when can ducklings spend night with older ducks?

[Billy-jean]

I want to make life easier and put the 6 week old ducklings in with the rest of the gang at night. they have a large outdoor enclosure about 4' by 10'..but the male pekin keeps chasing the little guys ( when will it be safe to assume that they can be kept together.?

 

[fifenashia]

I am having that same issue myself. I was told that they can go outside once they have feathers on the breast. However, I think the peeping sounds they emit get the older ones riled up.

Maybe it's a good idea to start letting them hang out together under supervision or in separate pens close together. The other way I have integrated flocks past is to put them in at night. For some reason they wake up together and everything is cool and they have been there the "whole time". Weird bird behavior for sure!

Best of luck!

 

[Blondiega1]

I am having that same issue myself. I was told that they can go outside once they have feathers on the breast. However, I think the peeping sounds they emit get the older ones riled up.

Maybe it's a good idea to start letting them hang out together under supervision or in separate pens close together. The other way I have integrated flocks past is to put them in at night. For some reason they wake up together and everything is cool and they have been there the "whole time". Weird bird behavior for sure!

Best of luck!

Exactly.
Separate but side by side pens at first.
Let everyone get used to each other.
Then once everyone is equal in size so they can defend themselves in the even of some feathers flying, and there will be at first as the establish a pecking order, supervised mingling.
Pretty soon they'll all be flock mates and it will be just fine!