baby ducks - how soon can they be put outside with other ducks

[TinyBirds]

I have 13 baby ducks 1 week old. I want them to learn to go in the coop with the big ducks at night due to lots of predators outside. How soon can they join our big ducks? If I put them out too soon I'm afraid they might not go in the coop at night, and they,re too hard for me to catch even with a net. Yet I want tem to learn from the big ducks too so I'm debating how soon to let them out of the house. Maybe I should let 2 out at a time to test...not yet of course at 1 week old. Any advice for me?

 

[canada-goose]

My advice: keep them away from each other! The big ducks will probably kill the poor babies! If you really must mix them, do it when they're all grown up!

 

[ConchRepublic]

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Wait till they are fully feathered. Then introduce them all at once to the coop, they should stay inside it for a few days though. They will eventually learn to go in and out with everyone else.

 

[TinyBirds]

Thanks so much for your help!

 

[TennesseeTruly]

This is what I do to integrate my ducks. I bring the babies, at around 4 to 5 weeks old, weather permitting, outside into a playpen or a puppy pen inside the adult ducks pen. This way the adults get to see the babies, the babies get to see the adults but no one can get hurt. I do this over time for them to get to know one another. Then I bring the babies into the adult pen and I sit and watch. I don't intervene unless it looks as though someone is going to get hurt.

There will be some pushing, shoving, things like that but I've had very good luck with integrating them this way. By 8 weeks old, the ducklings are completely integrated with the adults with no problems.

Laurie

 

[BeckyJaneDesigns]

I am glad I found this thread! I have 13 eggs in the incubator right now, and 6 ducks in the backyard. They free range the yard during the day and get locked into their coop at night. It is not a big coop though, and I am really wondering what I am gonna do when the babies are old enough to be kept outside, but not old enough to go in with the big ducks, especially with the cramped quarters. I have been thinking of building on an addition. Think i might have to do that soon, eh? We are not planning on keeping all the babies, so I won't need a huge coop, but a little bigger would be better.

I have to come up with a brooder soon as well. I have a small house, so this should be interesting!

 

[Miss Lydia]

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[duckdad]

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Yep...thats kinda what I've done with good results.. In the duck world its all about dominance...and when little ones suddenly appear they get tested by the drakes and other hens sometimes. Drakes love attention...so they get angry with anyone that steals the spotlight...like ducklings. Especially orphan ducklings. If they didn't hatch under a hen...they are seen as invaders, outsiders.

I almost lost my little female to a drake that swooped on her so fast and grabbed her in his mouth then ran with her that I couldn't catch up...only reason shes here today is because with all the running the drake dropped her.

I keep my indoor pen under a window so the big ducks can sit outside and watch live DTV...(duck television) The little ones are not as stressed, the big ones get used to the new ducks and over a few weeks they get used to each other. There will still be some pecking and pushing...but its not too serious after they've spent some time staring at each other thru the window.
Never underestimate a duck....
the big ducks ate a hole in the screen so they can stick their head in when the window is open.....

I taped around the edges of the hole so they wouldn't make it any bigger.
They ate the tape.