adding a new pair of ducks to an existing pair. do I have to slowly merge them if everyone seems chill?

[micaelasducks]

I just picked up a pair of young black swedish ducks to add to my existing pair of an elderly chocolate runner and a disabled pekin. The pekin's health is going downhill and we are sadly preparing for her to not make it through the winter. The runner is a million years old but seems to be outliving every duck we give her. The runner is I have the two new swedish currently in a pen up against the regular run.

Everyone is super chill. Literally sleeping, unperturbed. My runner walked away from the two new swedish, couldn't care less. The two present ducks are both slightly bigger than the new littles.

Do I really have to watch them sleep separated by a fence not giving a single care about each other for a slow fade adjustment or can I speed it up if there is no sign of any trouble?

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I would pen them side by side for a few days and than see how mixing them goes.

 

[ruthhope]

The conventional wisdom is see no touch for a few days. As my flock is all drakes it can be 2 weeks or even 4 before they can be allowed during the day to forage in the garden together. My son has a drake and 4 females. He started with a drake and two females that were brooded together from a few days old. He just put the two new ducks in the coop with his original 3 and there were no problems. I think he was reckless and that there should have been a see no touch period. But he got away with it, and you might get away with putting your 2 new ducks in with the others. But please closely supervise them for time after mixing