I have a 2 1/2 yr old Pekin female. She lives with the chickens. I now have a 4-5 week old pekin duckling. She's been outside in the chicken tractor and is doing well. Has some size to her. Feathers are coming in. She's quaking - no more peeps from her. I wonder if I can introduce her to big bird yet? I'd like to bring her into the coop tonight where I have control over activity and see how big duck reacts. What age have you introduced young ducks to flock? Thanks in advance.
I haven't introduced young'uns, but when we brought Shelly and Romy home, we set up a "room" attached to the runners' pen so they could spend the night next to each other with a fence separating them. The next day they had supervised face to face time, and within a few days, they were all together.
Last year when my runner ducks were old enough not to need heat, I had them outside in a secure cage, my goose and my turkey tom spent 2 days chasing each other away from their cage. The third day I let them out of the cage and the goose adopted them, I of course, was there keeping an eye out, but from them on until this year when she started laying eggs again, those ducks were hers and she protected them well. She even kept the other geese away from them.
