I can get another duckling!!!

[Pet Duck Boy]

YES! After being such a good boy to my parents, they FINALLY said I can get another duckling! They sell pekin ducklings at the feed store for 3 dollars each! I'm only asking for money for christmas, and I'll probably end up with around 75$-100$. Most will be used to buy supplies for building a predator proof pen for my duck Sunny! She's at my friends house right now, we're leaving town tomorrow. So far she is doing good. Ok, ok, now to my question. How would you introduce a duckling to a 6 1/2 old pekin hen? She's aggressive towards strangers, but very lonely. She's needs a duck friend more than me. Even though I'm really attatched to her, I'm willing to break loose a little. It's for the best though. Pics will come after the new year when I get the duckling. Like I said, how would you introduce them to eachother?

 

[chickensioux]

 

[Duck_feeder]

Here is the approach I'm taking with introducing my two new ducklings to our two older ducks.

1. The little ones stay in their brooders that is not accessible to the older ducks.
2. Every day we let the older ducks see the little ones. We restrain the older ducks so they don't bite the little ones.
3. Once in a while we move the brooder with both ducklings in them to an area where the big ducks are playing. The brooder has a clear window made of plexiglass so they can see and hear each other but not come in contact. This lets them get used to each other.
4. When the ducklings get older and can't stay in their brooders anymore, I'll put them in separate play pens that are next to each other so they can spend more time together.
5. Once the ducklings are fully fledged I'll let them spend time together where they can have physical contact. I will NOT let them in contact with each other while feathers are growing in because having a blood feather pulled out can potentially kill a duck. When they finally spend time together, I'll have to supervise them to make sure any fighting isn't too intense (they will fight a bit to establish pecking order - that's a necessity but they can go overboard and cause serious injury)
6. I will NOT let them swim together until they establish the pecking order. If they try to do that in the water, there's a risk of drowning.

 

[newchickmom09]

I would put them somewhere where they can see each other but not get to each other. The older one will peck at the younger one and they can hurt little ducklings. You might have to keep them seperated for a while until they get used to each other. If you have a fenced run or something like that for your older duck then you can put the younger duckling in a small cage in the older ducks run so they can check each other out but the little one has a safe place so it doesn't get hurt.

Are you giong to keep the duckling in a brooder?

 

[pardygwyn]

Hurrah!

 

[priss]

YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYYY I'm soo pleased for you. This is wonderful!!!
I've been given some money for Christmas already and my husband is all 'great we can put it towards a new computer' and I'm all 'this computer works fine, I'm usin it to rebuild that crummy excuse for a duck run you made' lool.
This is such great news duckboy, I hope it all goes well.
Biigggg Christmas snooogles to Sunny xx