when to lock up?

[Anonymous]

So far our girls have been relativly easy to put to bed,if they look like their about to sneak round the back,I just stand still untill they move forward towards the water bowl & then coral them into the house[less than 5 min..job done] . I alternate days of giving them a bedtime [7pm] treat of mealworms & that seems to be working.

I was wondering what most of you do when you have to go out during the day,say a couple of hours shopping :?: .To get them into a routine, they get up between 8/9am, I put down food/fresh water,allow them a swim & time to dry off,when I go out, I put them to bed but is this nessessary :?: ,there may be times I have to go out twice & apart from the extra time involved[getting them in/out] It seems unfare to keep them shut away during the day.

 

[Davidd]

Hello, why do you need to lock them up during the day? They should be fine during daylight hours- although foxes can come during the day -it is very rare- and if they are in a run it shouldn't be a problem -as long as you lock them up at night.
regards, David

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks David, I guess I was being over causous [new owner syndrum] :roll: We do have Buzzards flying over but the girls tend to lay under a dwarf lilac tree for their snoozes.

 

[Mooner]

I agree with David - we don't lock up during the day (and we have buzzards flying around frequently, but the ducks seem to sense this and stand very still when they see them. at the moment they are going in of their own accord at about 9.30, but will stand and wait for me if they are hungry (sometimes the crows or a rat will pinch the food in the rim of the hopper), and so a quick snack and they go up their ramp to bed. Getting up about 8.30 - 9.00 at the mo.
they are free ranging, so not in a run.
hope that helps too
Pat