Ducklings + Goslings

[Wild Hair]

My 13 runner ducklings arrived a week ago and I have a pair of day-old goslings arriving in the morning(fingers crossed).

What are the odds my ducklings won't take a liking to the new members of the flock? Should I have another brooder set up just in case? I've been thinking about it and would hate for something to happen to the new little ones. But I don't have another heat lamp and I'm sure they'll arrive too early to get one. Any advice for mixed brooding would be great, thank you.

 

[jake and pippa]

I recently had my first hatchlings, three muscovy ducklings and seven Ebden goslings. Because they were born the same day they were brooded together and they got along just fine. Then I got in some ducks from mail order and I put some of them with the goslings and the muscovy and some of them were in a separate brooder. Actually I had three brooders because I have a lot of ducks so I had ducks only in two brooders and ducks geese and muscovy in the third. There were about 20-30 birds in each container. I know I'm crazy.

In any case I noticed that the ducklings in the ducks only brooders were very shy and afraid of me when I put my hands in or over the brood. Of course that's not unusual. However the brooder with the geese was completely different. All the ducks would run over and say hello when I put my hands. Now goslings are incredibly calm and friendly and I thought maybe because they are larger and they're very calm the ducklings are looking to them like parents. So I did an experiment. I took two goslings from their brooder and put them in each of the other brooder which had had only ducks, leaving three goslings in the first brooder.

Within a day the ducks in those other brothers were much calmer and more friendly. Not only that, but on a few occasions I have seen or heard the geese alerting the ducks to food being put in the brooder, just like a rooster calls to his hens. I find this pretty cool. And yes goslings are the most adorable birds.

 

[Pyxis]

You'll probably be fine. Your goslings will probably arrive the size of your week old ducklings and might even be bigger than them depending on what breed you have coming, so the ducklings won't be able to bully them using their size. I'd just keep an eye on them and make sure there's no bullying happening but you'll probably be fine. I've brooded goslings and ducklings together before and they do well together

You may want to have another brooder set up in case things go south, but it'll probably be okay.

 

[pattyhen]

Wow they are so cute. I love the pics. The goslings are adoreable. Thanks so much for sharing the pics with us.

 

[dotknott]

Ooooh those goose bills! SO CUTE

 

[lomine]

Oh my goodness! Thank you for sharing the pictures. They are so cute!

 

[DuckGirl77]

They're in the same brooder but I've added taller legs. It stands 18" now. With a little bedding the ducklings can look clear over the divider. The goslings are probably only a daybor two away from doing the same. My larger gosling like to pull at my ducklings feathers still. I've given it a few stern talking-to's but I still wouldn't trust them together alone unsupervised.

The bedding in the brooder gets an extra layer every day along with completely changing what's in the waterering area. Then every few days I'll change it all out, new plastic and all. The ducklings have been much more of mess with their water than the goslings. The 13 birds also seem to poop a lot more than the 2

We've been able to combat the smell so far but the ducklings are starting to run themselves out of water before I can get home to change it. I know I've said it before but they grow so fast!

They learned when I holler c'mere, it's time for peas. If you say it fast enough it starts to sound like quacks and they've taken to Pavlov's theory quickly

the way to a duckling's heart - peas!

 

[jake and pippa]

I sing to my ducks. They quiet right down and seem to listen. They like melodic lullabies. I like to sing so it's fun for me too.

I introduced my goslings to my adult geese and after a few days they adopted them. At first they were a little antagonistic but now they protect them and they clearly accept them as their children.

 

[chwychuro]

Same here, she will go outside with all my ducks (might need a bigger coop at this point) and hopefully deter some animals from snooping around. But I also have four more goslings that will join her once they are big enough. They're only a month behind but in raising poultry that's a big difference. Although she's so mellow she allows them around. Of course I keep a close eye on her in case but she hasn't tried anything.

 

[jake and pippa]

I have a trio of adult Embden geese and a number of ducks and chickens. When I first got the geese everybody got along nicely but when we got to mating season the gander was extremely aggressive towards my drakes in particular so I had to separate them. The gander has protected their goslings from my German Shepherd, but my Shepherd is reasonably well behaved. I sincerely doubt a fox would be very impressed. The trio of adults to protect their goslings but I know that I'm taking a chance.