Duck Training

You can train your ducks and your turkey to go into the coop. It takes a week for turkey and three days for a duck. Here are my turkey keeping me company. Each night for three nights I scare or pick up the young ducks and put them on the ramp and push them into the lit coop by nightfall.. I make noise to scare them out of the pond and march them to the coop anytime of the year winter or summer until they get it. Three days and they got it. Coop good, dark outside bad. It helps to have a second person to corral the young ones.

Ducks are very smart and they like comfort. If you have a clean coop floor with lots of ventilation, room to spread out and safety, your ducks will learn the coop is where to go at night. I have a light on a timer just for their safe home feeling. I put shaving on the coop floor. Soiled shavings are turned into compost and tree mulch. Clean coop bedding also means no foot issues.

This is our ramp on the left and dog door. The hens are on the sliding door because that is how they roll. The human door is on the right. Ducks learn how to walk the ramp and exit the coop. An iced ramp is their only issue in winter.

 Ducks get along with chickens but they do not roost. The sit on the coop floor and nest together. So having a clean coop means clean ducks and clean eggs. Ducks lay on the floor or in low nest boxes. Some of my ducks fly up into the hen boxes to lay.

Raising baby ducklings is easier than other poultry. We raise ducklings indoors so they like us know our voice. And this also means lots more house cleaning with ducklings.

Once a day tub time so I can clean their brooder box.

Ducks get along with other ducks. They are having a duck-scusion. Chickens don't. Female ducks will foster and teach teen ducklings- chickens don't.

Any age ducks are cool with other ducks. Not so with chickens. Ducks are laid back and relaxed foragers on our farm. They are easy to train and long lived productive poultry. Ducks are also great at keeping ponds clear of weeds. No chemicals needed, ducks do all the hard work. And our fish population is great. Duck poop in the pond feeds the fish.