How do I convince my ducks I'm friendly!?

Bdavide

Hatching
Jul 13, 2019
7
5
9
White Mountains, NH
Hey guys,

I introduced a couple ducks to my little backyard farm project (4 hens.) They seemed to bond with the chickens relatively well after a few days, at least to where no bullying was seen. As my two year old likes to yell out the window "Hey Ducks be nice to the chickens!" But unlike the chickens, they have not seemed to recognize me as "friend" or food/water yet. Chicks will (albeit skittishly) waddle up to me for a hello and even take food from me on occasion. But the ducks just honk and walk away :( Any advice on how to ease their nerves? I'd like to be able to feed/pet/pickup and eventually get my toddler to do the same. I've tried food, no luck. Thought about picking them up daily so they understood no danger, but to get them I'd need to corner them, that'll just scare them MORE.

Ducks are Rouen's, about 14 weeks old. Been with me about 2-3 weeks.
 
:welcomeThey may also be receptive of your toddler if you can get him/ her to sit down on the ground quietly(ha) not easy to do with a toddler but quiet makes the ducks feel better, any way dried meal worms work great to make friends with new ducklings / ducks. Or thawed peas also cut up grapes. But treats are def the way into a ducks heart.
 
Aside from the treats, which will score you some ducky points, just spend some time with them. I have 2 female pekins, I will let me approach her and pick her up without running away and the other is a bit more skittish. I usually try to pick her up without chasing her too much or cornering her and kneel down so I don't look so big to her when I pick her up. They both like to be flipped over and laid on their backs on my legs and have their bellies and legs/feet rubbed. I will sit outside near mine and give them pieces of fruit or peel a banana and hold it out for them to eat off of.
 
This is helpful! I, too, have Rouen ducks. Mine are about 2 months old. They want nothing to do with us. We raised them from just a few days old, but bruised out in the coop rather than in the house so we'r didn't interact with them as regularly as we could have. I am going to try peas and duck food dropped close by me to attract them. They haven't really shown a lot of interest in treats though so far and now grey are in our ornamental pond (1500 gallons) surrounded and filled with vegetation they eat all day. So peas and feed apparently are not so attractive... Any other treats they would go for you think?
 
Haha when I used to keep ducks, we always called them "suspicious ducks". It's just their nature I guess. They sure did leave an awful lot of poop on my porch though, considering how suspicious they were of people!!!
The poop...:eek:
It really is crazy. We just have 3 and wow do they poop a lot. We moved then to the pond a week or two early just so we didn't have to clean out the brooder any more. :sick
 
Aside from the treats, which will score you some ducky points, just spend some time with them. I have 2 female pekins, I will let me approach her and pick her up without running away and the other is a bit more skittish. I usually try to pick her up without chasing her too much or cornering her and kneel down so I don't look so big to her when I pick her up. They both like to be flipped over and laid on their backs on my legs and have their bellies and legs/feet rubbed. I will sit outside near mine and give them pieces of fruit or peel a banana and hold it out for them to eat off of.
That’s awesome! Our Welsh Harlequin layers would panic if I tried to do that with them... my domestic mallard duck would have a heart attack!!! We clearly did not make the right moves when they were ducklings to permit that kind of comfort!
 

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