HELP! When can you add ducklings to the adults pen?

I have 2 drakes and 1 hen, they are the parents to 3 ducklings that I hatched in the incubator. How old to they have to be? They were born on January 29th. They are about 3/4 feathered out. I am hatching out 10 more and I need the space for the new ones. Could I put them on with just the one drake, or would he be aggressive to them? Or weather will get up to the 40's-50's this week but at night it is still down to the teens. I don't know the sex of them. I can put heat lamps with them if I need to yet. Any help would be great.

Triplell said:

I have 2 drakes and 1 hen, they are the parents to 3 ducklings that I hatched in the incubator. How old to they have to be? They were born on January 29th. They are about 3/4 feathered out. I am hatching out 10 more and I need the space for the new ones. Could I put them on with just the one drake, or would he be aggressive to them? Or weather will get up to the 40's-50's this week but at night it is still down to the teens. I don't know the sex of them. I can put heat lamps with them if I need to yet. Any help would be great.

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I would not put ducklings with drakes at all, and since you hatched these ducklings in your bator mama duck has no idea they are hers and she may do them serious harm. Do you have a large or xlarge dog crate you could use as temp. coop for the ducklings, they aretoo young to be outside with out heat sourse. Maybe fence a section off in the coop where your 1 drake is, just make sure he can't get to them, set up a heat lamp food and water and put your ducklings in there.

Thank you, right now they are in a portion of my cicken coop. I sectioned off one hole section then split up into two pens, one side for my 4 chicks and the other for the ducklings. The ducklings are getting two big for there side and it is usually a soggy mess. Could I put them in the section with the other ducks but give them their own space? It isn't completely draft free but they would have more space.

Triplell said:

Thank you, right now they are in a portion of my cicken coop. I sectioned off one hole section then split up into two pens, one side for my 4 chicks and the other for the ducklings. The ducklings are getting two big for there side and it is usually a soggy mess. Could I put them in the section with the other ducks but give them their own space? It isn't completely draft free but they would have more space.

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you can do that and maybe use a tarp or cardboard to block off the wind? they do grow fast. and are very messy. as you are finding out..

Thanks that sounds great. I will work tomorrow on a new pen just for them as it will be over 50 degrees during the day. I think they would like more freedom too.

Triplell said:

How old to they have to be? They were born on January 29th. They are about 3/4 feathered out.

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I put my juvenile ducks in with the adults as soon as they're fully-feathered and their wing-feathers are done growing in. That way, if things do get nasty for the first couple days before they establish a new "pecking order", I don't have a bloody mess from the growing blood-feathers being broken or plucked!

That being said, I've never had a problem with my adult drakes being aggressive towards my juveniles. In fact, the drakes usually act terrified of the youngsters! It's the girls I have trouble with - they don't like it when the social order of the flock gets disrupted, and there's always a lot of feather-plucking for the first few days - it can get pretty nasty.

Thanks, I just noticed that the back of my hens neck is bare of feathers. I am thinking to take the hen out and give her a rest, then intoroduce her back later so she can be the new person in the pecking order. Or maybe that isn't a good idea? What are your thoughts?

Sweetfolly said:

I put my juvenile ducks in with the adults as soon as they're fully-feathered and their wing-feathers are done growing in. That way, if things do get nasty for the first couple days before they establish a new "pecking order", I don't have a bloody mess from the growing blood-feathers being broken or plucked!

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So, roughly, how old would that be?

I put my 10 week old ducklings out with the rest of my flock and they are all doing really well. They do have Carlton to watch them after all My Carlton was the only chick to hatch with these ducks. He sleeps with them, feeds them and perches along the kiddie pool as they swim. I hate to break it to him that he is a chicken. He seems so happy being a duck.

I just put everyone outside. I put the ducklings in with my lone chicken and they love it. I did separate the hen duck but she kept trying to get out while the 2 drakes kept trying to get in. I even put the Guinea fowl out and they once again attacked the chickens so I let them loose and they are on their own. I am gonna get some adult Rouen ducks for only $5.00 a piece. We have alot of swamps so we get alot of slugs. I can't wait to get them.