Introducing ducklings

[weebles&wobblesmom]

Ok. Right now I have a 6 week old, a 2 weekold (almost) and 5 4 day old Pekin ducklings. I know that I can't put the younger ones with the 6 week old yet because of the size, but when I introduced the 2 week old to the 4 day old, he got pushy. At first he was afraid of them and jumped up on my legs, but when they started playing, he suddenly jumped down and started pushing them with his chest. He only used his mouth a couple of times.

Should I just keep putting them together every day so they learn to get along? I do NOT leave them alone at any point. I should mention that the 2 week old is in with chicks right now.

Our 6 week old is also in the same room but she is actually in our bath tub or on her "deck". She doesn't seem to care 1 way or another. Although at 1 point I thought she was going to jump down. that's when I put the babies back because by myself, I would not have been able to handle all of them at once if a fight should break out.

Anyway, again, should I just keep putting them younger ones together and see if they get along? I thought about putting the 2 week in with same container as the 4 day olds but I didnt want to take a chance. There is not much size differance.

They're all gonna have to live "happily ever after" together when they get older.

 

[julie75]

I think your doing the correct thing. Just keep letting them have play dates and getting use to each other. Eventually they will be ok together. As your ducks continue to grow they will be able to protect themselves better. After a while you may still see a little dominance at times but ususally by that time they are trying to figure out their "pecking" order. Are your brooders set-up where they can hear and see each other all the time? That is another good way to get them familiar with each other.

 

[weebles&wobblesmom]

Actually I have the "oldest" duck (6 week old) in a rabbit hutch in 1 room, the 2 week old is in another room with chicks and then the newest ones are in another room. I didn't have enough space to put them all in the same room. That's 1 reason I bring all the ducklings into the bathroom to play together.Then they can have a small pan of water as well and my oldest duck can see them and hopefully get use to having noisy littler ones around.

I told my husband that our 6 week old thinks he's a person because he was raised alone and our 2 week old is gonna think it's a chicken because it's in a brooder with all chicks....LOL

My flock is getting big. I HAVE to stop being such a sucker when people don't pick up the chicks that they ordered from the farm store I work at. We went from having to build a small coop to having to build a mansion......LOL

I now have 10 barred rock, 5 white rock, 5 polish somethings, 6 booted bantams, 7 Pekins and 2 runners, oh and 2 cornish cross. The only ones I actually ordered were 6 barred rock and 1 pekin. The rest was either given to me because they weren't suppose to live or people didnt pick them up and we had to get them out of the store. I also had 5 rhode isand reds but my in laws took those.

Gonna be set for life as far as eggs go.

Thank you for the advice. Wish me luck on getting everyone to get along....

 

[PlumTuckered]

I agree with Julie.
I've got 7 grown ducks and I've got 6 Muscovy ducklings that are six weeks old. I have the ducklings in a day pen outside in the yard, my grown ducks free range during the day. Each evening when my grown ducks come up to be locked in the big pen I get either my 2 yr old pekin hen and give her 15-20 minutes with the ducklings. I've done this 4 evenings in a row now. My Pekin Hen is the gentlest of all my ducks and she handles the babies really well. In a couple of weeks I'll move the old duck house back into the duck pen and seperate half of the pen with a wall of chicken wire then move the ducklings in there. Once the ducklings are fully feathered and bigger in size I'll remove the partition and let them all get to know each other. This is how I've introduced ducklings to grown ducks for the past 4 years and it always works quite well. Watching them establish a pecking order is hard, I constantly want to run and pick a baby/teen up and it drives my Husband nuts LOL He believes I should just put the babies with the big ones free ranging right now...nope no way, not gonna happen. They are perfect size for Hawks to grab and I'm not going to let that happen.

Michelle

 

[weebles&wobblesmom]

LOL Michelle, You sound like me. The 2 cornish cross I have were not suppose to live when I brought them home and everyone says that they will not live long because they get big and you're suppose to eat them or they die from being too big. I can't bring myself to do that let alone just throw all my chicks and ducklings together and watch them pick on each other.

My kids are both grown and out of the house, so I guess my animals (dogs, cats, horses and birds) have become my "kids".

Thanks again for the advice. I figured they were probably like the dogs I foster. have to seperate them and introduce them slowly.

 

[PlumTuckered]

Same here, my kids are all grown and have families of their own now. My Ducks are my "babies" , then I also have Chickens, HOrses, Dogs , Cats and Turkeys. I love all of my critters but the ducks are at the top of the list. I told my Husband that if I could only pick one species for a pet it would be ducks. I spend most of my time with my animals and talk to them all as if they understand me...makes all of the family chuckle but I don't mind a bit I wish I could talk my Husband into letting me get ducky diapers and having ducks in the house with me but he refuses to budge on that one. It took me almost a year to agree to Muscovies, he thinks they're ugly but to me they're the most beautiful and the sweetest.

Michelle

 

[weebles&wobblesmom]

LOL. you sound so much like me. I have anxioty attacks ALOT and my animals really help me through them. When I feel 1 coming on, I go and cuddle with my dogs or just talk to my flock.

We moved to a farm 9 years ago and it took me 8 years to talk my hubby into letting me get chickens. Of course I never thought I would end up with this many.

Our first pekin looked sick when he came to the farm store I work at, so instead of giving it to the person that ordered it, they sent it home with me. Not thinking it was going to live, we put off building a coop and fence. Now that its 6 weeks old, my husband lets him run around the house a few minutes, plus it gets the run of our bathroom and tub all day so its not cooped up in the rabbit hutch.

I'm still not sure if it's a male or female.

 

[Batty about Banties]

Quote:
Do you by chance have any pictures of your ducklings? I am not sure of the age of mine and would like to compare.