Taming almost year old Pekins??

[PoultryBird12]

I have four pekins that I got a little while after last easter... and I spent as much time as I could with them when they were ducklings... but they never got tamed. I still spend a lot of time with them and I am with them every day. I even used meal worms to try to get them to like me. All they do is run away quacking when I come near them. I'm thinking my mallards have something to do with it---? They aren't very tame ether. Any tips on how to get them to like me more?? I really want them to be nice and come right up to me. Am I too late? Are they too old? I've heard all these stories of ducks who are so nice and follow people all over the yard... mine just don't do that. I have them in a pen... and they run the opposite way when I go in. Help!

 

[gsfarm]

My pekins are the same way. Always ranning away. My other ducks don't care.

 

[Going Quackers]

Pekin love hose play, Mine see the hose is on and surround you hoping to get sprayed. They also love food, personally i'd just continue to interact ducks will settle eventually. That said and done personality plays a role, some just are not that people oriented.

 

[needlessjunk]

My pekins would go nuts over peas. Mine were very food driven and would eat out of our hands but would not follow us around or want to be touched. It took a few months to eat out of our hands and I had them since they were 2 weeks. apparently didn't spend as much time as needed to tame them. I did get a bell and rang it every time I brought out treats. They then started to come running when we rang it which then turned into them running over when I would call them.

 

[PoultryBird12]

Pekin love hose play, Mine see the hose is on and surround you hoping to get sprayed. They also love food, personally i'd just continue to interact ducks will settle eventually. That said and done personality plays a role, some just are not that people oriented.

In the summer I sprayed them with the hose all the time!! They went crazy!!

 

[PoultryBird12]

My pekins would go nuts over peas. Mine were very good driven and would eat out of our hands but would not follow us around or want to be touched. It took a few months to eat out of our hands and I had them since they were 2 weeks old but apparently didn't spend as much time as needed to tame them. I did get a bell and rang it every time I brought out treats. They then started to come running when we ran the bell and then that turned into them coming running when I would call them.

Same with mine. Mine eat out of my hand.

 

[needlessjunk]

Same with mine. Mine eat out of my hand. 

If they eat out of your hand that is pretty tame for a duck. It goes against their nature to want to be picked up and petted. While I hope my new ducklings will be friendlier than my last ones I'm fully expecting to only be able to hand feed them. Some ducks do love humans and want to be with them but I think that not as common. I also think it takes a ton of time to get them that way and it must be started when they are young.

 

[PoultryBird12]

My pekins would go nuts over peas. Mine were very food driven and would eat out of our hands but would not follow us around or want to be touched. It took a few months to eat out of our hands and I had them since they were 2 weeks. apparently didn't spend as much time as needed to tame them. I did get a bell and rang it every time I brought out treats. They then started to come running when we rang it which then turned into them running over when I would call them.

Peas! I would never have thought!