Mixed brooding of multiple ducklings ages, is it possible?

[Heartsopenwide]

Brooding ducklings . How far apart in age can you brood ducklings? I got ducks 6/2/23. Three didn't make it the first 48hrs. The hatchery can't send replacements until next week. Can they be in the same brooder as my first ducks? I have only brooded chicks before, and avoid more than 2 weeks apart...but have read that the "pecking order" isn't as bad with ducks.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I would probably brood them separately initially. The bigger ones won't require the heat, and may trampled and make the little ones wet. After the smaller ones are done with extra heat you can probably start running them together.

 

[CoriM]

Due to a duckling passing in the first couple of days I ended up with ducklings two weeks apart this spring. The size difference was too great for them to be kept together. I finally combined them at 6 and 8 weeks and they after some initial squabbles between two of them, they were all good. It was a lot of extra work having two brooders, but better to keep them all safe.

 

[KCNC06]

I was just coming on to ask basically this same question. I feel like I should know the answer because I went through this back in 2019 but the ol' memory isn't great.
I had two ducklings hatch last week (July 8 & 9), then another hatched yesterday (July 16). Back in 2019 I had 20-something ducklings hatch between the end of July through the end of August. Once the new ones got stable on their feet they joined the older babies and everyone got along. Today I tried introducing the week old ducklings (Screamy and Beaky) to the new one. Screamy shakey neck pounces on the new duckling every chance he gets. Beaky doesn't seem to have any objections to the new duckling. I don't understand why Screamy keeps attacking the new baby. I'm hoping he gets over this behavior soon. Having two separate brooders isn't really an option. I have two more eggs in the incubator that are working on hatching. I noticed them pecking at their air cell membrane a couple days ago but I don't think they've made the internal pip yet.

Pics are Screamy and Beaky snuggling and new baby.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Precious babies.. Okay use one brooder and place the young one on one side the other two on the other place a piece of hardware cloth between them I wrapped tape around the edges so no one would get stuck by the wire.
actually @cheezenkwackers has her brooder set up like this for her 2.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/do-i-get-pickles-a-friend.1587286/ if you start at the beginning it's a great read but also shows you how she set her brooder up for an older duckling and a newbie.

 

[KCNC06]

Precious babies.. Okay use one brooder and place the young one on one side the other two on the other place a piece of hardware cloth between them I wrapped tape around the edges so no one would get stuck by the wire.
actually @cheezenkwackers has her brooder set up like this for her 2.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/do-i-get-pickles-a-friend.1587286/ if you start at the beginning it's a great read but also shows you how she set her brooder up for an older duckling and a newbie.

Yup, definitely a memory fail! This is exactly what I did back in 2019! I completely forgot about the brooder I used back then.
Thanks!

 

[Miss Lydia]

2019 was many moons ago lol

 

[KCNC06]

2019 was many moons ago lol

One of my super powers is forgetting things.

 

[CayugaMum]

I had only 1 duck hatch that was on it's own, and then 2 others hatched 2 weeks later from a different batch. They went into different brooders initially and they were still able to see each other, which was important socially for the solo one.

Once the first one was too big to spend the day in a brooder, and didn't need the heat lamp during the day, it moved to a puppy play pen (about 2m x 2m) during the day and back into the brooder at night with the lamp (it's winter here). Once the other two started to get too big as well, they joined the original in the play pen. There was a bit of pecking initially by the oldest, but that has mostly settled and they all get along now. They spend days in the pen and nights in their respective brooders. All 3 wouldn't fit in one brooder at their current sizes.

When they move outside they will be with 2 adult muscovy ladies (who hatched the first one). They seem curious about the young ones so fingers crossed they all get along then too!