my ducks are very timid

Younger

Chirping
6 Years
Mar 4, 2013
240
14
98
Hamilton, Ontario Canada
Hi all
I am very new to this and just want to make sure I am doing everything right. Please bare with the questions. LOL I have three new ducklings (2 Pekin and 1 Rouen) that are about 5 days old now. They eat, drink and move around the brooder well but when I go near them they head for a corner and cover their heads. I talk softly a few times a day to them and change their water twice a day. I put them in the sink today with warm water and all they did was try to get out and herd together. Tonight, as I was settling them I tried putting my hand in gently to the brooder with some mashed banana on it. They just scrambled and never looked up. My chicks, which are beside them and the same age are eating crumble off my hands and chirping when I start talking to them. The ducks are so cute. I don't want them to be afraid of me. Is this normal?
thanks
 
Totally, keep trying and food, food and more food. My 6wk olds are getting so bad if i go in near them with anything in my hands they think i have their lettuce/peas
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and my ducks in general are not super tame, as they are for pest control, i don't need them(nor want ) in my pocket.
 
When my Ducks were little They were very skittish, but now they're almost too friendly.
I think the way to any animals heart is through their stomach.
When mine were old enough I would hand feed them peas every day and that got them pretty tame pretty fast.
I tried to pick them up and hold them for a while at least once a day.
Also talking to them whenever you walk past them and as much as you can.
Staring at or walking around animals silently could be frightening to them because they might think you are a predator sneaking up to them.
 
Ok Thanks
I read to throw squished thawed frozen peas into their bath water to keep them busy? At what age are they ready for treats? I find the info on this site very helpful but for a newcomer I find it overwhelming due to the sheer volume. LOL
 
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I have always found ducks to be timid especially in the larger groups as duckies but later I will upload to my album some pictures of my nine little pekins on the pond for the second time ( I didn't have my camera yesterday) and you will see that they will flock around my feet in the pond ( which at this time of the year, what with all the rain is positively brown) and now they follow me pretty nicely when they are out. If I try to touch them with my hands though, they run away and don't like attention the same as all my other ducks but in time they will come to accept you as something to put up with and not to worry about too much. On the other hand, I have heard of VERY amiable ducks. I have definitely tried to make firm friends but to no avail. They respect me and I respect them but further than that there is little room in their minds for me....until I come along with a bucket!
bow.gif
 
Miss Lydia you are a life saver. Thank you so much for the bookmark. The one great thing I have found about this website is that everyone is wiling to help each other. Where else is that happening in the world right now?
Reading through the hundreds of links and threads, (I feel like I am glued to the this website) the knowledge displayed is phenomenal. You are an angel, you and many others jump in anytime one of us newbies has a question.
Thank you for your time and knowledge.
 
I have always found ducks to be timid especially in the larger groups as duckies but later I will upload to my album some pictures of my nine little pekins on the pond for the second time ( I didn't have my camera yesterday) and you will see that they will flock around my feet in the pond ( which at this time of the year, what with all the rain is positively brown) and now they follow me pretty nicely when they are out. If I try to touch them with my hands though, they run away and don't like attention the same as all my other ducks but in time they will come to accept you as something to put up with and not to worry about too much. On the other hand, I have heard of VERY amiable ducks. I have definitely tried to make firm friends but to no avail. They respect me and I respect them but further than that there is little room in their minds for me....until I come along with a bucket!
bow.gif
Yep and any bucket will do it seems.
lol.png
 
Miss Lydia you are a life saver. Thank you so much for the bookmark. The one great thing I have found about this website is that everyone is wiling to help each other. Where else is that happening in the world right now?
Reading through the hundreds of links and threads, (I feel like I am glued to the this website) the knowledge displayed is phenomenal. You are an angel, you and many others jump in anytime one of us newbies has a question.
Thank you for your time and knowledge.
Younger when I started out with ducks 9yrs ago I didn't even have a computer but I did go to a book store and found Storey's Guide to Raising Ducks by Dave Holderread, so thank goodness I was able to find info, but so much easier to come on line, I still recommend anyone raising ducks to get the book though. You are just the kind of person we enjoy helping.
 

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