So I have recently found what I am after, I found a Snowy Call duck hen nearby and started to think... How should I go about introducing this new duck to my Current flock? Also would it be a good idea to "quarantine" this New Duck and if so for how long and how far away from the rest. I just started raising ducks this year and looking for some great tips and advice to make the transition less stressful. Right now I have 7 ducks, 1 Black Bibbed Call, and 6 Rouen / Pekin Ducks. Cheers!
as far as quarantine goes, i dont usually worry about it as much as with land fowl. ducks, geese and guineas are remarkably tougher than others and do not take to sickness easily. if you should decide to quarantine, a simple cage or pen would do. also, diseases are mostly spread through feces or contact, so the distance apart could be minimal, taking into account those things. two weeks should be long enough for you to determine if the animal is healthy enough to put with your flock or not. but usually if the face, eyes, nostrils, and beak look in good shape and the duck is carries itself as a healthy individual would. you should be fine. remember, this is simply my opinion, and i never purchase (or sell for that matter) any animal unless it is or appears to be in top notch health. i will not buy something unless i was willing to put it with my breeders. as far as introducing a new duck, you did not mention the age or size othe the new duck. as long as there isn't a huge size difference between the original ducks and the new ducks, you should be fine. the will probably be a confrontation, because ducks have pecking orders too. but the squabble is usually minimal and doesn't last more than a couple of minutes. after that each duck knows it's place again, and the duck society can go about it's business in relative harmony. hope it works out for you.
I usually pen my newbies up for some days where everyone can see each other and interact through the fence. After a few days of this I open the gate of the newbie pen and introduce them. If there's too much rough stuff other than the normal scrapes and scuffs of duck pecking order, I'll put them back up and start again tomorrow. Little by little they all figure it out. Usually only takes 2 or 3 days. Now I don't have calls... I have big ducks.. so someone correct me if I'm wrong.... but this is how I do it.
