Advice on taming my 5 and a half week ducklings???

[Chelsnmitch]

I have 2 questions here : taming ducklings and mallard temperament. I have 5 and a half week old ducklings, 4 welsh harlequins and a mallard in one pen and 3 runners in another. We have the 1 mallard because they were the 5 left. I couldn’t leave her by herself. In the past, I have had Indian runner ducks and Cayugas. This time I decided welsh harlequin because they are pretty friendly from what I read. The 3 runners put up with me. They don’t all hide in a ball together and hide their heads. I can pick them up with little screaming now. The other pen with the welsh harlequins and mallard isn’t going so well. Is it because of the mallard? She is a lot more skittish than the other 4, she screams and runs, and has to be in the middle underneath the pile. And 1 of the welsh harlequins takes after her with screaming like I’m going to eat her. The other 3 settle down pretty quick. Am I asking to much of them yet? I have never had welsh or mallards always runners so advice on temperament and breed standard would be great.

 

[The Chick Addict]

I have to say, cuddle time with ducks and chickens really does tame them! If you do, your ducklings will come running to you in no time!

 

[Brooke_R]

I have 2 questions here : taming ducklings and mallard temperament. I have 5 and a half week old ducklings, 4 welsh harlequins and a mallard in one pen and 3 runners in another. We have the 1 mallard because they were the 5 left. I couldn’t leave her by herself. In the past, I have had Indian runner ducks and Cayugas. This time I decided welsh harlequin because they are pretty friendly from what I read. The 3 runners put up with me. They don’t all hide in a ball together and hide their heads. I can pick them up with little screaming now. The other pen with the welsh harlequins and mallard isn’t going so well. Is it because of the mallard? She is a lot more skittish than the other 4, she screams and runs, and has to be in the middle underneath the pile. And 1 of the welsh harlequins takes after her with screaming like I’m going to eat her. The other 3 settle down pretty quick. Am I asking to much of them yet? I have never had welsh or mallards always runners so advice on temperament and breed standard would be great.

I would first try to gain their trust some with treats and try to start holding them in your lap. It’s important to not try to hold them too quickly and scare them but it’d also be good to try and hold them before they get much older and before they get too skiddish

 

[Quatie]

I would recommend taking it slow. Some ducks take more time than others to warm up. The more time you spend with ducks the more they get use to you. One of my ducklings I raised from like a few days old would scream it's head of anytime you went near him. Even when he went outside, he still would do this. Overtime, he mellowed and now is my most social duck. He took a little over a year to fully warm up to us. But I have seen this with several becoming more social as they age.

Moving to a new location is a terrifying experience for ducks. So it will take them a while to get use to the new location. So give them time.

Treats can also help them warm up to you. Don't expect them to eat out of your hand the first time. They may also need to learn it is a treat. I have new muscovy I am integrating. They looked at mealworms like they were a foreign object. It didn't take them long to learn how great they are.

 

[ShelbyCiave]

My ducklings were skittish when I first got them. They are 7 weeks old now. I put them in a play pen in the house so they could watch me from a distance. Once they moved outside, I would literally lay down on a towel to get to their eye level and I’d feed them dried mealworms and frozen peas (given them treats since the beginning). After doing this multiple times a day every day, they now chase after me crying when I leave. I still lay on the towel and they will jump on my back and take naps (weird, I know.) Treats, treats, treats, and let them come to you to check you out once the treats are gone.

 

[Snibborg]

This is our eldest duck - Tali -. She is about 8 years of age and has lived outside for most of that time. She's, and her flock mates have come inside to protect them from bird Flu. She has been inside four months. She was very 'bitey' at the start. Now she demands cuddles. I think you can see how happy she is. As has been said by a previous poster, cuddles make all the difference.

 

[Snibborg]

Our Khaki Campbell - Maple

 

[Snibborg]

And another of Maple

 

[Snibborg]

Please note the waterproof blanket. Very effective. Interestingly, although the ducks cannot control when they defecate, they are always aware of when they need to go and make sure they don't cover us. And always on a hard floor!

 

[Snibborg]

This is Lapis, our Swedish Blue drake

Incredibly friendly, but horny.