Tips on bonding with slightly older ducklings??

[baikal7]

Hi everyone. I just got some 3 week old cayuga ducklings (my first time owning the breed) they are a little skittish and I don’t think they had much socialisation when they younger so just wanted some tips on how to gain their trust better

 

[OneEggToRuleThemAll]

Hi everyone. I just got some 3 week old cayuga ducklings (my first time owning the breed) they are a little skittish and I don’t think they had much socialisation when they younger so just wanted some tips on how to gain their trust better

Hold them and give them treats. Daily. My ducks love frozen peas (defrost them first if you want...mine eat them frozen lol) and dried mealworms and old fashioned oats.

But also...we handled all our ducklings daily until they were fully feathered and moved outside, and now at almost 2 years old, none of them really enjoy being held (though my children hold them regularly anyway). I love to watch them and feed them from my hands, and they love to follow me around, but I don't force them to endure my petting if they don't want to be pet, ya know? I've got cats for that.

 

[baikal7]

Hold them and give them treats. Daily. My ducks love frozen peas (defrost them first if you want...mine eat them frozen lol) and dried mealworms and old fashioned oats.

But also...we handled all our ducklings daily until they were fully feathered and moved outside, and now at almost 2 years old, none of them really enjoy being held (though my children hold them regularly anyway). I love to watch them and feed them from my hands, and they love to follow me around, but I don't force them to endure my petting if they don't want to be pet, ya know? I've got cats for that.

I’ve been trying to absolutely spoil them with treats but I think they are just scared of hands at the moment! Hopefully a few more days and they will be feeling more comfortable in their new home.

My plan at the moment is just to be around them a lot and just slowly introduce my hands to help get them used to contact more. Weirdly enough one of the ducklings is quite friendly and will happily sit on your lap whilst the other two try run away.

Thanks for the advice!!!