hold a long rope on either side of the pond to scare out the duck with the rope. I believe I just discovered a much easier way to do it.

I recently bought this laser pointer on amazon, and thought that maybe ducks foraging instincts would kick in and they would chase it like a cat. I tested this at my local park, and it turns out the exact opposite is true, they are terrified of it. I immediately thought of the posts I had seen with ducks not leaving their pond. I didn't want to scare the ducks much, so I just tested it with one Pekin to see if it would work, and it did!

If your ducks won't leave your pond to safely go into their coop at night, give it a try! It probably won't help much for breeds that are good fliers, but for flightless breeds all you should have to do is go to the opposite side of the pond as your coop, and use the laser to herd the ducks into the coop. Just be careful and make sure you do not shine it into their eyes at any point.

Well this is certainly worth a try. I had just given up hope this evening and planned on finding my drakes a new home. This is the 2nd time they wouldn't come in to the coop at night. Since we started treating some eye infections they've decided the way to avoid it is to not come in.
We've been getting lucky with peas and either luring them up and herding them, or when that stopped working, we'd catch two while offering peas and put them in, and we learned that if we do that the other 2 will come on their own. But they're on to that now and we couldn't get them close enough tonight so once again they're out on the pond.
Maybe this will scare them into thinking they're safer inside. I hope so because I'm all out of ways to get them in.
I sure wish we could make these guys understand they'll never have it as good as they do here if we have to rehome them. Thanks for the idea.

 

[SolarDuck]

Well this is certainly worth a try. I had just given up hope this evening and planned on finding my drakes a new home. This is the 2nd time they wouldn't come in to the coop at night. Since we started treating some eye infections they've decided the way to avoid it is to not come in.
We've been getting lucky with peas and either luring them up and herding them, or when that stopped working, we'd catch two while offering peas and put them in, and we learned that if we do that the other 2 will come on their own. But they're on to that now and we couldn't get them close enough tonight so once again they're out on the pond.
Maybe this will scare them into thinking they're safer inside. I hope so because I'm all out of ways to get them in.
I sure wish we could make these guys understand they'll never have it as good as they do here if we have to rehome them. Thanks for the idea.

Make sure you try it with a high powered laser pointer like I did, you can get them for around $20 on amazon, and at night time they are so powerful the beam is completely visible and that long green beam seems to be terrifying to birds.

 

[6Quackers]

mine just chase the laser lol, they also chase balls like dogs though so maybe they are just weirdos

Weirdo ducks are the best!