When to introduce young duck?

[RosemaryDuck]

Hey all! So a while ago (a little over a month now) I got a little Muscovy duck from the flea market who was injured. (You may have seen my previous posts on her).

She's all healed up now and fully feathered. I'm unsure of her exact age, but when I got her she still has some down feathers. I have 2 adult Pekins (raspberry and blackberry).

She's still a bit small, a little smaller then my female Pekin. She has not laid any eggs yet.
She's been quarantined for over a month and I'm just wondering when a good time would be to introduce her to the other ducks.

I've been waiting for her to reach egg laying age just in case my drake mounts her (so she isn't injured). Is this a good idea or should I add her into the pen now? Thanks all for any advice!

 

[Isadora]

Hey all! So a while ago (a little over a month now) I got a little Muscovy duck from the flea market who was injured. (You may have seen my previous posts on her).

She's all healed up now and fully feathered. I'm unsure of her exact age, but when I got her she still has some down feathers. I have 2 adult Pekins (raspberry and blackberry).

She's still a bit small, a little smaller then my female Pekin. She has not laid any eggs yet.
She's been quarantined for over a month and I'm just wondering when a good time would be to introduce her to the other ducks.

I've been waiting for her to reach egg laying age just in case my drake mounts her (so she isn't injured). Is this a good idea or should I add her into the pen now? Thanks all for any advice!

I'm in a similar situation where I'll be adding a few younger ducks to my existing flock. I decided to wait until they lay eggs. I don't know how likely injury is due to a drake mounting before the female is mature but I don't want to risk it.

 

[Quatie]

It really depends on the drake and the number of ducks you have. With your situation, having only one drake and one female, you are more likely to have the drake try to mate with the young Muscovy female.