ducklings getting scared?

[HollowOfWisps]

L

Hello everyone,

I am a brand new duck parent, 4 of my ducklings have hatched over the last two days, and 6 more are on the way. It was a staggered hatch so I'm not too worried about the other eggs.

I am really excited about having ducks, and more than anything I want them to be comfortable and feel safe with me. I would love them to be friendly but I know that ducks can be tricky.

The oldest is about 2 days old, and I have read that giving treats can be really helpful in forging a bond with your ducks. However, I have also read that you should wait until ducklings are aboit a week old before giving them any treats.

Already, my ducklings get scared and run away if my hand is near them. I am trying to handle them a lot and talk to them so that they get comfortable with me, but I don't want to stress them out too much.

So I guess there are a few questions.
First, can I feed my new ducklings any treats or is it best to wait until they are a week old. I have swiss chard in my garden that I could give them but I don't want it to be bad for them if its too early.

Second, is there any better way to handle them so that they don't freak out when my hand comes near? Am over obsessing about training them to be comfortable around me while they are only days old? Is there a bigger window to get them to warm up to you than I think there is?

Any help would be so amazingly appreciated. I just want the best for my little duckies.

Honestly I have found that the best way to gain your ducks trust is to allow them to trust you in their own time without forcing it. Think of it this way...you wake up one day trapped in a box that you can't escape from. Then all of a sudden a 100ft giant wants to pick you up, watches you all day and keeps putting their hands in the box trying to touch you. It would be a positively terrifying experience to say the least. That's how your ducklings are feeling right about now. If you were in their shoes would you prefer that the 100ft giant constantly forces interaction? Or that the giant slowly shows you that you can trust them over time by ensuring each interaction is them coming down to your level (minimize hovering over them), any physical contact is comprised of slow movement and offered other positive associations like treats that you could walk up to freely without worrying about being touched? This is how I work with all of my ducks and as adults they now all follow me wherever I go. For ducklings:

-I try to minimize standing or towering above the brooders by pulling up a stool.

-I move slowly around them with no quick movements.

-I sometimes sit with my hand in the opposite corner of their brooder to where they are huddled up for a few minutes at a time and allow them to see that my hand won't hurt them.

-I sit down on the ground with treats near me and allow the ducklings to come up and eat them on their own with no physical touch involved until they allow it.

The main thing is that you want to ensure that each interaction is a positive experience for your ducklings. We as humans want each interaction to be positive for us meaning we want the cute baby ducks to cuddle and be friendly, but we are the ones up on the food chain and the ducks are at the bottom. We know the ducks aren't going to eat us, but they think we are going to eat them which requires A LOT more trust on their end than it does ours. To put everything I said above simply, everytime they see you right now all they see is that you are a predator and they are prey. It takes time and patience to change what are natural survival instincts to them.

 

[Ducklady87]

L
Honestly I have found that the best way to gain your ducks trust is to allow them to trust you in their own time without forcing it. Think of it this way...you wake up one day trapped in a box that you can't escape from. Then all of a sudden a 100ft giant wants to pick you up, watches you all day and keeps putting their hands in the box trying to touch you. It would be a positively terrifying experience to say the least. That's how your ducklings are feeling right about now. If you were in their shoes would you prefer that the 100ft giant constantly forces interaction? Or that the giant slowly shows you that you can trust them over time by ensuring each interaction is them coming down to your level (minimize hovering over them), any physical contact is comprised of slow movement and offered other positive associations like treats that you could walk up to freely without worrying about being touched? This is how I work with all of my ducks and as adults they now all follow me wherever I go. For ducklings:

-I try to minimize standing or towering above the brooders by pulling up a stool.

-I move slowly around them with no quick movements.

-I sometimes sit with my hand in the opposite corner of their brooder to where they are huddled up for a few minutes at a time and allow them to see that my hand won't hurt them.

-I sit down on the ground with treats near me and allow the ducklings to come up and eat them on their own with no physical touch involved until they allow it.

The main thing is that you want to ensure that each interaction is a positive experience for your ducklings. We as humans want each interaction to be positive for us meaning we want the cute baby ducks to cuddle and be friendly, but we are the ones up on the food chain and the ducks are at the bottom. We know the ducks aren't going to eat us, but they think we are going to eat them which requires A LOT more trust on their end than it does ours. To put everything I said above simply, everytime they see you right now all they see is that you are a predator and they are prey. It takes time and patience to change what are natural survival instincts to them.

I just went in and took their food oit and pit some in and around my hand. After a while waiting and ttying nit to move too much, they went from the opposite side of the brooder to all sleeping around my hand. This is wonderful advice.

 

[KaleIAm]

L
Honestly I have found that the best way to gain your ducks trust is to allow them to trust you in their own time without forcing it. Think of it this way...you wake up one day trapped in a box that you can't escape from. Then all of a sudden a 100ft giant wants to pick you up, watches you all day and keeps putting their hands in the box trying to touch you. It would be a positively terrifying experience to say the least. That's how your ducklings are feeling right about now. If you were in their shoes would you prefer that the 100ft giant constantly forces interaction? Or that the giant slowly shows you that you can trust them over time by ensuring each interaction is them coming down to your level (minimize hovering over them), any physical contact is comprised of slow movement and offered other positive associations like treats that you could walk up to freely without worrying about being touched? This is how I work with all of my ducks and as adults they now all follow me wherever I go. For ducklings:

-I try to minimize standing or towering above the brooders by pulling up a stool.

-I move slowly around them with no quick movements.

-I sometimes sit with my hand in the opposite corner of their brooder to where they are huddled up for a few minutes at a time and allow them to see that my hand won't hurt them.

-I sit down on the ground with treats near me and allow the ducklings to come up and eat them on their own with no physical touch involved until they allow it.

The main thing is that you want to ensure that each interaction is a positive experience for your ducklings. We as humans want each interaction to be positive for us meaning we want the cute baby ducks to cuddle and be friendly, but we are the ones up on the food chain and the ducks are at the bottom. We know the ducks aren't going to eat us, but they think we are going to eat them which requires A LOT more trust on their end than it does ours. To put everything I said above simply, everytime they see you right now all they see is that you are a predator and they are prey. It takes time and patience to change what are natural survival instincts to them.

Yes! Good post!

 

[HollowOfWisps]

I just went in and took their food oit and pit some in and around my hand. After a while waiting and ttying nit to move too much, they went from the opposite side of the brooder to all sleeping around my hand. This is wonderful advice.

That's so awesome to hear! Before you know it you will have a little row of ducks following you around