Do your ducks follow you?

[Jenny44]

Thanks for your reply! I'm a teacher, so I'll be hatching them with my class. Then at 3-4 weeks (when I suspect they will outgrow the brooder/classroom space), they will go to live with a student's grandparents (who are going to provide them with a wonderful home!). The students would LOVE if the ducklings followed me around, is there a way to do this if they aren't raised alone (they will be raised together)? That said, I hear they can get too imprinted and super attached, so I'm worried about that too! I'd really appreciate advice on the right way to go about imprinting!

 

[Bills vs Beaks]

Thanks for your reply! I'm a teacher, so I'll be hatching them with my class. Then at 3-4 weeks (when I suspect they will outgrow the brooder/classroom space), they will go to live with a student's grandparents (who are going to provide them with a wonderful home!). The students would LOVE if the ducklings followed me around, is there a way to do this if they aren't raised alone (they will be raised together)? That said, I hear they can get too imprinted and super attached, so I'm worried about that too! I'd really appreciate advice on the right way to go about imprinting!

Sure!
Ducklings will definitely follow you around even if they are raised with other ducklings. Thats why you see all of them following mama across the pond

The trick is to have them young enough (2-5 days is about the limit for imprinting). I had had ducklings I got at 4 days old follow me around. Also, they are more likely to follow you if they are not in their normal setting. Mine would not follow me inside, but outside they would run after me and when they got tired they would actually crawl under me to nap (that was the sweetest thing, Im tellin ya

)
And I think just after a month is a fine age to give them to the grandparents.About once they start getting adult feathers is when the imprint phase ends

 

[Jenny44]

Awesome!! Thank you so much for your reply--I've been researching this for hours and getting more and more confused! Since I'll be hatching them in a classroom, is it important I am the first face they see, or the first one to hold them, in order to make sure they all imprint on me (vs some imprinting on the kids--which would lead to a lot of jealousy in the classroom! haha). What are the important things to do to foster healthy imprinting on me specifically?

 

[Bills vs Beaks]

I would talk to the eggs before they hatch. Voice is a big thing for them, because as you might know, wild ducks look a lot the same. And David Holderread did an experiment with voice, and found that ducklings will go to a certain person out of several if they heard that one persons voice while still in the egg. And if possible, be the first person they see, Im not sure how you could manage that if you all want to watch them hatch though. I imagine everyone crowding around the incubator like uh, little kids

I would just put an emphasis on the voice thing, and hope for that to do it.

 

[Jenny44]

Thank you so much for all your help! I (and the kids!) really appreciate it!

 

[Bills vs Beaks]

Thank you so much for all your help! I (and the kids!) really appreciate it!

Youre welcome!

 

[Waddlein]

Hi everyone! I was wondering if any of your ducks follow you around? Did you ever take them on a walk? It's such an experience to walk with your duck following behind you. I really want a duck that will follow me on walks One that can go with me when I go to parks without running away and will stay near me. I used to have a muscovy drake like this that I raised from a baby but he got aggressive when his hormones kicked in so I gave him to a friend with other muscovies. I want to get another duck but I want to make sure it will follow me through thick and thin like my boy Quackers did. Also can you tame and train a duck to follow you as an adult. Like one that wasn't imprinted?

If you want them to imprint on you try hatching some out. They imprint easier at the first 48 hours o their life, so just hand feed them and snuggle them. I want ducks to follow me around too I have 17 fertile duck eggs in the incubator.

 

[Waddlein]

I would talk to the eggs before they hatch. Voice is a big thing for them, because as you might know, wild ducks look a lot the same. And David Holderread did an experiment with voice, and found that ducklings will go to a certain person out of several if they heard that one persons voice while still in the egg. And if possible, be the first person they see, Im not sure how you could manage that if you all want to watch them hatch though. I imagine everyone crowding around the incubator like uh, little kids

I would just put an emphasis on the voice thing, and hope for that to do it.

Just use your normal voice though, If you use a diferent voice, like people use when something's cute they will imprint on that voice instead. By the way during the final days of incubation they will actually peep back!!!

 

[Bills vs Beaks]

Just use your normal voice though, If you use a diferent voice, like people use when something's cute they will imprint on that voice instead. By the way during the final days of incubation they will actually peep back!!!

Or just use the cute voice all the time when talking to them. That probably wont be hard

 

[Krazyquilts]

Or just use the cute voice all the time when talking to them. That probably wont be hard 

So very true!!