Mixing new ducklings with older ducks? *Update #13*

[duckface]

 

[LilRalphieRoosmama]

OK OK - I'm going!

 

[LilRalphieRoosmama]

Well, so far so good. The little ones haven't come out of the pen yet but the big ones have gone in and taken over their water tub (even though they have their own!) The hens are ok with them but the drakes keep trying to nip at them and are chasing them around the pen. I'm watching but not intervening; I know they have to sort things out.

As I type/watch, it is getting a little better. The babies aren't running and hiding anymore but they aren't co-mingling.

 

[LilRalphieRoosmama]

This is quite a reversal...the big ducks are in and the little ducks are out! I watched a hen go after the babies too with her head down but she didn't try to nip - looked like she wanted to sit on them!

 

[rainplace]

haha... ducks are so funny.

 

[Soccer Mom]

Looks like it is going well!

Isn't that always the way? The ones who were outside want in. The ones who were inside want out. Ducks!

 

[shelleyd2008]

Honestly, they probably won't ever integrate.

I have 4 ducks that I bought last summer, all turned out to be drakes; I then bought 4 ducks to go with them; A friend of mine 'donated' a drake (only duck she had left after her dogs got done); I bought a pair of cayugas; I hatched 2 pekins (one male, one female), I hatched some cayugas and bought some rouens; I traded some chickens for some other rouens. The youngest are the rouens and cayugas, which are about a month younger than the pekins I hatched.

The way they are grouped is like this:

The first 4 are still together, plus one of the ducks I bought to go with them (only duck left from that group);
The cayugas and the drake my friend donated are another group.
The pekins I hatched are another group, and they have adopted 2 younger pekin ducks that we bought. One of the month-younger rouens I bought is with them, cause she is the only one left from the cayuga/rouen group.
I have 2 cayuga ducks that I hatched, and they hang out with the goose they were raised with.

The cayugas I hatched and the rouens I bought (3 total) were all in their own little group until there was only one left.

So they will probably never integrate, but will tolerate each other. Sorry if this looks like a bunch of jumbled mess, but at least I know what I'm saying

 

[LilRalphieRoosmama]

I understood perfectly! Everything went fine yesterday but I am going to have to watch the little ones to make sure they get to eat. When I let everyone out this morning and put the feed down, the big ducks hogged it. I had to shoosh them away and stood there while the little ones ate. The little ones are able to follow the big ones around but they are always on guard.

Otherwise, I'm very happy with the smooth transition. Whew!

 

[duckface]

Otherwise, I'm very happy with the smooth transition. Whew!

Yay! I'm going to be doing the same thing soon. My new ones won't be as young as your little ones, but just the same I was curious to see how it all unfolded.

 

[LilRalphieRoosmama]

Good luck! Hope yours goes as well! There is one thing that I noticed that really surprised me, and that's the ducks vs. the chickens. The chickens are actually afraid of the ducks, even the little ducklings! If the chickens are at the feeder and the ducks/ducklings walk to it, the chickens walk away. I've even see the big ducks snap at the chickens - the rooster too! I was worried about it being the other way around but no worries there.