The Duck Thread

[AimToMisbehave]

Hi guys just looking for some advice. I'm getting a friend for my 9 week old Muscovey duck tomorrow. We are picking up another Muscovey that is 2 weeks old. How do I go about introducing them or are there any tricks to it?
I'm worried that Luda will be protective over his food and me as his mum as he is mainly an inside duck. He needs a friend though I also don't know if Luda is a he or a she so that might have an impact on how he reacts to a new member of the family. Any help would be appreciated I'm so nervous!

It probably helps that neither of them is sexually mature yet... maybe introduce them on opposite sides of a baby gate or something similar, so they can get used to each other without risk of peck-poking? I used a wire exercise pen for small dogs to introduce new members to my little flock, and gave both sides treats and splashy water, and let them start mingling when they were all sort of calm.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Hi guys just looking for some advice. I'm getting a friend for my 9 week old Muscovey duck tomorrow. We are picking up another Muscovey that is 2 weeks old. How do I go about introducing them or are there any tricks to it?
I'm worried that Luda will be protective over his food and me as his mum as he is mainly an inside duck. He needs a friend though

I also don't know if Luda is a he or a she so that might have an impact on how he reacts to a new member of the family. Any help would be appreciated I'm so nervous!

That is great your getting Luda a friend but when you see size difference your going to see why AimToMisBehave has rec. putting them on opposite sides for a while. your 2 week old won't be able to hold it's own at all. So let them meet through baby gate or dog Xpen but not where Luda can exert his/her dominance over the lil one. They will become fast friends but you will have to give 2 week old time to catch up and get bigger. Luda is beautiful and looks like drake to me but if you can post some pics of him/her from the side and full front we maybe able to tell for sure. @LudasMummy

 

[LudasMummy]

That is great your getting Luda a friend but when you see size difference your going to see why AimToMisBehave has rec. putting them on opposite sides for a while. your 2 week old won't be able to hold it's own at all. So let them meet through baby gate or dog Xpen but not where Luda can exert his/her dominance over the lil one. They will become fast friends but you will have to give 2 week old time to catch up and get bigger. Luda is beautiful and looks like drake to me but if you can post some pics of him/her from the side and full front we maybe able to tell for sure.    @LudasMummy

Thank you that helps a lot as long as they are friends eventually I'm happy. Here's some pictures I just took I know you can tell by size but it's hard when I don't have another to compare with!

 

[caesargirl]

Luda is quite the looker!!

 

[Miss Lydia]

Thank you that helps a lot as long as they are friends eventually I'm happy. Here's some pictures I just took I know you can tell by size but it's hard when I don't have another to compare with!

Luda looks female to me look how close her legs sit under her body she is stepping on one of her feet that is typical female and she has a short body. She is beautiful. She may take to the duckling right off but any time you let them be together be there to stop any aggressiveness. Just size difference will amaze you, they grow so fast.

 

[needlessjunk]

Hoopoose!! Ducks of cuteness in acting like they're ducks and not just birds. The webs slapping on the ground is very Eeeeeeeeeeeeee.

Thank you for the tag Debs Flock.

That video was the cutest I've watched it several times. I went back and watched it with the sound on so could hear the webs slapping too! Gaaaaaah! I can't wait to get my babies!

[Video]

Duck stampedes are a daily occurrence, with chubby, spoiled ducks! Every time I go outside, I hear fwappity-stompers on pavement and much wonking and waqing coming at me!

Lol! So cute, I love hearing the slap, slap, slap. My, what awesome grass you have!

 

[needlessjunk]

That is great your getting Luda a friend but when you see size difference your going to see why AimToMisBehave has rec. putting them on opposite sides for a while. your 2 week old won't be able to hold it's own at all. So let them meet through baby gate or dog Xpen but not where Luda can exert his/her dominance over the lil one. They will become fast friends but you will have to give 2 week old time to catch up and get bigger. Luda is beautiful and looks like drake to me but if you can post some pics of him/her from the side and full front we maybe able to tell for sure.    @LudasMummy

Thank you that helps a lot as long as they are friends eventually I'm happy. Here's some pictures I just took I know you can tell by size but it's hard when I don't have another to compare with!

Wow she is pretty! Good luck with the new baby I'm sure that with some time they will be great buds.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Lol! So cute, I love hearing the slap, slap, slap. My, what awesome grass you have!

Me too so pretty just love them all. Oh my gosh my geese would kill for grass like that.

 

[Tevyes Dad]

Quote: I thought @Debs Flock was dead on, but if its chest is yellow, it may be a blue runner. They look very similar when they are young. Blues tend to have a few darker spots here and there too. Here is a comparison:

This is Dove, a Chocolate runner at around 3 wks. You notice her upright runner stance...

Her bill and feet are mostly uniform brown in color at this stage. Here the brown color is readily apparent, but slightly younger, the yellow tone makes it hard to tell for sure. Here she is a bit younger...


Here is Mystique (Blue Runner) at around 3-4 weeks:



Note there are some black areas, the bill is gray-blue to black the feet are green-grey to black and there is no sign of orange / brown on anything.
Here is a younger picture of Mystique:


Blue runners are more prone to have yellow on their chests as ducklings so that made me question the chocolate runner.

Your picture has a couple darker blotches in the fuzz and some lighter area in the web which makes me think blue is more likely (it is hard to tell from someone else's photo since it is difficult to take the light into account which can introduce or remove a lot of the red.)

Even with the yellow patch, I doubt she would be a Blue Swedish (just thinking out loud) because there is no sign of the white eyebrow. Here is Roxette around 3 weeks. Note she also has the dark spots which is typical of a Blue duck.


So I would go with Blue Runner after taking a second look.

 

[Debs Flock]

@Tevyes Dad - nice pics as usual. I've forgotten now. When do your new additions arrive?