- Oct 27, 2012
- 8
- 0
- 7
Hi all,
I wanted to give an update on where I stand with my little duck, Ping, the rescue duck.
A week or so ago I got Ping a buddy, since everyone had suggested it would be an excellent idea, and I agreed that poor Ping needed a friend.
The rescue lady who gave me Ping, gave us another duck, who appears to be a runner and who is tentatively named Pong. Ping and Pong do not hang out together - couldn't care less about each other. Pong, who apparently grew up with roosters (the rescue lady gets a lot of roosters from people who cannot keep them because they are not allowed in our community). Pong is happy hanging out the chickens, and the chickens are slowly learning that Pong is a cool bird. Pong has started going into the chickens secure sleeping area at night without any chickens protesting too much.
But Ping. Not so good. Ping seems to spend her days hiding in various corners of our large chicken enclosure. She will not go in with everyone else at night. I had setup a separate hutch for the ducks, but after Pong got comfortable enough to go in with the chickens poor Ping is left by herself in that hutch. It has been in the 40s at night here, so the last two nights I've gathered her up and put her back in the large brooding area with the heat lamp on. Last night when I put her in there she gobbled down food and water, and I'm thinking that she simply is staying hidden all day in the chicken yard and not eating or drinking. It made me so sad to see.
This morning once it had warmed up I put her back into the chicken enclosure and my Buff Orpington hen immediately ran over and started to attack poor Ping! Ping hid, and when I pulled her out of the hiding place, the hen attacked her again at which time I let Ping out into our backyard garden where she is cruising around again, as a solo duck.
Not sure what to do at this point. Any ideas are welcome.
I wanted to give an update on where I stand with my little duck, Ping, the rescue duck.
A week or so ago I got Ping a buddy, since everyone had suggested it would be an excellent idea, and I agreed that poor Ping needed a friend.
The rescue lady who gave me Ping, gave us another duck, who appears to be a runner and who is tentatively named Pong. Ping and Pong do not hang out together - couldn't care less about each other. Pong, who apparently grew up with roosters (the rescue lady gets a lot of roosters from people who cannot keep them because they are not allowed in our community). Pong is happy hanging out the chickens, and the chickens are slowly learning that Pong is a cool bird. Pong has started going into the chickens secure sleeping area at night without any chickens protesting too much.
But Ping. Not so good. Ping seems to spend her days hiding in various corners of our large chicken enclosure. She will not go in with everyone else at night. I had setup a separate hutch for the ducks, but after Pong got comfortable enough to go in with the chickens poor Ping is left by herself in that hutch. It has been in the 40s at night here, so the last two nights I've gathered her up and put her back in the large brooding area with the heat lamp on. Last night when I put her in there she gobbled down food and water, and I'm thinking that she simply is staying hidden all day in the chicken yard and not eating or drinking. It made me so sad to see.
This morning once it had warmed up I put her back into the chicken enclosure and my Buff Orpington hen immediately ran over and started to attack poor Ping! Ping hid, and when I pulled her out of the hiding place, the hen attacked her again at which time I let Ping out into our backyard garden where she is cruising around again, as a solo duck.
Not sure what to do at this point. Any ideas are welcome.
