Topic of the Week - Integrating ducks

[Ponypoor]

Ducks are hilarious, don’t have any but my niece had a couple of Indian Runners, loved watching them forage with her hens.

 

[Vada61]

How do you integrate flocks? I have 3 different groups.
2 rouens
4 other rouens
4 other/pekin and Orpington

They will not integrate. They stay with the flocks they grew up with and avoid each group they did not grow with...its like they think the others are from another planet or something. How do you get then to accept each other?

 

[Kp805]

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Duck flocks expand and evolve over time, whether it's via new ducklings hatched and raised, or adult ducks bought, or adopted, they need to be integrated into the existing flock. This week I would like to hear how you all go about adding new ducks to the flock. Specifically ducklings and adult birds.

Also, for those who have chicken flocks and want to add ducks, any tips?

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Pic by @my sunwolf​

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My new call ducks are little birds with big attitudes. They chase the big ducks and boy do the big ducks run. So far they haven't been picked on. They are so cute and boy they talk alot. I don't leave them unattended .

 

[Jenbirdee]

One important thing to keep in mind when introducing new ducks is the possibility of them carrying diseases. It's recommended to quarantine new ducks for about a week, if I remember right, before allowing them to be in contact with your flock. I don't have the facilities to do this, but I would if I could. However, fortunately, I've never had a problem with immediate introduction.

ADULT DUCKS

Recently I bought two adult Muscovy drakes (Eli and Edward). I kept them in the ducks' main night pen for two days so they'd know where "home" was before letting them free range with the flock. They got along fine with the other ducks, except for staying far away from the drake, who is bigger than they are.

When I let them out to free range for the first time, they followed the other ducks and stayed with them all day long, and were pretty easy to get back in the pen in the evening. All was well. Eli and Edward each quickly picked their favorite girlfriends, and Eli has also become fast friends with one of our other drakes, Captain. Captain's much bigger and stronger than he is, but they make great friends and are often napping or foraging peacefully together.

What really interested me was how they learned, either through observation or through conversation, from the existing ducks. One the first day free ranging, three of the girls gave Eli and Edward a tour around the property. Within ten minutes, the girls had led them to every major destination on our property - the pond, the best preening perches, the shadiest napping spots, the greenest foraging areas, etc. It took our existing flock a YEAR to explore the entire property, when we first got them. And the new drakes never had to learn to go in their pen at evening. They immediately knew it, from watching the other ducks. Our geese, on the other hand, which we bought with the two drakes, did not "talk" with the ducks, and thus only recently have fully learned to put themselves to bed. We've had them for almost four months.

DUCKLINGS

I have introduced ducklings less than a week old to the rest of the flock, but only if the mother was with them. A while back I also bought several ducklings that were about a month old, and introduced them to the flock immediately. Some of the adult ducks pecked them when they got too close, but they did fine on their own.

I would never introduce motherless ducklings to adults until they were capable of being at least relatively independent, for their safety.

GEESE

Introducing geese to a flock of ducks, by the way, went a little different, for us at least. The proud geese think they're the mightiest, most powerful creatures on the planet (Gideon parades around all day with his head stuck in the air screaming his head off and announcing to the world, "I MIGHTY GOOSE. I MUCH MIGHTY GOOSE." They're hilarious.) And they have a VERY big personal space bubble that they keep the lowly, wimpy ducks CLEAR out of. The ducks still get chased or attacked every time they don't notice that they're near a goose. Broody ducks have it the worst, because they refuse to move. Isabelle grabbed a broody duck by the tail and dragged her out of the nest and about fifteen feet through the yard. Geese can be mean little beasts!

Does anyone have geese that actually get along with their ducks or chickens?

Sorry this was so long. I like to ramble.

i keep my geese separate my chickens separate & my ducks separate now by learning the hard way. I love what you said about your geese being high and mighty… my husband puts it this way.. he says that with each step my gander takes, He is thinking” mine, mine, mine, mine , mine, mine, mine.”

 

[PolishDuckMaster]

Ostatnio do moich samic dodałem kaczora pekin. Najstarsza samica biało brązowa odgania mi młode całe kaczki brązowe. Musi potrwać kilka dni zanim ustalą hierarchie.