Introducing lone month old duckling - do now/once feathered, or wait for new babies?

[Trisseh]

Hello all! Lots of threads about introducing ducklings to adults, or to same-age ducklings, but I have a little different situation with my month old runner duckling. She was the lone hatchling, and there were no ducklings available anywhere nearby when I hatched her - still none! I have 2 adult females, and a small batch of eggs in the incubator that are due to hatch next Friday. I will be keeping only one of these ducklings that hatch. Currently this duckling has been living in a brooder in my bedroom, and is very attached to me, and to a pair of fuzzy socks.
We have had some socialization with the big girls through a pen fence, she has spent a few afternoons in a secure pen where they could see each other but not get hurt. They also are all fine together in the yard if I am there, but this duckling follows me everywhere and tends to avoid the big girls. The big girls are pretty good with her; the one thinks she’s scary and stays away, and the other talks quietly to her and will sidle up and watch her. This second bird had tried to sumo wrestle the first time she saw the duckling so not comfortable leaving them alone.

so my question:

do I transition this duckling on her own to being with the big girls and brood the next bunch together, then introduce the one I’m keeping later? Or do I keep this lone (giant!) duckling back, brood all of the littles with her, and then transition her and the one I’m keeping together? The temps have been relatively cool at night here and I didn’t want to leave a single duckling, even with a heat source, alone in a pen outside.

do I need to worry about a duckling this size crushing the littles? Beating them up? Keeping them from food and water? She seems to be a relatively passive bird but who knows. Any thoughts would be appreciated! I haven’t had to deal with a single baby before, always groups, so not sure where to go from here.

 

[NatJ]

I don't know much about ducks, so take my suggestions and comments with a grain of salt...

I would put this loner in with the babies. Not the first day, unless you divide the brooder so she can see the babies but not step on them while they're learning to walk.

But by the time the babies are a few days or a week old, I would assume that this one should be OK with them.

Since she relates more to you than to the big ducks, it would probably be easier for her to get used to new littles while living near you.

Usually when introducing chickens (or ducks, I would assume) you have to watch out for whether the big group picks on the smaller group (either kind of big: physically big individuals, or group with more members). But a "group" of one big duck combined with several smaller ones will help equalize things a bit--she's larger, they're more numerous. If you put your loner in with the adults, she will be both younger/smaller and also fewer in numbers, so a doubly difficult situation for her.