New duck in flock advice needed.

[Loopeend]

I finally got my long/wanted duck from Germany, to provide the Dutch community of fresh blood.

She is a beauty <3

She is the first duck we introduce we have a bit of problems with. And we are looking for advice.
She is raised different then previeuws ducks; not inside at birth, free-roaming with no shelters, and is quite scared of humans. She even hissed at us the first few days.
It is getting less, she stopped hissing, dares to come closer to us; but the last week see seems stagnant. If this keeps this way we have to sell her again.

She does not understand what the other ducks are doing it seems. We have a few differents coops and bath's (pond is closed now due to storm). The other ducks like to be in all these coops, the baths, and under this one small fallen down christmas three we left lying around since they like it so much. None of these things; she seem to get how to get in/under them!
As soon as the other's do, she can't find them and quacks A LOTT. For hours if needed untill they come out. She keeps us awake; but more important probably the neighbours.
There is nothing wrong with her that she couldn't do the same things as the other ducks; she apprently thinks she can not. Her legs are way taller the the others; but when it comes at stepping over something that the others easy can; she thinks she can not, loses them and start scream-quacking again.

We are a bit debating how to overcome this. She is not used to us enough to lure her in/on things with snacks. Maybe with time this will happen? But it is two weeks now that she doesn't understand how to get under a christmastree or in the coop where she has to bow her head a bit when entering. She also doesn't understand getting in a childrens bath while she can just literally step in it. We have to dig a hole in the ground to put it in so she can bathe.

We are debating about;
- waiting. Learning her first to trust us and eat snacks from us, so we can train her with snacks to learn that she can do these things. But the quacks...This would mean we have to let them sleep in the house at night to not disturb the neighbours. But that can lead to an unhygeanic situation for them and us.
- Putting her alone inside, seperating her from the group, again, untill she is used to us. We feel a bit that this is too late, since she already knows the rest. And the same not-so-hygenic situation applies. Also she will be alone, and in her coop full-time untill more used to us.
- Stripping everything from the garden. All bath's and coops and christmas tree. Starting just like with ducklings; 1 low inground tub, that we slowly raise, so they learn to use stairs a bit, and 1 coop. But the other ducks will probably not like it.
- Wait when the ducklings come out and are a few weeks old, and as soon as possible put her in kindergarten. So with the ducklings that have a different part of the yard where we learn them to swim/climb/being pickep up gradually. We previous had succes with this with an older duck; but that duck was only 4 weeks older and not 2 years. She will not be alone then, and learn slowly how to enter stuff. But in the mean time (a month) quacking will still be going on...
- On the last thing; what if we in the meantime find someone who has ducklings for sale (we are still looking for good blue ones) and we put her back inside; next to the ducklings but seperated in a way they still can see each other, removing the seperation when the duckling are old enough to not be able to be pecked to death? And keep her in the kintergarden-class from then untill everyone is introduced to the main flock?

Opinions welcomed

 

[PirateGirl]

Awe, the poor girl doesn't know how to be a duck. Ducks can be quite nervous when big changes like this happen and I think she will learn in time. Right now even though she is with the flock, she is not part of the flock. Is there a way you can divide off part of the area, or use the duckling area you speak of and put her in a smaller space with just two or three other females so they can get used to each other and she can get used to part of the space first. Sometimes once a duck is accepted by just a few of the others, once you put them ALL together things go a bit better. Do the ducks ever get locked in their houses? Perhaps if she spent the night locked in one of the houses every night for a week or so she would start to view it as a safe space and be more willing to go into it on her own at other times. I think all the new things are just a bit overwhelming for her right now. If there are ways that she can be exposed a little bit at a time it might help.

 

[Loopeend]

Awe, the poor girl doesn't know how to be a duck. Ducks can be quite nervous when big changes like this happen and I think she will learn in time. Right now even though she is with the flock, she is not part of the flock. Is there a way you can divide off part of the area, or use the duckling area you speak of and put her in a smaller space with just two or three other females so they can get used to each other and she can get used to part of the space first. Sometimes once a duck is accepted by just a few of the others, once you put them ALL together things go a bit better. Do the ducks ever get locked in their houses? Perhaps if she spent the night locked in one of the houses every night for a week or so she would start to view it as a safe space and be more willing to go into it on her own at other times. I think all the new things are just a bit overwhelming for her right now. If there are ways that she can be exposed a little bit at a time it might help.

Due to starting over; 'the flock' is now only two other females. They do not get locked inside at night. We have this space for young ducklings in the house; and due to bad hail-storms they were allowed to stay in it a couple of nights two weeks ago; which improved the relationship between the 3 massivly. They are a three-some now. Some-sort. She is accepted. But the being-scared-of-us and not understanding coops/baths sepperates her a lot from the other two that just go on with the daily usuals they are used to. Also withholding being a group; since she can't join in a lot of activities. The other two like to lay an egg in one of the coops or under the christmas tree; whenever they do she panicks because she 'lost' them. She can see them; but doesn't know how to join them. =/

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

It is very hard for Germans to learn the Dutch language! Words sound familiar but mean something entirely different. (And it is April the 1st…)
Seriously your ducks may speak a duck-dialect she has a hard time to understand. I saw that with my ducklings. They grew up as a group and developed their own form of communication and at first there was a lot of miscommunication between them and my older ducks. A tail wag or head bob at the wrong moment and a fight broke out. It is much better now (3 weeks later) and Nona, one of my Runners enjoys the company of my Buff-drake…
She need time to adjust. Ducks don't like new things and approach them very very cautious before accepting it - except for white tank ducks, they try to steam roll everything first, then eat it. And she is in a new environment where everything is new. She knows nothing now and has to learn how to get around like a little duckling, except her brain is not as flexible as a ducklings.
Does she like duck-crack? (meal-worms) - If yes, try to hand feed her together with the other ducks, so she learns to trust you and becomes accustomed to the others. Then slowly show her the places she needs to know, like the pool.
Ducks can become somewhat stubborn and unwilling to change, tried to do a favor to Limpy by replacing the »climb out rocks« with a beautiful and safe ramp. He refuses to use it, sits rasping in the pool and prefers to use his claws, wings and bill to drag himself out of the water. I'm not too far away to put the rocks back into the pool, but that will be a disappointment for the other ducks who love the ramp.
I would give the German lady some time, duck the neighbors, they make noise too! I wouldn't put her together with ducklings of any age right now, she is already stressed out and may snap with terrible consequences for the ducklings. If you have the time, just sit down with the ducks and a bag of meal-worms and throw them treats. Has always done the job for me.

 

[chickens really]

Hello...She will settle in but definitely will take time.
I got rescues that were so flighty they would bang around in the prefabs each time I fed. She now is fantastic and it took her weeks to understand her new way of life.

 

[Loopeend]

It is very hard for Germans to learn the Dutch language! Words sound familiar but mean something entirely different. (And it is April the 1st…)
Seriously your ducks may speak a duck-dialect she has a hard time to understand. I saw that with my ducklings. They grew up as a group and developed their own form of communication and at first there was a lot of miscommunication between them and my older ducks. A tail wag or head bob at the wrong moment and a fight broke out. It is much better now (3 weeks later) and Nona, one of my Runners enjoys the company of my Buff-drake…
She need time to adjust. Ducks don't like new things and approach them very very cautious before accepting it - except for white tank ducks, they try to steam roll everything first, then eat it. And she is in a new environment where everything is new. She knows nothing now and has to learn how to get around like a little duckling, except her brain is not as flexible as a ducklings.
Does she like duck-crack? (meal-worms) - If yes, try to hand feed her together with the other ducks, so she learns to trust you and becomes accustomed to the others. Then slowly show her the places she needs to know, like the pool.
Ducks can become somewhat stubborn and unwilling to change, tried to do a favor to Limpy by replacing the »climb out rocks« with a beautiful and safe ramp. He refuses to use it, sits rasping in the pool and prefers to use his claws, wings and bill to drag himself out of the water. I'm not too far away to put the rocks back into the pool, but that will be a disappointment for the other ducks who love the ramp.
I would give the German lady some time, duck the neighbors, they make noise too! I wouldn't put her together with ducklings of any age right now, she is already stressed out and may snap with terrible consequences for the ducklings. If you have the time, just sit down with the ducks and a bag of meal-worms and throw them treats. Has always done the job for me.

Hahaha!
I have been doing that; and that goes well. Any day now and she is eating out of my hand (cough, any week/month now..) but the shelter and bath's aaaargh! They are so far appart from climbing-skills. We can't just level our whole garden flat (allthough we are the flattest country on earth) just so she doesn't lose the rest. Unfortunately the others for example, easily jump on a 40 cm fence (much to my displeasement; I just build it to keep them out of the vegetable-garden two days ago...) and then she loses them again and panicks. She seems to lack any non-flat-stuff training and is now too scared to even try it. She also has a weird walk anyway. She likes to walk sideways in panick. Oooh. Is this silly; maybe make a low wooden ramp and lure them all over with snacks, and raise it bit by bit. Like how they train dogs/horses to walk over hurdles? Maybe also a giant hole in a shelf and make that smaller so she learns how to enter stuff where bowing the head a bit is needed? To learn her some more what she can do? I do not know if it is the new situation alone; she lived in a big free-roaming group (flat terrain with only a pond) over there; we might just accidentally picked out the most-self insecure duck there was haha. It was hard to tell their characters with a big group of all-black females now locked up and scared because we were coming over to buy one..
I rather do that, then removing everything for the ducks from the property because she does not know (yet) how to use it. =/ I have to get her to even try...

 

[Duckworth]

Poor new duck! She is having to adjust to a lot. Maybe removing just the Christmas tree or building up straw or dirt around the pool to make at least one thing seem less threatening to her while she acclimates. Is there a way to raise the height of the coop doorway, even temporarily?

 

[Loopeend]

Poor new duck! She is having to adjust to a lot. Maybe removing just the Christmas tree or building up straw or dirt around the pool to make at least one thing seem less threatening to her while she acclimates. Is there a way to raise the height of the coop doorway, even temporarily?

We are thinking about that. But on the other hand I suspect that the other available stuff just wouldn´t be used then. They have (hurray!) become a group now; resulting in that the other females also do not lay eggs anymore in coups, and don't use the baths anymore, the last two days. They are just laying around on tiles the whole day where the new duck feels the safest. So she is pulling the rest 'down'.
I think I am going to try the 'hurdle' thing. We have one part of the garden that is really narrow. I think I am going to build something there out of wood; luring them every day with mealworms to the other side; and slowly raise it higher. Like we do with ducklings. Hopefully getting her to get more accustemmed to what she is capable of doing. I can't unlearn the other ducks that are way shorter then her and have legs half of her legs to not jump on stuff with ease , where the smallest actually reaches with ease 1.20 cm =/ So she kinda hás to learn. And there is nothing wrong with her body that she couldn't. It seems she just doesn't know it yet. And the hurdles are too big now to just 'do it'.

 

[Loopeend]

SHE FINALLY STOPPED

I slept so much.

She still can't climb stuff though like the rest. And loses the others. But she has become feeling safe so she does not panick anymore. Often also wandering off alone from the group. No problemo.

Another problem arised; that is not really a problem, but I have to share anyway. She despices my partner. For no clear reason at all. She keeps hissing at him :')
I walk by; nothing.
He walks by; ssssssssh!!!!
Our cat walks by; sssssssh!!!!
I walk by; nothing.

My partner is getting a bit frustrated because he feeds them the most and gives them snacks the most heeheehee. I guess she is just not into beards. My cat has the same problem with people that have glasses + beard. I guess it distorts their vieuw os seeing us as the same species, or being less able to understand where eyes/mouth are or something =/

 

[MerryMeridional]

Aww! Nice update. Will be interesting to see how long it takes to get used to your partner!