Ducklings integration surprise 🤣

[FNF]

@Jlw0903 how is this going? I had the exact same experience and did all the reading and prep to try to do this right (to protect the ducklings). I brought my ducklings out day after day with separate pens within the duck yard, supervised exploration together, etc. for weeks.

The ducklings have been the mean girls from day 1! My three now-8-week-old ducklings have been free-ranging with my three 1-year old ladies for a while now. They are fine in the duck yard, there's plenty of space so I don't worry about them, though the ducklings STILL will chase the other ducks away from the pond or food if they are in the mood to be butts. Sometimes it's not even a chase, the older ducks just see the mean girls coming and go elsewhere to forage or drink. It's kind of annoying!

I have them all sleeping in the duck house together but with a hardware cloth divider between the groups. They do fine with this and zero appearance of aggression with that. But it's a pain too. I would love to do away with this but I'm worried not so much that the ducklings will actually HURT the ducks, but that one will hurt herself flapping and running around with no where to go in a relatively small space. I just want peace in the land!

 

[CoriM]

I've integrated ducklings 4 times now, and also a rescue duck into my flock, and it's the same everytime. You're on your way and you will get there and in a month or two you'll probably have total peace and this will be a distant memory. Keeping them together in large spaces is key, while supervising, then just shrinking the space, with two food and water stations set up so everyone can have access comfortably.

 

[FNF]

I've integrated ducklings 4 times now, and also a rescue duck into my flock, and it's the same everytime. You're on your way and you will get there and in a month or two you'll probably have total peace and this will be a distant memory. Keeping them together in large spaces is key, while supervising, then just shrinking the space, with two food and water stations set up so everyone can have access comfortably.

Thanks - I definitely have lots of water options (pond, kiddie pool, buckets) around the large yard and two food options! Wish they'd just be nice

 

[CoriM]

I know, it's always disappointing and they seem like little terrors, but I think it's partly because they're scared and just curious...they're not trying to be mean, just figuring things out. It's like how older dogs often are scared or irritated by puppies.

 

[Jlw0903]

Session 4 occured yesterday

Started out the same with the two groups mostly ignoring each other. The ducklings seemed a bit more accepting and didn't chase as much and allowed the older ones to be a bit closer. Even seeming to want to be bearer to the older ones. However at one point Dori (little blue swedish) chased after SweetPea (roen hen) and Darla (My dented black Swedish hen) decided she has enough and went after Dori who in turn panicked and ran away. Well that was all it took for the tables to turn and for Darla to bring her bad attitude out because for the rest of the time Darla gave angry bobs at the little ones and chased them whenever they got near.

I wasn't out with them today since I did 12houes at work but it seems like a repeat from yesterday with some chasing on both ends but mostly Darla going after the ducklings now. My two Roen hens and drake continue to be terrified of the baby dinosaurs... Who happen to be chewing on me currently as Im sitting in their pen writing this

 

[Jlw0903]

I know, it's always disappointing and they seem like little terrors, but I think it's partly because they're scared and just curious...they're not trying to be mean, just figuring things out. It's like how older dogs often are scared or irritated by puppies.

They will get there. I'm already seeing them sort of getting more used to each other. Starting tomorrow I'm going to move the ducklings to an isolated part of the duck pen during the day which I am sure will help them get used to each other. And then of course let them all free range together

 

[CoriM]

So cute! I love their names

 

[Jlw0903]

So cute! I love their names

Haha thanks! I stressed a lot on what to call them. Some have fun reasons for their names some just seemed to fit right haha.



The ducks:
Toke (my Cayuga drake - boyfriend named him)
SweetPea - Roen
Buttercup - Roen
Darla- derpy, dented, black Swedish.
(I also had Kevin - Cayuga hen, and Blue - black Swedish, who have passed away)

The ducklings:
Bumblebee aka Beez - welsh
Dorien Gray aka Dori - blue swedish
Mable - buff

 

[CoriM]

What do you mean by derpy dented?

 

[Jlw0903]

What do you mean by derpy dented?

She's crooked like she has scoliosis or something. Looks like Quasimodo. And especially when she was younger she just acted a bit funny and didn't quite duck right so I think she might be just a little special. So she is Darla my Derpy Dented Duck. When she was younger the crookedness was super obvious... Or maybe we have just gotten used to it now. She's perfectly healthy otherwise.