Introducing ducklings to adult ducks help!

[Missyyann]

Hey friends I’ve posted in here before about having ducklings and about my ducks also having bumble foot (I cured it thanks to the advice)

Currently we have 4 babies and mom locked in the back of our coop. 4 ducks locked in the front. It’s a bit chaotic and hard to clean. I went out of town yesterday and came back today, looks like the gate knocked down and all ducks were together. No one died but two of my adult females were terrorizing the baby ducklings. They are separated again. When is a good time for everyone to coexis? We are rehoming two ducklings next week so we will have 5 adults two babies. They are shy of 3 weeks old at the moment. Would love to pick everyone’s brains!

 

[ducklvr3]

We waited to put our two baby ducks in the pen with their momma until they were a little over a month.
The two ducklings wanted to snuggle with their mawmaw and would chase her.
She would run away in the pen and stick her wing through her pen!

It scared me that she would get hurt.
But it only last a few minuted for a couple of nights in the pen.

Before we did lock them in the pen together, we watched them outside.

The three ducklings were a month and half.
Mawmaw is one year.
We had to get rid of the pekin dad.
Our ducklings were a 1/3 her size.

 

[Duckworth]

You can start having closely supervised time together, but until your ducklings are bigger, they will be very vulnerable to being picked on and possibly injured. A look—don’t touch” setup will help them get used to each other when you can’t supervise closely without the risks. Once you see them getting along well during supervised time together, you can gradually extend the time and lessen the supervision as you see everyone acting safely toward each other.

 

[Miss Lydia]

I am doing that now an have been for many weeks taking my Runner ducklings out so they can all be around each other watching to make sure no one tries to hurt them. So far it’s going well. I have a few adults that want to pick but the ducklings are now old enough to stay out of their way at 4-5-8 weeks old so you can either put mom and ducklings-in a fenced area close to everyone and let everyone meet an greet that way or go out many times a day and let everyone be together and get use to each other with supervision. I still don’t leave my ducklings alone with everyone I supervise an if I can’t watch they go in their own pen. I maybe over protective but this works for me. What is your breed?

 

[Missyyann]

my khaki Campbell females are my problem mainly everyone else doesn’t mind the babies. Oddly every duck had a baby so funny. Current set up is this-

2 adult khaki Campbell’s
1 Rouen drake
1 older Cayuga
1 runner fawn (momma)

Babies
2 khaki Campbell/Rouen
1 runner/Rouen
1 Cayuga/Rouen

We will be rehoming my Campbell babies next week so left with the runner and Cayuga babies.

 

[Missyyann]

Honestly guys this is horrible my khaki Campbell’s lay amazing eggs but they are definitely my least favorites at times. They are loud and mean to other animals and ducks I don’t see them not picking on the babies for a long while would you say babies at 1-2 months can protect themselves more? It’s really becoming daily maintenance because the adults are in such a small area then before

 

[Miss Lydia]

That’s the problem having them confined creates more time to pick on each other. Can you not let them all out in a larger area

 

[Miss Lydia]

My oldest are 8 weeks all Runners I will split my flock and let my ducklings be with all but my geese if I can’t be out my geese are not with the duckling they haven’t hurt them but the ducklings are scared of them so I would rather go about it slow than toss everyone together and let them work it out. I’ve never had KC so really don’t know their temperament but others on here have them hopefully some can offer advise. If your not enjoying your KC then by all means rehome.

 

[Missyyann]

The total space is large but we have predators so I’m a tad worried about them in my backyard. Maybe I’ll have to do supervised visits with everyone roaming and see how that plays out. They are our egg supply and I do love my girls but I may rehome them if they continue to be a problem. I think it’s just the pecking order working itself out. If it was larger like it was originally they should be fine

 

[Missyyann]

With two ducklings leaving it may ease the other females too less competition