Introducing young ducks to the rest of the flock

[LuckyDucky4]

I was just wondering what a safe age would be to introduce my 4 female Welsh Harlequins to the rest of the flock? They are 9 weeks old... and I am so ready to get them out of the house

The flock I will be adding them to has 3 drakes and 6 females. They have met through the fence, and no one really seemed to pay much attention to the new ones, but does anyone have any idea at what age they reach maturity? I don't want the Harlequin's to meet the boys if they are still too young.

Here's a picture of them that was taken 2 weeks ago

 

[Amiga]

Take a deep breath.

They are beautiful! And, I think, too young to be left unattended with the older ducks.

Can you split the shelter with temporary fence? They need to be safe, as you know, but sometimes side-by-side helps integrate them with the flock.

I think they could get hurt if you rush it.

 

[Amiga]

It's definitely work to have them in the house, but my inner nine year old was thrilled

My outer over-fifty-year-old does not miss brooder maintenance. I used to refer to myself as the charwoman.

 

[babynuts43]

I have several "sets" of ducks: 3 ducks in 2 sets, 2 in 1 set, 4 in 1 set, and the newest having 8 (I say sets, it is actually each group as we got or hatched them) ranging from 3 years old to a little over a month old. All free range during the day and go into their own enclosures at night (keeps the arguing down

). The 8 babies aren't old enough to let out yet, so during the day I let them out in the enclosure that encompasses all of the houses while the adults run free. This allows all to see each other but not get to each other. Once the babies are fully fledged and bigger, I will let them out supervised for short periods of time to make sure no one gets too nasty. This is how I've done it with all of my sets and I have never (knock on wood) had anyone hurt. And although they all run free, they stay in their sets pretty much all the time except for the "I need me some strange" moments my drakes have (each set has 1 drake). I usually keep babies in the house taking them out in a pen for acclimation periods but we put this set out in a house at a little over a week so they get this acclimation time all day. I only have one adult who pays them much attention...Dod (a drake, of course) likes to run at the pen at times to let them know he is the jerk he is

Don't know the sec of the new 8 but will only keep 1 drake, and that's going to be a tough one since I hate to let any go. I've been lucky so far that there's only been 1 and I haven't had to choose!

 

[Amiga]

Bumping this one. Our 4 female ducklings are now in our shed in a 6 ft. pool. This isn't ideal, but keeps our house from smelling all the time and keeps the new ducklings safe. They're going to be 2 months old this week. I have a pen made of hog paneling and a large gate with lattice zip-tied to it for the large ducks attached to their house. If they were determined, they could probably squeeze under the house and maaaaaybe make it out the other side (it's on a slant).

Should I let the little ducks out during the day while we're gone and keep the big ones in the pen? I let the 4 new girls out with our only adult girl on Saturday, and she really wanted nothing to do with them. Wouldn't eat their food, wouldn't swim in the pool (that she loves!) after they'd been in it, walked away from them when they approached. She wanted to be back with the other two guys she grew up with in the pen. I thought "well, maybe they'll all act like that." Nope, that was a 30 second test. As soon as one drake went after a small one and pulled at her feathers as she ran I separated them again.

Just FYI, when we get up around 6:30am the big ones (6 1/2 mos) get free range of the whole yard. Around 6:00pm, they go in the pen so the dog can go outside and roam the yard as his own (and can't eat their food, it's in the pen.) Then they go in the house around 8:45pm. The little ones stay in the shed all day and night during the week. I feel bad because I think the others were out in the yard by now (during the day).

My feeling is that keeping them safe is the most important thing. Ducklings will get themselves into trouble, squeezing through gaps and trapping themselves.

 

[quackquackduck]

Thank you, you have both helped me decide on how to proceed. My month old ducks are already 18" tall and the newby wouldn't stand a chance. I will do the chicken wire to keep them seperated and let them have supervised get togethers.

 

[LuckyDucky4]

Thanks Amiga, I think they are beautiful too

I'm thinking what I might do since they are still too young is put them out in the barn in a stall during the day and bring them in at night, or since I do have a divider for the duckhouse, I guess for night time I could put them out in the duckhouse with the divider (then at least that way they are out of the spare room!!). They have met my older ducks through a chain link fence already and no one seems to really pay any attention to them. Do you have any idea at what age they will be mature enough to deal with the drakes? I have looked all over and all I can find is at what age they start to lay..
Thanks for the reply!

 

[Amiga]

I would start serious introductions after they reach maturity - laying age - maybe plus a week or three. Even when they reach that point where they look close to full grown, there's a lot of internal development still going on, including hormones, and I would try to give them as much of an edge as I could.

Just make sure, if you put them in with a divider (ready for the worrywart that I am??) that the others absolutely cannot get at the younger ducks. I have had Bean wriggle through the tiniest little gap to get at Romy in the night shelter. A determined drake is going to find any chink in the armor and exploit it. And if it's in an outbuilding, you won't know there's trouble till it's too late.

Can you borrow or otherwise obtain a large dog crate? I have one and it's a real blessing.

I can fit it into the night shelter easily if I have just one or two who need to be separate overnight.

 

[Amiga]

And remember, our runners were in the spare bedroom for three months. I understand about ducks in the house.

 

[LuckyDucky4]

Ugh, 3 months in the house!! But I guess when I think about it I am half way there. I do have a large dog crate that I picked up at a yard sale a few weeks back. It would be ok for a couple ducks, but I'm not sure I would want to cram all 4 of them in it for long. The divider I have for the duckhouse is made of the plastic hardware cloth and is about 3 feet high. None of my ducks are flyers, but you're right I don't think I should chance it in case someone does happen to get over it. Ok, so it's looking like the barn during the day and in the house at night for another month or so. Lol, but on the bright side of that, Lacey who we call the "couch duck" loves to come downstairs and cuddle and watch TV with us every night...she loves the attention! I never would of thought!! So we will at least get to enjoy that for a while longer Thanks for your thoughts, good advice as usual