- Jul 26, 2009
- 1,866
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Hello -- I used to have some Rouen ducks many years ago. Since then, only have had chickens. I finally cleaned out my badly overgrown backyard pond this year, so it is now a pond again and not just a cattail bog. So, I wanted to get some ducks again.
I ordered 4 rouen ducklings from the local feed store, got them July 7.
They don't act like the rouens I had before, based on my memories, but it's been 25 years, so perhaps my memory is not good.
They seem utterly terrified whenever I approach them, running to the corner of their enclosure (a small, indoor pen at this point in the garage -- will move out to permanent enclosure later when they're bigger), peeping, huddling together. Any movement on my part sends them into panics of terror.
I'm beginning to wonder if I somehow got wild strain mallards instead. I don't remember rouens, which have been domesticated for at least 150 years, acting this "wild."
Or, am I doing something wrong? I tried socializing them from day one by talking to them a lot, and am now trying to bribe them with treats and yummies. So far, they ignore everything I do while I'm in the room and just cower and peep. When I leave, they attack the food with gusto.
I can't really judge by the size, since I have nothing to compare them to at this point, but they seem "small" to me, and seemed small when I picked them up as day-old hatchlings. But, at not quite three weeks old, I certainly can't expect them to be all that large, anyway. They are certainly growing fast, but as I said, I have no others to compare them to.
The feed store got them from a professional hatchery via US mail, so it isn't their fault if I got the wrong thing. They were the only ducks in the order, so if there was a screwup, it was the hatchery.
Or, am I just expecting too much at this age? Is there anything I can do to tame them? The chickens I have just come running as soon as they see me, because they know that I'm bringing goodies. I assume the ducks will with time.
I ordered 4 rouen ducklings from the local feed store, got them July 7.
They don't act like the rouens I had before, based on my memories, but it's been 25 years, so perhaps my memory is not good.
They seem utterly terrified whenever I approach them, running to the corner of their enclosure (a small, indoor pen at this point in the garage -- will move out to permanent enclosure later when they're bigger), peeping, huddling together. Any movement on my part sends them into panics of terror.
I'm beginning to wonder if I somehow got wild strain mallards instead. I don't remember rouens, which have been domesticated for at least 150 years, acting this "wild."
Or, am I doing something wrong? I tried socializing them from day one by talking to them a lot, and am now trying to bribe them with treats and yummies. So far, they ignore everything I do while I'm in the room and just cower and peep. When I leave, they attack the food with gusto.
I can't really judge by the size, since I have nothing to compare them to at this point, but they seem "small" to me, and seemed small when I picked them up as day-old hatchlings. But, at not quite three weeks old, I certainly can't expect them to be all that large, anyway. They are certainly growing fast, but as I said, I have no others to compare them to.
The feed store got them from a professional hatchery via US mail, so it isn't their fault if I got the wrong thing. They were the only ducks in the order, so if there was a screwup, it was the hatchery.
Or, am I just expecting too much at this age? Is there anything I can do to tame them? The chickens I have just come running as soon as they see me, because they know that I'm bringing goodies. I assume the ducks will with time.
