mixing 6 week old ducklings with their parents??

[chickenlisa]

I've got 5 ducklings that I hatched in my bator, and they are 6 weeks old now (getting very big fast!) and are in the duck pen, but separated by a chicken wire fence from their parents. They have shelter and their own food and water, but can I safely let them out into the main pen and mix with their parents? Should I take out the separating wall or just open it up a bit to let them come out and go back in? They are scaredy cats even though we held them alot when they were little and in the brooder box...Help please? They don't know the adults are their parents and the parents don't know the young ones are their babies,( I think anyways...) Also one of the adult ducks is sitting on 5 new eggs and is into her 2nd week with them. What do I do, when and how long will it take to get them all mixed together?
Lisa

 

[DuckLady]

You can try short supervised "mingle" time. If any serious fights break out you can separate them again, but at 6 weeks, theyare almost full grown and should be able to hold their own in any pecking order squabbles.

 

[Struttn1]

The parents are not going to recognize them as their long lost kids. They will recognize them as strange intruders and may treat them as such or they may accept them as part of the flock. Proceed with caution and be ready to intervene if trouble starts brewing.