Pekin Duck Club!

[theadvocate19]

They go through a stage where they look at us as someone who wants duckling for dinner, best to not hold but sit down at their level with something yummy and try and coax them close by tossing something out to them I like to use dried mealworms, let them come as close as they feel comfortable with out picking them up. I only have 1 duck out of 15 who doesn't mind me picking him up and it's because he was rejected by his mom and we raised him inside, being only one he imprinted on my dh and I, when more than one they mostly imprint on each other but much better for them to have each other than be raised only lonely. So saying all of that, most ducks don't like to be picked up but when I go outside with mealworms and sit down they are all over me. Getting at their level makes a big difference. and they don't Hate you all they are just acting like any other duckling at their age.

Thank the Lord! I thought it was just me! I love them, and have tried quacking and even putting on a plastic duck beak.... Now the other question, does it make any difference that ones a male and the other's a female? Also, when/if will they ever quit hating me? ;P

 

[Miss Lydia]

Thank the Lord! I thought it was just me! I love them, and have tried quacking and even putting on a plastic duck beak.... Now the other question, does it make any difference that ones a male and the other's a female? Also, when/if will they ever quit hating me? ;P

It probably will make a difference because they will be strongly bonded to one another, but you can still have a relationship with them just back off and relax around them a bit. What I mean is let them make the advancements. Ducks are not like dogs/cats that want to be in our laps but they will follow us around like lil puppies once we establish that they are a different kind of pet, They are great for keep the bug pop down outside and have a blast playing in the kiddy pool and dig in the mud but sitting around in some ones arms isn't normal. But they make us laugh with their antics and smile when they walk up and eat out of our hands. So take time to just sit with them at their level with a book or just talking quietly or singing. your not trying to do anything to them but just be there. Honestly they don't hate you but they are the animals that get preyed upon so of course they have that built into their physic. It takes time to build trust and sometimes we get in too big a hurry.

 

[Amiga]

My runners were terrified of me overnight, at about three weeks of age, for several weeks. Thanks to BYC DF members, I learned to approach making gentle noises, come in low because tall things scare them, and spend time with them, giving treats and talking.

They are now quite friendly. In fact, by the time they were three months old they were pretty much over the big scare.

 

[3acres]

Beautiful pictures..

Thanks! I need to get more pics of my babies I just hatched! They are already BIG....

. Great job you do on helping everybody!!!!

 

[Miss Lydia]

Thanks! I need to get more pics of my babies I just hatched! They are already BIG....

. Great job you do on helping everybody!!!!

Thank you, and yes more pics I never get tired of looking at pics...

 

[theadvocate19]

It probably will make a difference because they will be strongly bonded to one another, but you can still have a relationship with them just back off and relax around them a bit. What I mean is let them make the advancements. Ducks are not like dogs/cats that want to be in our laps but they will follow us around like lil puppies once we establish that they are a different kind of pet, They are great for keep the bug pop down outside and have a blast playing in the kiddy pool and dig in the mud but sitting around in some ones arms isn't normal. But they make us laugh with their antics and smile when they walk up and eat out of our hands. So take time to just sit with them at their level with a book or just talking quietly or singing. your not trying to do anything to them but just be there. Honestly they don't hate you but they are the animals that get preyed upon so of course they have that built into their physic. It takes time to build trust and sometimes we get in too big a hurry.

My runners were terrified of me overnight, at about three weeks of age, for several weeks.  Thanks to BYC DF members, I learned to approach making gentle noises, come in low because tall things scare them, and spend time with them, giving treats and talking.

They are now quite friendly.  In fact, by the time they were three months old they were pretty much over the big scare.

Oh thank you. Such good advice on here. Granted these two are our first go at ducks, and we're still relatively new at chickens too. I'm not necessarily looking for the lap dog sort of behavior. Would be nice to have them super affectionate, but that's why I have my cochin! ;P it just bothered me that they run from me, and flail about. I was hoping that since they were hand raised they might like me a bit more. Everything makes sense now about me seeming like a predator.

It's nice to know that we all will overcome the big scare, and I guess in all reality I was the fool for expecting anything else!! Thanks to both of you for such kind and helpful information and advice!

 

[Amiga]

I wish I could convey how heartbroken I was when one day, I walked into the brooder room and everyone panicked, slamming into the opposite end of the brooder, climbing all over each other, screaming when I came in. It was overnight. Awful.

And now, everyone calls to me when they hear my voice, Acht, Zwei, Elf, and even sometimes Zehn will let me pet them, everyone will come very near if they think I have treats, if I lie down in the pen several will cuddle up to me as I rest - yes, I keep the pen clean enough that I can lie down on a blanket in there.

They follow me around, or I follow them. I think most of them know their names.

Patience, presence, treats.

 

[Strawberryswyrl]

Oh thank you. Such good advice on here. Granted these two are our first go at ducks, and we're still relatively new at chickens too. I'm not necessarily looking for the lap dog sort of behavior. Would be nice to have them super affectionate, but that's why I have my cochin! ;P it just bothered me that they run from me, and flail about. I was hoping that since they were hand raised they might like me a bit more. Everything makes sense now about me seeming like a predator.

It's nice to know that we all will overcome the big scare, and I guess in all reality I was the fool for expecting anything else!! Thanks to both of you for such kind and helpful information and advice!

I have had two sets of Pekins, and both sets I have had COMPLETELY different experiences with. I would like to explain.

I obtained my first set who were male and female regular Pekins at three weeks of age. They spent the first three weeks of their lives in a brooder with their brothers and sisters and were taken care of by other people. The female did pretty well with me, but the male, who was the runt of the brood and a late bloomer, absolutely HATED me and always ran away from me and began pecking at me and experimenting with ways to harm me to the best of his ability with his beak/bill, as soon as he realized he could, at a little over a month old. When the male hit puberty (late for him, it came at 4 1/2 months old) he began ATTACKING me, and severely so. He would peck at my toes until they bled, as I would wear flip-flops in the summer when I had them. When I would feed the two of them he would not eat his food but, as the female ate, he would chase me away from the feed area and peck at my legs and especially go for my little toes. He would get them into his beak and bite them as hard as he could. He was absolutely terrible, that bird. There were a dozen occasions over the summer when he would see me from across the yard and run all the way over to where I was so that he could unleash his most vicious assault onto me. His female counterpart was quite complacent and at ease with me, however, the male would express great disdain upon witnessing friendly interactions between her and I. While I would pet her the male would try to interfere by coming between us with great force or by attacking the female from the side or from behind. After I would handle her the male would run up to her and quack furiously at her while puffing his feathers and sometimes pecking at her; the human equivalent of a violent argument. On to a different instance, there was one time when I was transporting them in my car and, while they were both in their Sterlite bin in the front passenger's side, the male leapt out of the bin and into my lap and began attacking me. These two were killed by foxes this past summer when the person who's care they were in failed to lock them up properly while I was out of town.

My second set of Pekins are two Jumbo Pekins. They are male and female, as well. These two are an entirely different matter, indeed. I ordered these two from McMurray Hatchery as hatchlings and received them in the mail at three days old. When I opened the box I was instantly Mama!!!! My, what a messy and annoying yet rewarding joy it has been! They started following me everywhere since I got them, and have been ever since, and that was two months and a week ago. They are so attached that I cannot even leave them outside for 10 seconds without them going absolutely crazy looking for me. They want to sit with me and be cuddled and hugged, even kissed on their beaks. They like to tuck their beaks into my arm pit and cozy up with me. They are hard to handle, though, because of their razor-sharp talons. They have cut my arms up very badly and I have been going to great lengths to get rid of the streaky scars all over my arms from them. I have since found better ways to handle them, however, even so, they do tend to "get me" sometimes. They have been indoor ducks since I got them, but I absolutely cannot deal with the mess that they create any longer. Also the female is nuts and "SQUAWK SQUAWK SQUAWK!!!'s" like a lunatic just because I leave the room or if she feels she needs something which I cannot figure out what it is half the time. They would destroy my relationship with my man had we not been together so long and he not being so patient. They would drive me nuts if my patience weren't so thick and well-trained. They will soon be going outside in a very well-insulated duck-house that we have built for them that will have a red heat lamp to keep them warm in these cold winter months. I had ordered duck diapers a while ago and they were finally shipped today. My beakies will be able to come into the house and visit while wearing their diapers but will spend the nights in their duck-house and will stay in their fenced-in area with their duck-house while I am gone during the day. No more poopy bins and towels. But they are very, very friendly and are so bonded with me that they will run with me in the yard and will lay on me or beside me in the yard and cuddle with me. My boy has his drake vocals (just got them fully set-in this week) so I can imagine puberty has set-in and unlike my last little boy, this one is not attacking me but just vibrates once in a while and takes a short, quick dive at me to assert himself. Other than that he cuddles with me, calls for me, follows me, tucks his beak into the folds of my clothing, likes to be held and hugged, is a lot like a lapdog, etc.

I think that there are many factors that contribute to how well your ducks bond with you. I do believe that you must obtain them within a few days old for the best results. I am not certain if there is a limit for how many there should be, but I can imagine that the more there are the less of a chance they will bond with you. Also, I would think they would need to spend a good amount of time being raised indoors with you. This, however, presents a BIG problem when it comes time for that beakie to start living outside for he will believe that your house is his home and he will want to live in your house with you. It was a very tough decision to decide to relocate my indoor ducks outside, but I absolutely must. They make too much of a mess and I cannot deal with the daily chores that come with having indoor ducks any longer. While we are outside together they will forage in the grass in the yard so long as I am standing RIGHT THERE with them. As soon as they realize I have disappeared into the house they run to the back door and go crazy quacking and squawking away continuously, nonstop, until I return. I have done a lot of research and have found that "imprinted" ducks who are used to being indoors (in my/your house) can never be truly happy living alone outside, without you, their most beloved flock member who they love and adore and need to be with. I love my birds very, very much but I do wish I would have done more research before getting them as pets and allowing them to bond with me and live in my house for so long. I hope they fare well outside and are not too unhappy. As I said before, they will have their ducky diapers soon and will be able to come inside and visit while I am home but will sleep in their duck-house and stay outside while I am out and I will just be cleaning up feathers inside my house when they come in to visit wearing diapers and no more of this poopy towel-and-bin business.

Imprinted ducklings are very difficult to separate from you, based on my experience and based on research I have done which includes testimonials on blogs regarding duckling imprinting. It is not easy to (and is simply wrong to) allow ducklings to imprint onto you and then figuratively shove them out of your life into a duck-house, and especially wrong to mix human imprinted ducks with non-imprinted ducks who will not accept them and will very often attack them and sometimes kill them (so I have read.) Very often imprinted ducks end-up becoming indoor ducks who have to wear diapers because the owners simply cannot put them outside. The ducks won't stay outside and keep coming to the door and quacking for their "Mommy" and stay there for hours and hours without moving out into the yard. I have read many of these stories. I am currently having this experience. Having a duckling(s) imprint on you can be an absolute nightmare and a lot of thought should be given before moving forward with it. The idea of having a duckling "imprint" onto you is very fun to entertain in thought. When it actually happens and that little beakie or those little beakies reach their full size and have a full body of plumage that is falling out all over your living room and they are squawking and bagoking as loud as they can for your attention and are producing enough smelly poop a day to fill at least half a pint-sized container (for one bird) it will be painfully annoying and the end result may be sad for both you and your feathered friends.

I began writing this post as a response to theadvocate19 to explain the two different experiences with my Pekins. The entirety of this post is not directed at theadvocate19 but I mentioned these other things simply because I thought they would tie in with my experiences with my second set of ducks who became imprinted.

 

[Strawberryswyrl]

I ate the egg. It was a double yolk. Delicious.
BTW... any one have luck with duck diapers?

Hey there, Duck Commander. I ordered my ducky diapers from Nettie some time ago and was happy to find that they they were just shipped out earlier today. She is a great lady and makes the best duck diapers around, so she therefore gets lots and lots of orders since she is the go-to-gal. Her diapers are of the best quality and people say they are better than other well-known brands. When ordering from her one must expect to wait 4-6 weeks. It has been 6 weeks and mine are on their way.

I had been planning on keeping my ducks indoors and ordered diapers because obviously I do not want to wash poopy towels and clean poopy bins forever and ever.

I realize you are simply asking about ducky diapers, which I do not have yet and have not used in the past, but I am going to go ahead and talk about keeping indoor ducks because it is in the same category as your question and may be helpful to some other people here, if not for yourself.

There are many things one must know about keeping indoor ducks, and the main issue is that even with the diapers, the bottom line is simply this:

Keeping indoor ducks is a nightmare. Especially so when they are running around, uncontained, due to the freedom that a diaper may permit, which I get into later in my examples.

1) The POOOOOOOOOOOOOOP!!!! They cannot wear their diapers all the time. It is unhealthy for them and will cause "feather rot" of the diapered area to eventually set-in. The diapered area will be poopy and will have to be cleaned with unscented baby wipes between changes. They will need to be changed every 2-4 hours, depending on how much they are fed. What happens if you work during the day or have to be gone for more than a few hours at a time? What happens if you have to go to sleep (lol.) They would still need to spend time in a bin, undiapered, so they can poop freely without a diaper. Which means you'll be cleaning it up and your house will smell like poop. And sure, it's easy to throw those towels into the washer. Unless there are feathers stuck into the poop that you have to pick out so they don't clog up your washing machine pump. Or, if you feed the duckies crumble feed that has grit in it, you have to hose it all out so the grit doesn't clog up your washer pump. What about just the idea of changing and washing these towels, to begin with? I have been doing it for 6 weeks and longer, before I decided to order the diapers and while waiting for them to be made. Then I learned that I would STILL be doing this, EVEN AFTER the fact, just less of it. I don't even want to wash another poopy duck towel as long as I live, and when I have children of my own one day you can bet that I will not be cloth-diapering them.

My ducks are going OUTSIDE into a duck-house for nights and for while I am gone and will wear their diapers when they come inside to visit me for intervals during the day.

2) The wonderful plumage.... ALLLLLLLL OVER THE HOUSE. Every time they flap their precious little beakie wings, it is as if the most beautiful, softest and most white snow showers down from heaven and coats my entire living room floor, then travels into the hallway and every other room of the house. I have to vacuum the entire house every single day. They are going through their first molt, which started a couple weeks ago and seems to be never-ending. I have been finding feathers in parts of my house where I didn't know a feather could manage to travel.

3) The sounds of the beakies. For the last couple months it has only been the female who has been the loud and constantly vocal birdie around here. Squawking and bagoking and screeching and squealing (yet, strangely, rarely a quack) every waking moment of her little beakie existence. While we watch movies, while we take naps, while we try to enjoy a nice, peaceful dinner and then... BAGOK!!! Never a silent moment. And lately, now that the drake has his drake vocals and nolonger has a raspy, hollow whisper, that boy has been going right along with his female counterpart and keeping the house as noisy as possible. Ah, the house is alive... with the sound of beakies.

4) Messy little angels. Duckies are MESSY. With their food and water, and anything they find that they might want to dip into their water. You'd have to put them in a bin with their food and water just for meals. They dip all and any of their food into their water and they splash their water into their food. They try to take a bath in their water bowl. They splash their water onto themselves to try to "wash up." They tip their food and water bowls trying to stand onto or step into them. They drop their grain all over the floor surrounding their bowl. Less grain/food ends up in their beaks and down the chute as does onto the floor.


5) Eeeeeeeverything is a toy. They think that any object laying around the house is a toy to be pecked at, pulled or played with somehow. If they can pick it up they will likely want to put it in their water bowl. A dog toy may end up in their water bowl. And papers sitting on a table are subject to be eaten. When ducky wants to eat something he/she usually likes to dip it in the water bowl first. Wires will be pecked at and pulled, your shoes will be played with, plastic bags filled with item will be attempted to be torn open, the curtains/drapes will be pulled at, the dishtowel that hangs on the oven handle will be pulled down to the floor then probably dragged over into the water bowl,... The possibilities are countless when ducky is running around the house loose.

6) Injury. If you have a large dog it would not be too hard for it to unintentionally trample ducky. This happened to my little Bo Khan boy just recently when, unbeknownst to me, Bo Khan jumped out of the bathtub while I was in the kitchen and walked into the hallway. When I walked into the hallway I saw that the dog had discovered the duck before I did and the dog was very excited about the event and ran toward me, trampling poor little Bo Khan. Luckily there were no injuries in this case that have been very apparent to me, but I can see how my little boy came very close to being injured. If situations like this were to happen on a more frequent bases I am certain that one of my ducks would sustain some type of injury eventually. Also, a person, himself, could injure one of them if not taking care to carefully step around corners and look behind themselves before turning and things of the sort.

That is all I can think of right now but I am sure there could be more. Those are the best reasons I can think of for NOT keeping indoor ducks and are the reasons why I am relocating my beakies outside. Again, they will come inside and visit and wear their diapers. But they will be outdoor ducks in the very near future.

 

[StacyAK]

So happy to hear that I'm not the only one! I was starting to think I was doing something wrong and my ducks hated me! My Pekin is starting to come around now that she realizes I come bearing treats most of the time. The Chocolate Runner is still too skittish to come near me. She is starting to venture closer since her friend does and gets treats. I'm glad to know I'm just not a horrible duck mom and that they will come around eventually