Ducks getting loud early in the am

Hi all. I'm newer to the waterfowl life. I have had 4 female cayugas for a year now, which I got as cute little ducklins last May.

They are all grown up and have their own attitudes and personalities. One is very, very loud though in the morning. It sounds like a bubbling up of quiet quacks, then the 1 goes off and she full on CACKLES until let out. They all used to be cool with me letting them out of their house around 8 am or so, but now it's like 6.... 6:30. I do live in a city with cool neighbors, but I do not want to wear out the ducks' welcome while we are here. (Looking to relocate to a more rural location where we can all be ourselves.) In the meantime, should I just expect this to be our new normal wake-up time? Can I do something to soothe them?

Also, the one loud one sometimes cackles throughout the day I think for attention or food, but not as often as in the morning. Thoughts? Thanks in advance.

My ducks were pretty loud.   They'd start as soon as they saw me turn the lights on in my house,  anticipating being fed.   They'd chase my car down the fenceline when I got home,  quacking like maniacs.  

I have chickens rather than ducks, but have observed a similar shift in the time they start wanting to go out. They definitely make a ruckus and let it be known how messed up it is that they're still in the coop if I don't get out there early. It sounds exactly as you describe, except with clucking instead of quacking. They've also been staying up much later foraging. I imagine they're responding to light, but also probably trying to maximize the time they have to forage while it is still cooler in the early morning and evening. I tried using a curtain to reduce the light in the coop and delay their wake up, but it hasn't made a difference. And that at this point, it makes it too stuffy in the coop. I've just accepted it and started letting them out earlier and would guess that may be the answer. Do the ducks have food or water in their coop? That might calm them, but perhaps not.

Hmm they might want to forage earlier and I didn't think of that. Thanks for the responses! Their situation is: inside their house from like midnight - 6:30 a.m. (now) and then foraging in the yard with water/pool access all day and food when I purposely feed them. I believe they are generally 99% content.

There's a reason I refer to Mallard domesticated ducks as "Noisy Ducks". Cayuga's are thought to have some Mallard in them. From M's experience, at least behaviorally!

I agree with what's written.  I have Khaki Campbell and K-C X's, but they adore foraging in grass still damp for dew or rain because that's what brings the bugs and slugs out of hiding. Most animals are smart enough to forage in the dawn and dusk periods and nap in the middle of the day, except when they're ducks and decide it's bath-time. That doesn't work as well for me, but it sounds as if M has one duck with a particularly bossy determined personality. She may have taken on the dominant role if you don't have a drake (which unlike roosters, are actually quieter than the females!)

If you have a way of checking in casually with neighbors as to whether they're being bothered, that might be a good thing. Explaining it in terms that they're responding to the longer light levels of being almost at the solstice, and should shift back as the days start getting shorter again, may help people accept the situation better. Planting shrubs and trees that will block the early east summer sun (but not necessarily the fall east sun) from waking them might help for next year if you think you won't have relocated by then.

There are pros and cons to relocating to a rural home. With transportation prices skyrocketing, a city home with enough land to grow some animals and a chunk of your food, but still be closer to services, has value. Toby Hemenway's books give a great example of that.

Jay Angler wrote:If you have a way of checking in casually with neighbors as to whether they're being bothered, that might be a good thing. Explaining it in terms that they're responding to the longer light levels of being almost at the solstice, and should shift back as the days start getting shorter again, may help people accept the situation better. Planting shrubs and trees that will block the early east summer sun (but not necessarily the fall east sun) from waking them might help for next year if you think you won't have relocated by then.

I highly recommend the check in. Just showing you're considering neighbors can go such a long way. Walking around and checking to see what the volume is from outside your property can be good too. Houses can bounce sound around in interesting ways, making it louder some places than others. Putting shrubs, wood fence or other sound dampening things between the coop and any nearby neighbors could be helpful.

The shrubs and trees idea is great! Another option could be a vining plant trained onto the east side of the coop or trellised nearby. A perennial would probably be best for getting foliage up earlier in the year.

Letting them follow their natural rhythms is obviously the best medicine, but I wonder if some calming herbs to eat could also help soothe your particularly vocal duck (and everyone else)? I regularly give my chickens herbs. Sometimes from the garden when fresh ones are abundant and other times, I'll give them herbal tea, as well as the left over herbs once I'm done steeping herbal tea for myself. Today, I gave them some tulsi, lemon balm and oat straw tea and noticed an otherwise very grumpy, vocal rooster chill out quite significantly. Chamomile or any kind of basil would probably be good too.
You could put herbs in their coop as well. Lavender would be great. I'm sure some others that I'm not thinking of right now. I'm not as familiar with ducks, so I'd double check to make sure those herbs are safe for them.

Thanks for all the suggestions!