trouble introducing mallards to pekins

[sixgunsally]

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Hi there! I recently moved to a house with some acerage and a pond, and decided to get some ducks. I have some questions that have arised, and figured this was the place to go for some answers.
I bought 3 baby Pekins from my local tractor supply. I started raising them in a bin in my basement, but after about 2 weeks they were too big and smelly to be in the house, so i built a decent size pen for them in the shed. Everything was going pretty well, until a month later, I picked up 3 more baby mallards.
I first let the babies roam free in the pen with the pekins. The pekins seemed to be almost afraid of the babies, and kept their distance. After a couple hours, I noticed that the pekins were chasing the babies away if they got too close, and was afraid they would hurt them, so i made an area for the babies, giving them their own heat lamp, food and water.
The first night, the pekins got into the babies area and chased them away from the heat lamp, and when i went to check on them in the morning, the babies were shoved off into a corner, with no heat. (I live in minnesota, so its still a bit chilly here)
The second night I better set up the area for the babies, stapling chicken wire so the pekins couldn't get at them. This worked, but the pekins would lay right by them, keeping a close eye on them, and i noticed that the babies didnt seem to be eating.
This worried me further, and i didnt want the babies to be miserable or starve to death, so i moved them out of the pen completely, into a bin in a different shed. They immediately started eating and drinking, and seem to be satisfied now.
1) when should I retry keeping the ducks together? I was hoping there wouldnt be any issues, considering the pekins are still babies themselves (only a month), but I was wrong. I am hoping i will be able to put them back together soon, because the bin that the baby mallards are in now, isnt very big.
2) how should i reintroduce them? Should I divide the pen up with chicken wire so they cant hurt eachother, or just put them all together?
Any imput would be greatly appreciated, thank you!

 

[Buck Oakes]

first of all give them more space, let them outside under your supervision maybe make a little grassy area for them to play in, with a water source for them to play in, don't intro due them till the babies get a whole lot bigger mallards aren't going to be as big as pekins so they could potentially kill them, at least while they're that small, just wait another 3 to 4 weeks, but let them out for about 2 hours a day, gain under your supervision and keep their areas clean, if that means getting a smooth concrete floor and washing it off then do it, if its not clean in there they can get respiratory infections leading to pneomina, or they could get parasites or foot rot. just keep it clean and don't let those babies put of the brooder unless to go outside or to give them a bath, and always keep a close eye on them

 

[sixgunsally]

Will do. Thank you!!