New Ducks

Quack head

Songster
Jun 20, 2019
168
301
121
Sparta, TN
I am picking up three Appleyard ducks tomorrow to add to the Drake and duck I already have (9months old). The two I currently have are free range during the day and comes to their pen and is locked up at night. I have built a divider in the pen to place the new ducks which are only 4 months old.
How long should I keep them separated and how long should I leave them in the pen before I let them free range?
 
I’d give at least a week for both question hopefully they can see each other through the divider? Please post pics once you bring them home congrats!!
 
Made it home, Sir Quacks-a-Lot ran up and attacked them with his bill thru the cage trying to get to them. Quite interesting. The new ducks are in the pen on one side of the chicken wire and the old ducks (Drake and Duck) are on the other. The new ducks are about three months old was in the water dish when I checked on them. I will post pics of the enclosure maybe tomorrow. Below pic are of Dracaena, Dahlia, and Daffodil (FIY all flower names starting with a "D" to go along with Daisy we currently have).
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I am told these are three months old. I tried to compare them to pictures on the web and they look much younger. When they play in the water their feathers get wet unlike my 9 month old ducks. Any comments?
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Are they preening once they finish bathing? Any ideas what they were fed before you got them? If they are younger than 4 months I’d keep them from the drake for at least 4 weeks so he doesn’t mate with them when they are too young. Might want to add some extra protein to their diet it’s good for feather condition.
 
When I picked them up they were in a small cage 3 x 3 x 3 foot. I would say and it was not the best of conditions. They were only given water to drink and not to bathe. I am feeding them 19% protein mix and quite a few meal worms. I also have a large water dish where all three can fit and bathe. They are eating quite well and the feather are coming in.

Since they are in the same house as the adult pair, when the drake comes in they seem to peck at each other thru the 1" chicken wire divider, quite funny watching. I hope when I take down the divider they will get along without too much trouble.

My question is still how old can one estimate these are. One still have a few down feathers on its head and they had a few "adult" feathers all over their body. One has the "blue" marking feathers on the tips of its wings. Any estimates?
 
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