Poğaças are a delicious Turkish pastry stuffed with ground lamb, veggies, feta cheese, and fresh herbs. Here’s our spin on this classic recipe that you can make either in a wood-fired cob oven or an indoor conventional oven.
Years back, The Tyrant and I were shopping at Swamp Rabbit Cafe & Grocery here in Greenville. They’re a local grocery/cafe that sells lots of locally-sourced and organic produce and meats.
Mary, one of the co-owners, is a delightful young lady from Turkey. The influence of her Turkish heritage can be seen in little touches on the cafe’s menu.
On the chalkboard menu, one of the cafe’s items was meat or vegetarian poğaças. The Tyrant and I had never heard of such a thing, nor did we know how to pronounce this strange new word. We could see into the glass display and tell that they were some sort of savory baked pastry.
“What’s a poe-ga-kas?” I asked. The cafe waiter smiled and used his insider knowledge to inform us that the word was pronounced “pu-wa-cha” or, spoken quickly, “pwa-cha.”
“It’s a delicious savory pastry from Turkey that Mary wanted us to offer in the cafe.” Always interested to try a new food, the Tyrant and I were soon sitting at a table chowing down on our first-ever poğaças. We were hooked. Pastry on the outside, savory goodness on the inside.
“We should make these at home in our wood-fired cob oven,” The Tyrant exclaimed between bites. And now here we are…
Homemade wood-fired poğaças, fresh out of our cob oven!
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71 Comments
Rachelle Rik
February 7, 2025 at 2:42 pmThank you so much for creating all these helpful amazing articles!!! I’m so happy and excited to learn more.
Aaron von Frank
February 10, 2025 at 11:39 amYou’re very welcome, Rachelle! Also, be sure to check out our book, The Impractical Guide to Keeping Pet & Backyard Ducks. 🙂
Diana Cohen Robinson
July 8, 2023 at 12:46 amI have two Pekin females, about 15 months old who I call “Boys and Girls”. I got them as two-day old ducklings who had been abandoned on someone’s front porch. They have a good life in my backyard, eat lots of lettuce, tomatoes, and Bar-Ale duck food mixed with Purina duck food. They happily hop into their duck house at night where they have a bowl of lettuce, tomatoes, mixed with their duck chow, a helping of dried meal worms and a good-sized stainless steel bucked of water.
Two serious problems that I could really use your help with:
One girl sits in the garden and shrieks if she doesn’t get a dish of lettuce, tomatoes, and duck food THREE TIMES A DAY! What can I do to break this habit as it is making my husband seriously angry!
Second problem:
The quiet girl twisted her foot and limps a fair amount. I took her to the vet who charged $575. For an examination, X-rays and medication. Six weeks later she still is limping despite giving her medication twice a day.
My biggest concern is my husband forcing me to give them up to a local animal shelter because of the racket the first girl makes for her lettuce, tomatoes, and duck food!
Aaron von Frank
July 10, 2023 at 7:32 amHi Diana! Sorry for your troubles.
1. The way we do things with our ducks isn’t necessarily the “right” or “only” way to do things. However, our ducks always have access to a bowl of feed (we use Mazuri waterfowl feed) and water. So, if they get hungry or thirsty, they can satiate themselves. Treats typically come at the beginning of the day when we let them out and in their bowls at night when we put them up.
Once you get ducks on a certain schedule, that’s what they expect and they can be quite irritable if the schedule isn’t kept. Ha. For instance, our ducks expect to be let out in our front yard gardens to forage with us every night around 5pm. If we haven’t let them out by 5:15, they’re going to loudly voice their frustrations to us.
Interestingly though, if we’re busy or our schedules don’t allow us to put them out for a few nights, they’ll adjust pretty quickly to the new schedule and won’t quack loudly to be let out at 5:15 – unless we get back into that schedule/routine. The same thing happens when we leave town and our duck sitter doesn’t let them out for evening foraging while we’re gone.
So two suggestions: 1) consider always providing food and water for your ducks, and 2) let your husband know that you’re going to try to establish a new routing/habit for the ducks, but the first 2-3 days might be really loud and irritating for him. After that, they should mellow out and acclimate to their new schedule.
As for the limp: that’s a tough one. We hate to see a duck suffer but we also understand people not wanting to pay hundreds of dollars for something that might not be serious or life-threatening to the duck. If it’s just a mild twist or strain, that should heal with time even if the duck ends up with a slight limp. If it’s something more serious like a break or bacterial chondronecrosis with osteomyelitis (BCO), that’s going to require treatment. Did your vet give any indication of what she thought the problem was? And is the medication intended for pain and inflammation or something else?
Ashley
April 25, 2023 at 12:02 amI feel ridiculous even saying this, but I don’t even know what kind of ducks I have. before getting them I really thought I had read allot about them! I read about water, houses, food and more food- even planned a garden around such food but never once read about friendliness of a duck! My ducks hate me. They were fine for the first few weeks. Now that they are about 10 weeks old they hate to be picked up or even near a human. I have them inside at night to keep them warm as we are still building their run outside. They have full range of our backyard during the day (when weather permits). Then, in a large water trough at night with a heat lamp near to stay warm. Every morning, I’ve had the same routine, change out their water and feed. They freak out when I’m near them. Then around 11am I pick them up to take them outside until it’s time to come back in for dinner. I usually put them in a smaller area of my yard at first so, they know where their water and extra food is I’ve placed. Then I’ll remove the gate so they can roam. When I bring them in I usually let them have a swim in the tub for a bit while I prepare their dinner. They just freak at every moment when we are near them. Except with our dogs. They don’t mind them one bit. I’m going to try hand feeding treats. Possibly that will get them to be more engaged with me.
Aaron von Frank
April 25, 2023 at 11:17 amHa! Sorry, Ashley. Yes, definitely up your treats-giving game while handling your ducks so they start forming positive associations. Also, be patient. It might take a few weeks before they’re ready to start giving you a chance.
Laura
April 10, 2023 at 8:29 pmThank you for this article! Just started with ducks in the last couple weeks and we adore their silly antics. I’m going to go hand-feed them treats right!now!!
Susan von Frank
April 13, 2023 at 9:44 pmGlad this article was helpful! Best of luck getting your spoiled ducks to like you. 🙂
Olivia
September 30, 2022 at 12:06 pmI have 2 welsh harlequin ducks that turned into males there 6 months old now and I just got 6 ducklings. I’ve shown the ducklings to them and one comes up all frantic looking at them closely and he seems to be shaking so I move the ducklings away afraid he might hurt them. will he hurt them ? I’ve read that male ducks can harm ducklings that they suspect are not there ducklings. idk if since they used to be females they would be different I just don’t want any harm to come to any of the ducklings to find out if they can get along or not yet
Aaron von Frank
September 30, 2022 at 12:50 pmMature drakes can be very aggressive towards ducklings, even chasing them and biting them (we had that happen years ago). Depending on the age and size of the ducklings, drakes could definitely cause them injury. Thus, you’ll want to keep your ducklings and drakes physically separated with wire fencing/mesh that’s small enough that the drakes can’t reach their bills through and grab a duckling (so probably ~1/2″ – 3/4″ at the largest for opening size). Once your new ducks reach maturity and have had prolonged exposure to the drakes, the drakes won’t attack them with the intent of causing injury. However, during the warmer months when their hormones are raging, the problems will then be the drakes: a) fighting/injuring each other, and b) potentially over-mating your females and causing injury to them that way (and while chasing them to mate).
We’ve paired back to only one drake in our flock, and he is fenced off from our girls in his own run for most of the year.
Frida
August 25, 2022 at 9:10 pmHi I was recently gifted a pair of ducklings. I’ve had them for about 3 days and I really want to bond with them… how should I start? I try to go outside for about an hour and just sit there while watching them and today I tried “cuddling” them after seeing a tiktok. Is there any other ways??
Aaron von Frank
August 26, 2022 at 10:06 amTreats, treats, treats. That’s the way to a duckling’s or duck’s heart and how to get them to like you — trigger a Pavlovian response/association. So find healthy treats that your ducklings love (bite-sized pieces of tomato, peas, lettuce, mealworms, etc), then hand-feed them, ideally while also holding them safely in your lap. (You don’t want them to squirm loose and fall a long distance to the ground, potentially injuring themselves.) Then keep at it!
Friza
August 26, 2022 at 10:55 pmThank you! Will this lead them to eventually following me? I’ve seen so many videos where ducks follow their humans but they’re barely getting over the fear of eating when the food is near to me
Aaron von Frank
August 29, 2022 at 10:54 amThose videos typically show young, single ducklings or a few ducklings who have imprinted on their human caregivers and think they’re mom. Sometimes those bonds can persist into adulthood, especially if you keep at it with the treats and handling. However, if you have multiple ducks and they’re living outdoors, they’ll typically realize they’re ducks and become much more independent.
Tiffany
April 2, 2022 at 8:03 amI absolutely adore my ducks. I groom dogs for a living and one of my clients decided to move on with their lives and start traveling so they searched for someone to take 25 of of their ducks and 10 of their chickens. I grew up on a farm and my fiancé who can never say no to me decided we should start a small backyard farm on our 4 acres. Best decision ever!! I adopt everything I can and give them all the love they desire. I even have a Canadian goose who refuses to leave me. I love it! I spoil my babies however they want with fresh fruits and veggies, heck I even dig in the dirt for worms for them. They have me trained well hahaha.
Aaron von Frank
April 4, 2022 at 7:46 amWow, that’s a lot of ducks and chickens to adopt! Thanks for taking such good care of them. Were they relatively friendly when you adopted them or did you have to train them to be sociable with you?
Ilana
December 3, 2021 at 12:00 amI am so grateful to find this article! I got 4 ducklings from Metzer farms (Welsh Harlequin, Silver Appleyard, Buff, and Khaki Campbell) and have been slowly trying to socialize them, but I easily get discouraged. Two are 3 weeks old, and the other two are 2 weeks old (two didn’t make the journey and were replaced :(). They’ve really warmed up to us lately, and associate us with treats, but only one tolerates being held right now, and only for a short time. This article makes me hopeful that we’ll get there eventually! I do need to spend more time sitting in small spaces with them.
They’re currently in a teenage-duck brooder set up in our unfinished basement, but I’m already wondering how we’re going to manage it when they’re bigger in a few weeks. We’re in Portland, OR, so our winter is somewhat mild, but it gets a little cold. Do we need to wait until they’re 8 weeks old to have them outside full-time? I hope to have them outside some during the day leading up to it, but it’s going to be a lot if they’re in our basement for 6 more weeks!
Thanks again for this amazing resource- I can tell I’ll be spending a lot of time here.
Aaron von Frank
December 3, 2021 at 9:24 pmHi Llana! First, thanks for your kind words.
Your ducklings will get better at keeping warm the older they get, especially as they start getting some true feathers. It is important for them to get outside for health reasons as much as you’re able to manage it (safely). Sunlight, foraging, grit, playing, microbiome development, etc – all good things for growing ducklings that are available in abundance outside. Your ducklings will also huddle together to generate warmth so even if it’s a bit cold out they can still do fine. You just wouldn’t want to leave them outside for prolonged periods if it’s cool and wet. Other than cold, the highest outdoor risk to mitigate is keeping them safe from predators (including neighborhood cats) any time they’re outside.
Long answer short: no, you don’t need to keep your ducklings in your basement for the next 6 weeks. Put them out as often as possible during the day and strongly consider bringing them in at night until they have their first set of full feathers, which doesn’t take long (~6-8 weeks from hatching). If you haven’t already, it might also be helpful to read our article about raising ducklings here: https://www.tyrantfarms.com/how-to-raise-ducklings-a-step-by-step-guide/
Hope this helps and let us know if you have any other questions!
Jenny Young
September 29, 2021 at 4:06 amWell unfortunately I did not realize Cayuga ducks are low on the friendly score. I have raised one of my boys from a hatchling and another was adopted a few weeks later. Kenny has been held frequently from a small guy but does he ever not appreciate being picked up. I have to coral him and then do a ninja move to pick him up. Once he is on my lap he doesn’t mind terrible. I am wondering if I am breaking his trust everyone time I chase and pick him up? I am going to try and do some positive reinforcement and see if I can get them to enjoy pets more. They certainly love to hang out with me but not to be touched so much. I love them regardless but would love to train them to sit on my lap and get some love.
Aaron von Frank
September 29, 2021 at 3:28 pmHi Jenny! Yep, duck breed does make a big difference in how well they tolerate being picked up and handled. Even then, it varies by individual duck, regardless of how they were raised and breed. All of our ducks are Welsh Harlequins, which are a very social breed. Due to having a baby and not having as much time to spend with our ducks over the past two years, our Welsh Harlequins have gotten acclimated to not being picked up and handled nearly as much. We not-so-jokingly say that some of them have gone feral. Some run from us when we try to pick them up and others still tolerate it ok. Like you said, it’s the initial catching them that tends to get them agitated, not so much the being held part (the instinctual woes of being a prey animal to so many different types of predators). By providing treats each time you pick them up + repeating the process regularly, you can definitely get some positive associations formed and hopefully get to where you don’t have to utilize your ninja skills. Best of luck!
Jenny Young
September 29, 2021 at 10:33 pmThank you for the reassurance! I will keep at it and hopefully they will start to enjoy it more. I am planning on bringing them in more too as the weather turns colder here in good old Canada. Now for the next adventure of getting them to not hate the diapers. lol.
Aaron von Frank
September 30, 2021 at 12:43 pmHa! Ducks will adjust to being diapered, but they’re never going to be thrilled about it. Adventure indeed. 😛
Katie
July 1, 2021 at 12:22 amHi! I have two 8 wk old Cayuga hens that completely hate me. They free range in a large back yard with 5 very friendly chickens who love me. I had my ducklings shipped over and handled them immediately and they never warmed up to it. Now that they are outside, they won’t let us near them, refuse to use the 110 gallon pond we made for them, or sleep in their duck house. What on earth are we doing wrong? The company I bought them from said it’s a teenager phase and they will grow out of it. I’m convinced they’ve been traumatized because they are completely inseparable. Like 4 inches is too far.
Aaron von Frank
July 1, 2021 at 7:06 amHi Katie! Sorry to hear about your misanthropic ducks! Technically, yes, your ducks are in their “teen” period and are going to be less sociable due to hormones and other factors. Also, a bit of bad news: Cayuguas tend to be among the least sociable duck breeds, as you can read about here: https://www.tyrantfarms.com/how-to-choose-the-best-duck-breed-or-breeds-for-you/. (They score 1.2 out of 10 on our sociability ranking.) This doesn’t mean you should throw in the towel on trying to make them more gregarious towards you. Continue giving them their favorite treats and trying to get those positive associations formed. The fastest way to a duck’s heart is through their gizzard.
A couple of other things from your comment: it’s very surprising that ducks wouldn’t use their pond. Do they have another water source they’re using instead? The reason I ask is because one day our ducks suddenly stopped using their pond and just stood on the edge looking in and occasionally alarm-quacking. Turned out, a small snapping turtle had somehow gotten into our fenced yard and into their pond. Once the invader was netted and relocated, our ducks were right back in to their pond. Is it possible another critter has turned the pond into its home?
As for trauma: it’s possible that something may have happened to make your two ducks highly bonded to each other yet fearful of everything else. Are they afraid of your chickens as well? In their duck brains, they may view the chickens as a persistent mortal threat. As far as they know, there are only two ducks in the world, and everything else is out to get them.
Getting our ducks into their coop at night would be impossible if not for herding sticks, which ducks seem to instinctively respond to. Here’s how we herd our ducks and how you can too: https://www.tyrantfarms.com/how-to-herd-your-ducks-aka-get-your-ducks-in-a-row/.
Hope this info helps and please check back as your ducks age to let us know if they mellow? Hopefully, by their one year birthday, they’ve settled in better and begin to calm.
Katie
July 8, 2021 at 1:14 pmThank you Aaron! I should have done more research because the feed store and company I ordered from assured me that these were a fun and friendly breed. They were their #1 recommendation for a kid friendly duck. We needed them cold hardy so maybe that limited our options. We lost all but one chicken and bought 5 new pullets. The ducks like the older hen but are now out for blood with the younger ones. We will continue to try to tame them. Thank you for the advice. No critters in the pond but someone did suggest that it could be the wood ramp we built. We are going to try a dirt ramp. So far we have invested countless hours and money into to these ducks so we are losing steam pretty quick
Marissa
May 13, 2021 at 6:53 amHi! I LOVED your article! I am a middle-school writing teacher, so I admired how well-written it was. Quick question: I have been raising ducklings in my classroom, then have been sending them home with students and families who live on a farm once they developed their feathers. This process created an immense obsession for myself and the ducklings. I am thinking about taking some home and raising them here; however, I just have a few concerns. Concern number one: I do not have a body of water at my home. Concern number two: I only have .5 acres of land. Do you think these factors are too big an issue to raise ducks? If not, how big of an enclosure do you suggest I create for them? Also, what can I use to substitute a body of water? Kiddie pool? Man made pond? Also, I should probably specify the breed and the amount I would be raising. It would be a Cayuga, 2 khaki Campbell’s, and a saxony.
Any help/suggestions would be greatly appreciated!!
Kindly,
Marissa
Aaron von Frank
May 13, 2021 at 2:00 pmHi Marissa! Thanks for the kind words. Responses to your concerns below:
1. “I do not have a body of water at my home… what can I use to substitute a body of water?”
Not currently having a body of water for your potential ducks is a remediable problem. Obviously, ducks are a lot healthier and happier if they can swim, play, and bathe in water whenever they want to, so we do recommend having water available if/when you get ducks.
With only four ducks, you don’t need anything too fancy to meet their water needs. A kiddie pool would be fine. We also know a person who uses the giant no-tip rubber water bowls for livestock for her ducks (you can find them at Tractor Supply, I believe). The thing you’ll need to consider if you go this route is the messy muck that’s likely to result. That’s because you’ll need to dump and refill the water at least every 48 hours in the summer months. You can probably get away with a little less in the winter months. Without careful planning for how you dispose of this water, after a few months you can end up with a mud pit so foul it would make a pig blush.
2. “I only have .5 acres of land.”
That’s more than enough space for four ducks.
3. “How big of an enclosure do you suggest I create for them?”
Since you’ll likely be gone during the day, you’ll most certainly want to keep your ducks in a protected run during the day. The run can also incorporate their coop, so you don’t necessarily need to separate structures. For duck coops, 2-6 square feet of space per duck is a good range. If ducks will be spending their days in a run, the optimal spacing is 125’ per duck, so 500 sq ft.
To help with planning, you may want to read our article all about duck coops and runs: https://www.tyrantfarms.com/how-to-build-duck-coop-and-duck-run/. Hope this info helps and please reach out if you have any other questions!
Bek
May 9, 2021 at 10:15 pmHi,
I have a muscovy girl with serious attitude. We got her as a 3-week-old duckling a little over a year ago, and she was not keen on handling at first. Then she started laying and suddenly became this snuggly, affectionate creature who followed me around demanding pets.
She went broody for the longest time and was a bit antisocial during that; got over that and I had snuggle-duck back. Then she started moulting and also avoiding me.
I got a second muscovy girl, 5 months old, to be her ducky friend – we had two chooks, and they got along fine, but they speak different languages. A week or two after we got the new duck (who was badly ostracised by everyone in that time), a fox came and claimed the chooks. My fierce, moody Ducko fought off the fox and saved herself and the new duck. They finally bonded – for a very bittersweet reason.
New duck is shy. Old duck has completed her moult but still avoids me. I’ve been forcing a bit of affection at night when they’re in their little house and can’t escape, but now they both RUN when I come outside! I am so sad, especially looking back on videos of her lapping up head scratchies and being ever so cuddly.
Will she go back to being snuggle-duck or is this it now? I’m heartbroken 🙁
Bek
Aaron von Frank
May 10, 2021 at 10:24 amWe should preface our response by saying that our experience is with Mallard-derived domesticated ducks not Muscovies, which are a completely different species. However, from everything we’ve read, Muscovies are very friendly and sociable – or at least have the potential to be, with some variability by individual.
We’ve had periods where even our tamest ducks go “feral,” as we jokingly call it. This happens when we have too much going on in our lives to bring them indoors and/or regularly pet them, with treats offered for positive association. It takes some time (a month or so) and commitment, but you can re-tame ducks and get them reacclimated to human affection. It sounds like “new duck” is going to be the biggest challenge for you if she’s naturally more shy. Ducks seem to really cue into each other and if one is afraid/shy, it becomes contagious to the others.
Here’s a possible plan:
Weeks 1-2: Go out and sit with your ducks daily (or more if time allows) while offering a small bowl of their favorite treats. Don’t try to pet or touch them, just get them used to eating treats near/next to you.
Weeks 3-4: Same as weeks 1-2 except very slowly reach out and start petting them. Don’t try to hold them and don’t make sudden movements to pet them, just calm and slow.
Weeks 4-6: This is when you start holding them while offering treats at the same time. It may be impossible to hold them both at once but that’s ideal since they’ll be calmer if they’re both together.
Weeks 6+ regularly offer treats while holding and petting them. If it was just your Muscovy you were trying to re-tame, you could be a bit more abrupt in your regimen, but you’re trying to tame two ducks, one of whom doesn’t have that past relationship with you.
Hope this helps and good luck! If your ducks seem more amenable to affection as you go, speed up the process as-needed. Also, please check back in and let us know how it goes. 🙂
Donna
April 11, 2021 at 9:45 amI have always been obsessed with pet ducks!
I am now living on a floating home and in need of information and advise
Can you help ?
Aaron von Frank
April 12, 2021 at 10:07 amIf you’re obsessed with ducks and living on a floating home, I’m not sure there’s much more we can do to help you. It sounds like you’ve peaked as a human being. However, if you think there’s something more we can contribute, we’d be happy to help. 🙂
Librarianlady
April 6, 2021 at 10:27 pmNoticed typos : hoping for girls
Meter not Netherlands
Didn’t see how to edit -oops
Librarianlady
April 6, 2021 at 10:25 pmHave 3 Pekin ducklings, hoping from girls, but unsure as came from tractor supply store. Wish I had known about Netherlands sexed ducklings. This is week 1, trying to take them out daily, but now when its time to go in they run. They love their outdoor time & when they warm up for a bit will follow us and get close to us, but when it is time to go in they are running from us. How can we make this less stressful, but still let them enjoy time outdoors?
Aaron von Frank
April 7, 2021 at 8:32 amTreats/rewards! Every flock/breed/individual duck is different and enjoys a different favorite treat. For our girls, it’s tomatoes (and sometimes mealworms) that tops the favorites list. Whatever that treat is for your ducks, consider drawing them back inside by showing them a small bowl of their favorite treats and then tempting them back towards your home with the bowl of treats, before finally giving them the big reward once they’ve done what you want them to do (presumably come inside and go back into their brooder). Give this a try and let us know how it goes!
Zoe Mendez
February 23, 2021 at 1:33 amHi Duck Friends,
This post really did change my relationship with my ducklings, who I desperately wanted to love me. I’d say we’re pretty good pals now and they will forage in my sleeves and lay down next to me if I sit with them. They still hate being picked up though.
My question is, how can you tell if a duck is being aggressive? These are my first ducks (two white duclairs from Metzer farms) so I don’t understand their body language all the time. One of them (the more confident one) will sometimes get a shaky head and neck and make sudden head movements. Her eyes get INTENSE. She doesn’t bite, but maybe nibbles and then will sometimes push her beak under my hand in a jerky quick motion. Have you seen this before? Do you have any posts about duck aggression with humans?
Thanks so much!
Zoe
Aaron von Frank
February 23, 2021 at 8:08 amHi Zoe! Glad to hear you’re progressing in your relationship with your ducklings. We probably do need to create an article (with video) about translating various duck sounds and movements, but we don’t currently have anything published. As far as the shaky head combined with head lunge, yes, that’s a duck asserting herself and showing aggression. They’ll also do it to each other, so don’t take it personally or interpret it to mean she doesn’t like you. We’ll usually get a good shaky lunge when diapering a duck, but sometimes they seem to come out of nowhere (perhaps pent up frustration that it doesn’t rain tomatoes, who knows). Obviously, being the victim of a duck shaky lunge doesn’t hurt (even when they’re older); it’s more entertaining than anything. You should also expect them to nibble you with their bills during the process. Hope this clarifies what you’re experiencing, which is essentially a duck tantrum and/or attempt to show you who’s the boss.
Duckology
February 21, 2021 at 9:18 amHow do I tame them in their adulthood?
Aaron von Frank
February 22, 2021 at 7:40 amWell, that’s a lot more difficult given that they already come with life experience and a certain baked-in view about how to relate with humans. However, you should be able to slowly (over months) attain more sociable ducks. You probably don’t want to jump right to physical contact. Start with just letting them get used to you being around them, providing treats, etc. Once that becomes acceptable, you can try to slowly progress towards holding them while providing treats. As mentioned in the article, this process will likely be easier with certain breeds and with certain individual ducks within a breed. Best of luck!
Andrea
January 19, 2021 at 3:42 pmThis is a great article! Thank you so so much for sharing!
I got baby ducklings for my birthday this past Saturday. I have been spending as much time with them as I can (Which mostly consists of me sitting next to their brooder, and occasionally talking to them.) They have started to follow me when they are out, and I am talking to them (which I was so excited about, I almost cried); however, they still seem scared of me, when I move close to them, they panic, chirp loudly, and run at first, until I sit and stop moving. They have not yet gotten comfortable with coming close enough to eat from my hand. As you mentioned, they scream when I try to hold them. I read in another article you aren’t supposed to chase them, but am not sure of another why to handle them, without chasing them first? I suppose I should just try and hold them anyway, even as they scream in fear? In disgust?
Do you know, if there will there ever be a time they wont freak out when I get close to them? would you recommend something else I should try?
Thank you for all your advice! You are awesome!
Aaron von Frank
January 20, 2021 at 12:03 pmHi Andrea! Congrats on being a new duck parent.
Since your ducklings are in a brooder, you should be able to lean down and pick them up without chasing them, correct? Or is it a large brooder? You don’t want to chase your ducklings around your house trying to catch them since that would likely be more stressful for all involved. Another option: lay down some “poopy” towels in a small room like a bathroom, bring in a small bowl of treats, bring the ducklings in with you then close the door. That way, you’re all close enough that you can reach out and grab them without giving chase. Once you figure out how best to get hold of them while minimizing chasing, it’s just a matter of repeating the process regularly while giving treats to help them form a positive association with being handled. Also, when holding them, remember that they’ll be calmer if another duckling is also being held at the same time or is within close viewing distance.
Out of curiosity, what duck breed(s) do you have?
Brittany
January 17, 2021 at 5:05 amI really enjoyed this article! Very nicely written!! I was given three ducks about a month ago. Two pekins and a chocolate runner. There’s no other way to put it… they absolutely hate me 🙁 I’ve tried holding and giving treats but it seems they are too scared to eat. They have a large indoor coop with a caged outdoor area. I feel like I am torturing them every time I come in their area. I’ve even thought about maybe opening up their space, filling a baby pool in the yard and letting let relax around me but with how scared they are, I’m thinking they will run away at any chance out of the pen. I’m not sure they will ever like me 🙁 help!!
Aaron von Frank
January 17, 2021 at 12:21 pmHi Brittany! Sounds like the ducks you were given weren’t well socialized with people from ducklinghood on up. They likely won’t ever be super tame birds, but you should be able to get them to at least tolerate your presence with time, repeat exposure, and positive associations. You probably don’t want to jump straight to trying to pick them up, as that requires a pretty advanced level of socialization for them not to freak out. Unfortunately, that may be reinforcing their pre-existing fear of humans. Even our very tame ducks aren’t thrilled when we pick them up since it’s pretty baked into a duck’s mental hardware that being picked up by a larger creature means predator attack which means thrash and get loose asap. You’ll likely just need to spend at least the new few months just having them get used to your presence: feed them, water them, give them treats, etc – but don’t try to touch them unless you have to due to injury or illness. Think about it as a hierarchy of social trust, and you have to start by building the foundation, since that was never done by the previous duck parents.
It’s also really important to note that calmness/sociability varies pretty widely by duck breed. Some breeds are generally going to be harder to tame than others, as we detail in this article: https://www.tyrantfarms.com/how-to-choose-the-best-duck-breed-or-breeds-for-you/. Pekins and Runners rank around the middle of the pack on calmness.
Best of luck to you and your flock. Please check back in periodically to let us know how the relationship progresses!
Brittany
January 17, 2021 at 1:24 pmThank you for your response!!! I will lay low around them for now and hope they one day come to me! Thanks again, have a great week!!
Becky G
September 23, 2020 at 6:34 pmLOVE this! My two Pekin ducks were terrified of me until one was sadly killed one night & now the remaining girl is my best friend. She ran to me & wanted me to hold her the first day (after our loss). She’s safely penned up at night & in fenced back yard during the day. She comes & quacks at the back door until I come out to play with her. We have another femalenSaxony duck “visiting” our neighbors’ pond (traitor) that we will soon have to “drag” back home to be her buddy. I’m seriously considering the diaper routine & a “ducky” door to our back porch. My hubby thinks I’m crazy. But my nickname isn’t EllieMae for nothing!
Aaron von Frank
September 24, 2020 at 10:53 amHa! Let us know if you go the ducky door route – curious to find out if your duck is able to learn how to use it. Although, that could be a problem if an undiapered duck has access to your home at-will. 😛
Elizabeth O'Ham
July 21, 2020 at 2:18 pmwell, we didn’t have a choice on the breed of ducks, since we found our starter flock running loose in the parking lot of the white horse flea market! day old ducklings grew into two Pekings, some type of runner duck, and a Muscovy who hatched about thirty more ducklings. We followed most of the procedures outlined here to get them to like us… no dice. They hate us, and we think they are disgusting. After giving up on any ‘pets’, we were happy to let them be disgusting and suspicious in their large outdoor run full time. They appreciate that we feed and water and bring BSF grubs. We appreciate that they lay well and make the fruit trees grow faster. An uneasy truce, i would say. My heritage breed hens on the other hand tamed themselves and love me very much. The ducks are more just yard inhabitants except our lecherous drake… he was dinner.
Aaron von Frank
July 24, 2020 at 6:01 pmThanks for that info, Elizabeth. Really surprised that — at a minimum — your Pekings didn’t take a liking to their humans. Those are typically one of the most social duck breeds. And, yes, drakes are rather lecherous. Ours earned his own fenced pen, where he can only gaze at the females and think dirty thoughts, though he is allowed a conjugal visit for a few minutes each morning.
Elizabeth O'Ham
July 21, 2020 at 2:18 pmwell, we didn’t have a choice on the breed of ducks, since we found our starter flock running loose in the parking lot of the white horse flea market! day old ducklings grew into two Pekings, some type of runner duck, and a Muscovy who hatched about thirty more ducklings. We followed most of the procedures outlined here to get them to like us… no dice. They hate us, and we think they are disgusting. After giving up on any ‘pets’, we were happy to let them be disgusting and suspicious in their large outdoor run full time. They appreciate that we feed and water and bring BSF grubs. We appreciate that they lay well and make the fruit trees grow faster. An uneasy truce, i would say. My heritage breed hens on the other hand tamed themselves and love me very much. The ducks are more just yard inhabitants except our lecherous drake… he was dinner.
Janna Zielke
May 15, 2020 at 11:10 amThank you so much for this post!! Although I don’t treat my ducks quite like y’all do (our dog isn’t even allowed on the couch, no way will a duck live in our house lol), I appreciate all the expertise and how much you truly love ducks!! I was feeling super offended that my 2 week old ducklings scream and run away from me every time I’m around, even though I give them fresh herbs from our garden. I followed your suggestion to treat them every time I pick them up just last night – I used cut up fresh tomatoes which they are obsessed with. And now they may not LOVE me, but are excited to see me and are pecking at me for treats and will eat out of my hand… so happy!! Literally transformation in 15 minutes. Thank you !
Aaron von Frank
May 17, 2020 at 1:43 pmHa! This is great to hear, Janna. Glad you’ve managed to get your ducks to like you — or at least tolerate you. Yes, the key to a duck’s heart is through their gizzard. Lol. Our ducks absolute love tomatoes too.
Alan Bloss
October 4, 2019 at 11:57 pmI enjoyed this article. I love ducks. Mine are wild mallards, but they know me and come to me when i visit. I live in north illinois. Winters are harsh. But ducks are reluctant to migrate unless they have to, owing maybe to their large bodies and small wings. “MY” flock of 60 – 100 birds stay the winter at one particular pond which never freezes over (is maybe used to cool some industrial process?). I feed them every second day, 50 lbs of cracked corn per week. They don’t let me touch them, but they let me stand in their midst. I have learned something of duck behavior and have named a few which are marked distinctively or are more tame than most. If I didn’t live in a suburban area, maybe I could keep some as pets, but this is prohibited by local ordinance. Thanks for posting your story. Luv a duck.
Aaron von Frank
October 7, 2019 at 12:23 pmThanks, Alan! How interesting to hear about your overwintering wild Mallards. Thanks also for NOT feeding them bread or other foods that could cause digestive issues. Corn by itself isn’t an ideal duck food, but given the infrequency with which you’re feeding it to them and the fact that they’re still sourcing the majority of their food via wild foraging, they’re likely staying in great shape. The supplemental high calorie food source you’re providing probably helps them maintain enough energy and fat stores to successfully overwinter in Northern Illinois on their artificially un-frozen lake. Thanks for your interest and for caring for them!
Kellyszoo
September 30, 2019 at 10:28 amHi, I love your pond! I have many ducks, geese and a small pond as well. I noticed all your beautiful plants that the ducks have not ate! What varieties of plants do you have that the ducks don’t eat? I would love to add some around my pond.
Aaron von Frank
September 30, 2019 at 11:36 amHi Kelly! Thanks for the kind words regarding our duck pond! Yes, it’s hard finding plants that ducks either: a) won’t eat, or b) won’t rip or stomp to shreds. Ha!
This is by no means a complete list, but around our pond we have lemon balm (a low-growing perennial herb), azaleas, a Japanese maple, and wild and domesticated irises. Our girls don’t care for any of them.
We should mention that we feed our ducks lots of greens each day of the year, so they never ravenously crave greens. It’s possible that a duck on a different diet might actually eat plants which could be poisonous to them. So a secondary bit of advice: be sure to regularly provide your flock with fresh greens.
Also, in our top bog filter we have a perennial water hyacinth which is excellent at removing nitrogen and other duck “fertilizer” from water. The ducks actually love to eat that plant so we keep the bog filter caged off, which they do not at all appreciate. 🙂
Tonya
September 21, 2019 at 6:08 pmHello. I have 2 ducks. Got them from orschlens. Some how got lucky with a female an male. One was yellow and the other is black. They grew quicky…Ive had them 5 months they started mating recently an now the male duck chases us. How do I stop him from doing that? I believe the male is an Indian runner white an light brown. Not sure about the female she isn’t tall like the male. But shes shorter (like a normal duck) black with some blue feathers.
Aaron von Frank
September 23, 2019 at 10:58 amHi Tonya! Three things to know as a starting point:
1) Young drakes (male ducks) are like teenaged boys: all hormones and driven by one thing (you can fill in the blank on what that is).
2) Indian Runners are a breed that is generally considered quite skittish and not as highly sociable when it comes to human interactions.
3) Without a female around, drakes can actually make very tame and sociable pets. However, once a female duck enters the equation, they’re in full drake mode. Ha.
So, you’re up against a combination of young drake hormones + a generally not as sociable breed + drake mode due to female presence, which is a pretty tough combo if you want a human-friendly drake.
We have an older Welsh Harlequin drake who will still lower his head and run at us in certain circumstances. He doesn’t actually do anything or bite, it’s more a threat and an attempt to establish dominance (it’s actually quite hilarious). Obviously, you don’t want to physically assault your drake or injure him. However, you may want to spend some time trying to establish more optimal relationship dynamics between the him and the humans.
For instance, when he charges you, you can gently but firmly hold your drake down on the ground for about 10 seconds, holding his head with one hand and his back with the other. This mimics the dominance-establishing behavior that other drakes use on each other. That will let him know that you’re in charge.
Second, 1-2 times per day, hold him in your lap and offer him some of his favorite treats (diced tomatoes are the key for our flock). If he won’t eat treats while being held, he’ll likely eat them immediately afterwards. What you’re trying to do here is get him to associate being held by humans with receiving a treat (Pavlovian response). It may take a while given your circumstances, but the hope is he begins to form positive mental associations with human contact.
If this sounds like too much effort, just let him continue doing his thing while you find humor in the absurdity of it all. 🙂
Amanda
August 10, 2019 at 10:41 pmHi! Thank you for the helpful information! I am looking for suggestions on how to catch my wild Rouen so I can start putting her in a coop at night in preparation for winter. She is fairly trusting of me as she was born on my pond and I have been feeding her since she was small… My problem comes when I try to grab her. She anticipates my move and tears off into the pond… How can I catch her? I also just recently got a khaki campbell, who I am keeping in a pen now until he gets used to home. I would like to let him out to roam the pond in the day, but am also concerned about catching him for putting him in the coop at night. Please help!
Jill Redding
July 29, 2019 at 7:22 pmI am so jealous! I have raised my two ducks (one is a Pekin and I am unsure what the other one is she is graysish black with black spots) since they were of couple days old. But they run from me every time! I have held them (daily) and gave them treats (daily) AND they still run from me…I feel like I am torturing them by chasing them! I dont know what to do. They are raised with chickens so I don’t know if that has anything to do with it…
Guest
July 26, 2019 at 1:46 pmI have 6 Pekin ducks that are scared of everything., including me and my husband. Oddly enough. our pit bull —not so much. They peck at the tags on his collar. Scared but bit feisty.
The one thing that is driving me crazy is they have suddenly become scared of their pond. We started them wit a kiddie pool and when they became big boys and girls we took them to the pond. They loved it then one day I heard them quacking and when I looked out they were flying out of the water with feathers flying everywhere. I went down to check it out but, of course, I didn’t see anything. It has happened about 2 more times after they have been in the water less than 5 minutes. Now they just stand on the side of the pond and watch.
I feel bad for the them in this hot weather but I don’t know what the problem is.
susan von frank
July 27, 2019 at 10:47 amStormy: There’s probably something in the pond that’s scaring them. We built our girls an in-ground duck pond. One day, we noticed them acting very strangely, not swimming, standing on the edge looking in, etc. We couldn’t figure out what was going on, then we saw a turtle head. Turns out, a small snapping turtle had somehow gotten under our chainlink fence and into the pond. Thankfully, no harm came to our ducks, but it taught us to listen to them when they say something is wrong. We also have fish in our pond which will sometimes startle our ducks, but they aren’t afraid of the fish. Long story short: don’t force your flock back in the pond if they’re telling you something isn’t right. Maybe give them their baby pool back in the meantime.
Guest
July 27, 2019 at 1:40 pmI don’t try to force them to get back in the pond. I brought the kiddie pool back out but they make it a hot mess in seconds. They have outgrown it. I have a yard hydrant and make them a mud puddle for them to play in….usually every night.
How did you catch the snapper and then convince the babies that it’s gone?
John Martin
July 4, 2019 at 7:25 pmIs that a duck diaper ? If so where do i get one?
Ashley Hanks
June 8, 2019 at 9:36 pmI love the photo at poinsette bridge! We have 2 ducks that are a year old and 3 two month old ducks that have just recently been put outside after being raised in our bathroom. The year old ducks are terrified of us, the babies are beginning to be this way now that are outside all the time. I’m afraid that they will become terrified of us like the older ducks. We have not put them in a pen together yet, they are in pens next to each other. After reading this article I am going to try some of these and hope it helps.
Aaron von Frank
June 9, 2019 at 11:01 amHope these tips help you, Ashley! Out of curiosity, what breed of ducks do you have?
Jennifer Green
April 19, 2019 at 10:49 amWhere do you buy your duck diapers?
Ms Fay
April 13, 2019 at 8:14 pmI tried to order ducks from a website last year but it did not go well. This year I went to TSC and picked up two ducks, I think they are khaki cambells. They are two weeks old and after thinking things through I decided to get two (I think they are mallards or rowans but I’m not sure) more incase something happened to one. My big questions is how long should I pet them to tame them down and how many times a day? I don’t want to over stress them but I also would love for them to be tame and holdable when they get older.
Aaron von Frank
April 15, 2019 at 3:59 pmMs. Fay: we wish we had a 100% definitive answer to your question, but there isn’t one. What we can say is this: within reason, the more time you spend in close proximity to your ducklings and the more time you spend holding them, petting them, and feeding them treats to help create a conditioned response (human holding me = yummy treat), the better results you’ll have raising tame adult ducks. As mentioned in this article, there is variation by breed and by individuals within a breed. No matter what you do, some of your ducks will be more tame than others. So, devote as much time to your ducklings as is feasible and continue to do the same when they’re adults to maintain those bonds/positive associations.
Hope that helps and best of luck! And best of duck. 🙂
Ashlee P
March 13, 2019 at 7:06 pmThank you so much for all this amazing duck information. I am a new duck mama. I have 2 Rouen ducks, Lucy & Ethel. They will be 3 months old on Sunday. Thank you for the time spent to post information like this!
Aaron von Frank
March 14, 2019 at 9:33 amYou’re very welcome, Ashlee! Thank you for taking the time to read the article to improve your duck parenting abilities! Lucy & Ethel are lucky ducks. 🙂
Let us know any time we can be of help.
Outnabout
December 2, 2017 at 12:26 amWhat a wonderful site you have. I currently have 5 ducks- all females that I ordered from Metzer Farms. 1 cayuga, 1 blue swedish, 1 harlequin, 1 buff, and 1 hybrid 300. The welsh is absolutely beautiful!! I adore them all. The Cayuga watched over the group, the welsh is the most shy. The buff I call sweet pea because she is the sweetest from the time they came to me at 3 days old. They free range in my backyard all day. I have a Bulldog that won’t let anything in the backyard so they are protected. They have a 40 gallon tub they swim in and then water dishes and i usually give them treats at least 1 time a day. Treats consist of peas, leftover salad, tomatoes, and peanuts now that winter is here. I put them up ion there secure coop at night once it gets dark. Much later in the summer. My question is I have flock feed ( I add oats, cracked corn, probiotic powder, brewers yeast, food grade diatomaceous earth and cracked sunflowers to each 40# bag of feed) in there as well as water. They will graduate to Layer feed in a couple more weeks. They make a mess with the water- I read from Fresh Eggs Daily that she puts no food or water in the coop at night. Keeps things clean etc. What do you think. Can they go 10 hrs without water and food? I can make a feeding area in the yard for the flock feed that is protected from the rain and winter weather if need be. I also want to hold all the ducks but they get so panicked the I try to catch them. They will come up and feed out of my hands at they sure take to me the I am outside. They come a running when I open the back door. If they see me in the kitchen they all come up in the deck and peck at the window. I adore them!!!!
Aaron von Frank
December 7, 2017 at 1:20 pmThanks for your kind words! Sounds like you have a great setup for your ducks and are giving them top-notch care – thank you for doing that! Re food/water at night: we provide ours with both. We don’t mind the mess they make because we use all of their bedding (pine shavings) in compost, which then makes really good soil, which then grows more food for us and our ducks. So, maybe instead of viewing messy bedding as a problem, view it as a solution instead (for compost).
If anything, I’d recommend at least providing your ducks with water at night since ducks drink A LOT. They’d probably be fine without food over night, but when they’re laying or molting their nutritional needs are greater.
Hope that helps!