Introducing ducklings into flock.

[willy3486]

I have a duck that hatched four ducklings a few weeks ago. After the four were born she wasn't on the nest much. So to see if I could save the others I took the eggs and put them in a incubator. About a week later the eggs I had started to hatch. One would hatch a day until I had seven new ones. I will have seven new ones to come from a hatchery next week. I had ordered those months ago before the duck even nested.

With that said will the original ducks in my duck yard take to the new ones that are not their offspring? Will they take with their offspring I have been raising? At what age should I put them together? As of now all the water they have access to is their drinking water. At what point can I allow the ducklings on a small pond thats about 6x20? I had six last year that I allowed to get to water in a wading pool and two died. I had a block in the water that they could have gotten out of but for some reason they didn't. So I don't want to have that to happen again.

 

[DuckyDonna]

Having runners who are not broody at all I can't answer that but @Miss Lydia can.

 

[Miss Lydia]

I started my wee Runner ducklings in a small dish tub from there they went to cat litter box and at 3 weeks my husband made a ramp so they could go into the smaller kiddy pool they will be 5 weeks tomorrow and I still haven’t filled up the large kiddy pool since last year 4 of my Runner duckling got in it and couldn’t get out even though there was a way out just like yours I was able to get them out with out losing any of them, so I am thinking they may graduate to the large one at 8 weeks. Mama Runners will not see other ducklings as theirs if she didn’t hatch them. I’d defiantly take them out side as often as you can so everyone can be around your little ones but I’d wait till at least 5-6 weeks before they don’t need supervision. How many drakes do you have? I have 2 Runner drakes and 1 Muscovy they all have been great with the little ones but for sleeping the 2 Littles have their own “bedroom” inside the coop where everyone sleeps because I don’t want any problems that can occur with drakes and ducklings. Your 14 will make their own flock but I can tell you from experience Runners are very accepting of any new Runners they just need to get use to each other first. I have 11 Runners all together and all my young ones have always been accepted in the fold. Can we see pictures?

 

[willy3486]

The ones outside are the oldest, they were born around the first of June while the ones in the container started breaking out of the eggs about 10 days ago. Then every day another was born for 7 days.

 

[Miss Lydia]

They are beautiful!! That’s amazing you had one hatch over 7 days . Why do you think that was?

 

[Miss Lydia]

Are you in the USA?

 

[willy3486]

I think the reason one hatched each day is another duck was laying on the nest area as well. She continued to lay. When the one duck left the nest there was probably 20 eggs there. I candled the eggs and only about 10 looked like they had a duckling. The other 10 were bad from rolling off the nest or getting cold I presume. As far as location I am in Middle Tennessee.