New Baby Ducks!!

[Nimure]

We have 4 chicks and put the 2 ducks out with them in an enclosed area. The chickens are a bit brazen and run right up to the ducks. I think the alpha duck was afraid so started pecking at them. Maybe roach is a male. Mine seem to be doing a bit better, we are on the 4th day of doing socializing together. They are all the same age, the ducks and the chicks, although the ducks are twice the size of the chicks!
My biggest challenge will be integrating them with the grown chickens and goose.

I still haven't found a baby pool or a turtle either.

Roach has been quacking so I’m thinking it might be a female. But I didn’t ask if they were sexed when I got them who knows It doesn’t appear to be a mating related behavior. Just like Roach is trying to eat them. Heh. The chicks are much younger and smaller than the ducks. They were hatched on the 20th, so just over 2 weeks, where as the duck trio have been with us since April 1st. Not sure how old when I got them in store, my best guess is a few days to a week old. They’re growing wing feathers now and the majority of their body feathers are in (still patchy in a few places like necks, heads, and backs.

I’ll keep trying to socialize (supervised for now). The chicks have wings and tail feathers and will be outgrowing the brooder soon. Just gotta hope Roach learns to play nicely. My sweet problem child haha.

 

[Nimure]

Roach helped me befriend a wild female mallard today! She’s been coming down our creek daily, and today she saw me feeding Roach and came over to visit. Tossed her a bit of feed, but she was too skittish to get closer than 2-3ft from me. I hope she sticks around.

Seeing the two together, I’m thinking Roach is probably for sure a Rouen and not a mallard after all. Roach is MUCH larger than the female mallard, despite having more mallard markings as a duckling.

 

[hayley3]

He's a beauty.
I'm loving my ducks, they are so entertaining.

 

[Nimure]

It’s been a while since I updated.

Ducks are outside every day. Nanner, the pekin, reached 8 weeks and became a lovely meal for the household.

The other two ducks are still around. They are still friends with creek duck. She even brought some boyfriends by the other week. Roach is officially a boy, as I realized he is getting his adult male plumage.

Since Roach and Batman are both boys as far as we can tell via voice and plumage I’m not sure what we’ll do with them. The plan had been to eat any male ducks, but one does tend to grow attached to them. At the same time I’d like to start over with a group of mallards to raise.

Either way, Roach won’t be big enough to eat for a while based on what I’ve read about rouen ducks, so I guess I have time to make up my mind.