Introducing a new duck who's blind in one eye.. help!

[ChezChicken]

I have a unique situation; where my boyfriend works they had a white female indian runner duck that got attacked by the drake, resulting in her being blind in one eye. They needed to re-home her and we said we'd take her on as our ducks aren't laying and run away from everything ( thanks to the chickens terrifying them when they were young). When she came over we decided it would be best to build a temporary home for the existing ducks ( a black and white indian runner and a khaki cambell ) while the new duck stayed in the duck coop to get used to their smell. she stayed in there through the day and overnight. Today I opened it up in the hopes that the other ducks would come forward in curiosity or to get food... they won't go near it. I want her to be accepted and am worried if the others decide they're scared of the new girl and leave her alone. I know animals suffer stress and depression and really don't want the new duck to be lonely. does anyone have any tips on introducing her? and am I doing the right thing? please help!

 

[RachelleM1986]

Congrats on the new ducky!!! I have a blind dog, and even though it's not a duck, it's a challenge, so I feel ya Big time kudos for taking on a blind critter!!!

The best way I've found for introducing ANY new critter - be it a chicken, turkey, duck, goat, etc - is to build a small enclosure inside of the existing enclosure. Use leftover fencing of any kind (as long as it's suitable for the animal). This will allow the "older" gals to get used to seeing the new gal inside their home, and they can socialize through the fence, keeping everyone safe but letting them all know they're not a threat to one another.

Good luck on your new venture!