What in Ducky Heck is this!?

[DuckyDoodles]

Roof on the coop is getting done today!

 

[Miss Lydia]

Looks great!!

 

[DuckyDoodles]

*DUCKLING UPDATE*

Little Bit is still small. I swear she hasn’t grown at all. But, so far, she’s still thriving and alive. Bigger Bit (the unofficial name of the sister Cayuga) is getting bigger and doing well.

After I combined their brooders but still had a separator, we would have occasional rogue ducklings. For example, the Cayugas somehow got into the Swedish’s side two days in a row. Found this out by peeping pandemonium and a game of chase the intruders. After first day, I had added extra zip ties and yet the second day still happened. I added even more zip ties. I thought I had fixed it because day three presented no wayward Cayugas but day four presented a turkey burglar. We’re calling the Swedish babies lil’ turkeys right now because of how big and awkward they are LOL. Day four had a Swedish duck in the Cayuga pen with no known way to have gotten there. She ate all of their food. Day 5 (today) we wake up and both Cayugas are once again in the Swedish side but everyone is happy and asleep. Little Bit gets the occasional pecking but it’s not like it was when the Swedes first saw her on the other side of the fence (‘pecking and more pecking with a side of pecking to go’).

Should I leave them all together? It seems the 5 days of communicating and assisting each side break free has created a bond amongst them? Little Bit has even pecked at some of the turkey gals so I’m thinking pecking is just gonna be a thing LOL

Pic shown has the ‘bottom’ row of Little Bit, Oreo-the-turkey-Swede, and Bigger Bit.

Again for size reference, Little Bit and Bigger Bit are only 1 week younger than the Swedes.

 

[biophiliac]

Cool how they are sorting themselves into a flock.

Should I leave them all together?

I would try it and keep a close eye at first.

 

[DuckyDoodles]

Awww and one of the Black Swedish (Oreo) must be their favorite. Oreo and the two Cayugas are always squished together laying somewhere. The other three turkeys are laying around the waterer where Oreo, and Little Bit and Bigger Bit are all snuggled under the heat lamp.

Lord, they might think she’s their mama!? Nah. I’m thinking because Oreo has a very chill demeanor, they’re hanging with the turkey who isn’t strung LOL

 

[DuckyDoodles]

Cool how they are sorting themselves into a flock.

I would try it and keep a close eye at first.

Yeah I think that’s what I’m going to do. I haven’t taken them out but I also haven’t taken down their barrier yet. If anything becomes ‘too much’ then the wee littles go back behind the fence.

Until one of them figures out how to escape again LOL

Speaking of clock and pecking and what not. I only had a little bit of experience with that when I introduced the two female Pekins to OG. Well, Lucy passed about a month later from whatever undetermined cause and Patty and OG don’t peck at each other.

Everything I’ve read says to sort of let them sort it out and intervene only if injury or food/water is being withheld.

Is that the basic principle of it? Let them sort it out under those guidelines?

 

[biophiliac]

Yeah I think that’s what I’m going to do. I haven’t taken them out but I also haven’t taken down their barrier yet. If anything becomes ‘too much’ then the wee littles go back behind the fence.

Until one of them figures out how to escape again LOL

Speaking of clock and pecking and what not. I only had a little bit of experience with that when I introduced the two female Pekins to OG. Well, Lucy passed about a month later from whatever undetermined cause and Patty and OG don’t peck at each other.

Everything I’ve read says to sort of let them sort it out and intervene only if injury or food/water is being withheld.

Is that the basic principle of it? Let them sort it out under those guidelines?

You can put 2 separate food and water stations to give everybody a chance if anybody is having trouble.

 

[Miss Lydia]

that's what I'd do too so lil bit is sure to get her fair share. They sure are adorable all together.

 

[Fayed]

Poor og, but things happen no need to beat yourself up over it, hopeing for a quick recovery this time.
Hopefully little bit will start thriving soon, it's still alive though so that's a good sign.
As for the excapeing, ducks are sneeky little things lol. The wee ones will probably be completely fine with the bigger ones, I'd keep an eye on little bit to make sure it's not getting smothered. But I'm the crazy person who raised bantam chicks with ducks only a week younger then them, no one's been smooshed yet and they are now around 5/6 weeks old. I had planned on seperating them when the ducks got big enough to pose a danger but they all seemed super happy together and fliped out when I tried to separate them so they stayed together. I think so long as they have plenty of space to move out of the way of the older ducks you shouldn't have a problem.
(That pic was right after bath time, was moving them back to their pen couldn't leave the chicks by themselves or they fliped out) Here's what happens when you have flight able chickens in a bin in the bathroom.

Edit: oh and for the panty hose compare the largest part of her body that will be covered to the size of your leg (if you wear panty hose) then if it's similar sized you'd get what would fit you and use the area of the hose that would match her size compared to your leg, if there's no comparison then you might have to trial and error different sizes. I had to do this with a shirt sleeve for my cat lol.

 

[DuckyDoodles]

Update on combined brooder::

So far, everything has gone swimmingly. There’s an occasional peck but I don’t believe it to be an actual pecking order gig (yet). Believe it or not, Little Bit is a turd LOL. When the four Turkeys are all sleeping in a row, Little Bit will walk on TOP of them in her pursuit for the “juuuust right” spot. That spot also (frequently) seems to be nuzzled right on TOP of one of the Black Swedes. Sometimes it’s under one of their ‘wings’ as well. Almost exclusively the Black Swedes though. When she decides she just wants to lay next to one of them, then it’s whoever is down for such an affair.

She seems to be keeping up with the Joneses with respect to eating and drinking. I added the extra waterer just in case though. As we all know, ducks are a bit of a follower and as such, when one drinks they all drink. (SIDE NOTE: Read an entire research project on this, the why’s and how’s and it also included research on bedding differences and waterer differences. Totally nerdy stuff, but I digress). When one of the ducks, even sibling Cayuga, stands up and so much as LOOKS like they’re walking to the feeder, she pulls out Flash Lightning skills and BEATS THEM to the feeder. Where she then commences to sit IN the feeder (I think she’s showing off). She’s not as much a water drinker as I would prefer (previously noted) but when she’s at the waterer, no pecking has occurred.

She frequently walks under the legs of the turkeys and when we put them in the tub (I give them bath time while I’m cleaning their brooders. Figured best way for them to stay fully clean. Don’t put clean clothes on a dirty body after all...) she continues her little swimming-like-her-legs-just-can’t-help-themselves. And when the turkeys start dive swimming and splashing around, you see poor Little Bit getting pulled around the tub, legs still just-a-swimming-, in their wakes. She’s literally like a living rubber ducky!

But!! For the very first time ever, she fully dunked her head like 2-3 times yesterday. She still keeps her head 99.99% above water, unlike the others who will look like a drowned duck-rat at the end. But! She dunked, so I was happy with that.

She’s still terribly small but she’s half the size of Bigger Bit (I’m thinking it might just end up being her name lol) and since Bigger Bit is growing, I have to accept that, logically, So is Little Bit.

The four Swedes... the turkeys... they’re a mess. They run from my hands as I try to scoop them up, so I’m going to say there was no in depth human imprinting done (despite all the cuddles and snuggles and kisses ) but they’re doing wonderfully well. They’ve got feather starts everywhere! And their little down tufts are coming out a bit too. Two of the four (Oreo and Dora) have *really* started puberty because they’re starting to have their pubescent quacks. Best thing to ever listen to, I swear. So cute.

When I take them out of the bath, I am still blow drying them to get them dry and warmed up a bit. Watching their mannerisms is adorable; some exhibit this fluff up sorta scared thing but they’re ALL not-so-secretly loving it. The two Cayugas, being 100% down still, dry instantly it seems. The turkeys take quite a bit longer.

But aside from tear inducing, back breaking labor during the brooder cleanout (which due to their horrible stench can only be maxed out to every two days) they’re not too shabby to have hanging around in the living room

Attached is a pic of Little Bit sleeping on top of one of the Black Swedes. Couldn’t get much closer without making them disrupt (so, sorry, not the greatest quality) but you can clearly see she’s on top LOL

So now, when she walks across all of them to find her juuuuust right spot, I understand why they boink at her then LOL. Only other time I see it, and it’s not just on her as it’s fair and equal game in this category, is when she has food hanging off of her beak.

So far, so good.

I can only hope that the introduction phases of these gals to the Pekins will go so well.