My ducklings will be going outside soon (Florida)--when can I add additional adult ducks?

[OneEggToRuleThemAll]

Hi everyone! Happy New Year!

I have four 6-week old ducklings. They are not fully feathered yet, so they are still in my house (omg, so messy! so stinky!). I have been reading that they should be fully feathered anywhere from 8 to 12 weeks old and then they can GO OUTSIDE WHOOOHOOO! Seriously though...I love these ducklings. They are precious and beautiful. I'm just over shoveling out the bedding (pine pellets) in their kiddie pool brooder every 2-3 days. SO. MUCH. POOPANDPEE.

Anyway! The initial plan was to get another batch of ducklings after Christmas and raise them in the house until they could join the original four but unless someone magically gifts me with ducklings who have nowhere else to go, I am done with ducklings for now. I have learned my lesson and will not brood another batch of ducklings until the SPRING.

But, we want more ducks so we can get more eggs to feed our family of five, so I'm considering adopting four adult Muscovy ducks from a local breeder to join my ducklings once they go outside. My question is...how old should my ducklings be before bringing these other four adults to join them? We are really attached to our ducklings and don't want them to get hurt or sick, so I want to make sure to do this right. I also thought about adopting the Muscovies before my ducklings go outside--my husband is not quite finished building the hoop coop, though he will likely be done this weekend.

Which do y'all think would be a better option: putting the ducklings outside first (once they are fully feathered) and THEN adding the adult Muscovies, or adopting the adult Muscovies and THEN adding the ducklings when they are fully feathered?

I'd really appreciate the advice of y'all more seasoned duck keepers!

 

[Jenbirdee]

oh boy good question. No matter who gets to the yard first, you will need to keep them separate for a while, so they can see each other but not touch. (through a fence)
And especially at night, the littles can go in something like a big dog crate inside the coop so ducks are together but still separated. Or run a separation fence through the middle of the coop.
Are your little ones all females?
Are the muscovies all females?
Adult drakes should not be with females younger than at least 4 months old
@Miss Lydia has a mixed flock with some muscovies and some runner ducks Let's ask her..

 

[OneEggToRuleThemAll]

oh boy good question. No matter who gets to the yard first, you will need to keep them separate for a while, so they can see each other but not touch. (through a fence)
And especially at night, the littles can go in something like a big dog crate inside the coop so ducks are together but still separated. Or run a separation fence through the middle of the coop.
Are your little ones all females?
Are the muscovies all females?
Adult drakes should not be with females younger than at least 4 months old
@Miss Lydia has a mixed flock with some muscovies and some runner ducks Let's ask her..

My four little ducklings (a jumbo Pekin, a Buff Orpington, a Blue Swedish, and a tiny Magpie) are females, and I would only be adopting adult female Muscovies.

Thank you for your reply!!

 

[Miss Lydia]

I think you are going to have to do what @Jenbirdee recommends placing fencing down the middle so they can all get used to each other. Muscovy females can be very temperamental mine sure can be. They get along with my Runners and Buffs but they can pick on ducklings just like the other breeds will do. If you put them together at the same time then neither will be able to say this is my space your not welcome and having them separated for a while to get to know each other will help with integration. When I took my 4 Runner females out to sleep in the coop they spent 2 weeks sleeping inside a large dog crate so they could be with everyone but not get picked on now they are part of the flock . My Muscovy sleep in a separate house becasue I have 3 Runner drakes that bother the female Muscovy and they are too old to have to put up with it. [12.5 yrs] I do have one female Muscovy who sleeps with the others she hatched them in 2016 and has been with them ever since and she is 11.5 yrs old, Yes they live a long time.

 

[ruthhope]

I personally don't like mixing ducklings with adult ducks until they are full grown. That might not be until 16 to 20 weeks.

But you can start the see no touch before that. My experience with muscovy females is that they tend to be sweet natured and not rambunctious like their bigger brothers. But there are always exceptions. My son has mixed muscovy and pekin hens with no problems -- sharing nesting boxes and hanging out together.my own drakes are mainly stick to their own breed type of guys, but I have had a pekin drake and a muscovy drake that were inseparable

 

[OneEggToRuleThemAll]

Thank you for replying, everyone!