Introducing Ducklings To The Flock

[Patchesnposies]

Hello All!

I have a month old duckling, a two week old duckling and two babies that were born a week ago. We incubated them all. The two oldest are in a brooder together and the babies are together, all are inside the house.

Eventually they will be big birds and I will want to put them outside.

How do I minimize the pecking order thing and keep them from being picked on?

Once they are feathered out can they stay out all night? They've been pretty pampered so far!

Thanks for any and all advice,

Deb

 

[cayuga26]

well I dont have alot of experience with introducing new ducks but from what i have seen from this past year it is probably a good idea to do the following:

1. Wait untill the ducklings are fully feathered and better yet fully grown before introducing them to any adult drakes (cant say about female's)

2. Keep the ducklings in an adjacent pen (no more than a foot or two between the two pens) if possible for a couple of weeks to let them get familiar with each other.

Other than that I cant make to much coment but the older they are the better they will be at holding there own. Oh and I would like to mention this is for confined (duck tractor) type housing, free range would probably be alot different since the young could get away from the adults alot easier.

 

[chickmommar]

Generally, while young, the ducklings will all get along together. So if you have just these guys, I'd try to keep them as much together as possible. For example, I'd have the 2 older and 2 younger as close together as you can while keeping the littlest from getting stepped on by the big one's flappy feet. So if you can have the little ones in a protected part of the area the bigger ones are in, they can constantly be in contact so they will know they are all pals from the start. For example, we've sometimes put young ones in little penned off area or a cage inside the pen or area the others are in. If you have adult ducks that you want to introduce these guys too, then I agree with the advice already provided, that you want to wait until they are feathered out and maybe 1.5-2 months old so they will be big enough to stand up to the adults. Again, though I do a pen where the big ones can come by and chat through the wire with the younger penned guys. They will fight a bit through the wire and when this stops, you can start trying to put them together while you're around to supervise and intervene if necessary. Best of luck.

 

[Patchesnposies]

Thank you both for the wonderful advice. I will do as you say when it comes time to put them with the others outdoors. Today for the first time all of the four babies went swimming in the tub together and did great.

They sure are a lot of fun aren't they?

Deb

 

[SunAngel]

I have gotten several pairs of ducks over the course of the Summer and had to integrate them all with my original pair of Black Swedish.

After keeping them separated long enough to make sure the new ones were healthy, I would put them in the duck pen either the night before or early in the morning, so the ducks I already have could hear them and see them through the hole by their door. Then when it was time to let my ducks out of their coop, they would run out and jibber jabber at the new ducks. All the ducks would touch each other, walk around and then go off about their business..eating, swimming and finding whatever it is they look for lol.

The only ducks I ever had a problem with were Call ducks, and they didn't stay here very long.

 

[Sugar Sand Farm]

When we rescued two Khaki Campbells we put them in with our Peking girls they did fine no fighting whatso ever. Then my daughter got 4 moe Khaki Campbell mixes they were fine as well. When someone gave my DH a pair of Mallards we put them in with the girls. The only problem we had was Donald chasing the girls around and around. It was so funny, he had never had a pool and the girls would go into the pool and he would circle it trying to get them. Now he leads the girls just like they were always together. We recently had one egg hatch and the duckling stayed with its mother again no problems Mama made sure noone bothered him.
They don't seem to peck each other like chickens

 

[Ducklove334]

I have always just thrown ducks together

, when i got my three call duck drakes, they went right in with the others, the other ducks were actually afraid of the calls..for about a day, and now they're all one big happy family, the ducks all accepted the muscovy ducklings after a few hours,

but all ducks are different.

 

[Patchesnposies]

Thanks to all who shared their stories!

Even here in southern NM it is getting cold at night, so I am keeping all of the babies inside until they are fully feathered.

The kids and I will take them outside and introduce them to the others and bring them back inside for the night. If there is any trouble, I will put a pen out for the littlest ones to stay in at first and let everyone get used to each other.

From the sounds of it, though, Duckies are bit more laid back than geese or chickens!

Thanks again everyone!

Deb