I just integrated my ducklings with my flock. They're 1 month old pekins. Basically what I did was I would let my 4 bigger ducks out of their night coop (they only sleep in it, and they free range all day) and then I would clean the coop and stick my month old ducklings in during the day. That way they could see my ducks and chickens, but couldn't be hurt. I did this for a week and the ducks became less crazy annoyed about the ducklings presence. (If I walked out of the house holding the pekin babies, the flock would quack up a storm!!)
Anyways, so once the original 4 got used to the 2 new additions, they had their first play date where they got to see each other outside of the coop (in my yard where they had enough room to get away) and the ducklings followed their new big sisters around the whole time!!! I let them play for about an hour and then everyone went back to their separate beds. (The ducklings would sleep in a dog crate in the garage).
Just 3 days ago, once I sensed that a friendship had sparked (they would all sit together in a clump and sleep in the sun, they would follow each other around, and would drink from the same bucket at the same time) I let the ducklings have their first night in the coop. Went great! Now they are completely integrated. No one is being bullied or picked at and the pekins (like pekins do) are getting big quickly!! So id have to disagree when people say you can't integrate until they are much older. I've done it twice at 4 weeks old. The first time integrating my Silkies with the first 4 ducklings and now with my pekin twins. It's a slow process that takes almost 2 weeks, but the ducklings are happier with the big ducks to hang out with than they were just the two of them and me.
Keep in mind that the temperatures here in Houston are very very warm (like 85 degrees), so that's how they are outside so early at only 4 weeks. They MUCH prefer it to the dog crate and my other ducks adore them. So do the chickens now
