How much should ducklings be handled?

[DuckDuckSook]

Hello there!
So, we have 4 new ducklings and I think they are only a few days old. I got them from the feed store yesterday and they had called me as soon as they arrived. I really want them to be friendly and familiar with us so how often should I be handling them? I've picked each of them up a few times to either move them onto the heating pad or to dry them off when they seem to get a little too wet from running around near the water. Is there a suggestion in terms of how much or how often I should hold them and for how long? Currently, they are pretty scared of my hand when I reach in. Thanks for any advice or tips! I appreciate it!

 

[CHlCKEN]

Spend time with them. As MUCH time as you can. Eat lunch with them, do zoom calls with them, and just hangout with them. Get them used to your voice. Talk to them, not loudly, but gently and kindly. To get them used to your hands, just put your hand in there with them. At first they’ll be terrified, but after a few days of doing so your hand will be less scary, and eventually they will allow you to touch them and pick them up. You may have ducklings climbing in the palm of your hand while you lay it in there with them! Offer feed in it for them once they are used to it, let them eat from it and show them it’s a positive thing. What I like to do is pick up the whole bunch (separating them is stressful) and cuddle up with them in my sweatshirt. Some will fall asleep and others will climb all over you, and yes- poop.

What NOT to do is chase them around with your hand, instead just let them come to you. Don’t scream at them throw them around hold them too high off the floor, squeeze them, separate them from each other for long periods of time, etc. Friendliness is derived from positive experiences, and you are in complete control of how they turn out in the end.

 

[KaleIAm]

I agree, as much time as possible. Pay attention to what frightens them and don't do it. Make every experience positive. And yes, don't chase them with the big scary hand. Most ducklings/ducks are afraid of being stood over or reached at from above so I offer my affections from the side from a squatting position.

 

[SolarDuck]

I agree with them, the more time you spend with them the more they will like you just spend as much time as possible with the little guys.

 

[DuckDuckSook]

Thanks! I was hoping to do that but didn't want to handle them a lot if that wasn't recommended.

 

[Ratchnick]

If you spend lots of time with them they will likely be noisy, just keep that in mind. My ducks are still friendly and are easy to pick up but they are not lap ducks. I remember a post where somone had held their ducklings all the time then the duck got older. She would try and go to work or go inside and watch a movie or something and the duck would not stop doing the "where are you" quack which is very loud. Tragicly she had to get rid of the duck because of her neighbors. I'm not saying you shouldnt spend all hours of the day with your ducklings, in just saying if you do they will come to love you and be very sad when you move them to the duck yard and wont be shy about telling you about out.

 

[thumper650]

I spent lots of time with my 2 babies last year. Daphne and Sir Francis Drake were very content to sit on a towel watching tv with me, or on Zoom calls. Their brooder was in the kitchen so they were used to human activity. When they went outside they were not upset, maybe because I had other ducks that I introduced to them when they were very young. 2 of my Pekin drakes were petrified of them!
They went to live with my other flock, a khaki hen and a call Drake.
The result is that Daphne will allow me to pet her, for treats, Drake is more standoffish but will eat from my hand, and they come when called, usually. I got them in the early days of covid when everything shut down. I was laid off for a few weeks, so we spent a lot of time together. Sometimes I would lie down and put treats around and on me so they'd associate me with good things. Enjoy your babies, they grow up fast!

 

[cheezenkwackers]

The more the better. Try to reach from the side not the top. A predator snatches from above. Snuggle time is important as well as letting them out to follow you around.

 

[Cassandra Lana]

Ducklings love snuggles especially if you put on a fluffy bathrobe

 

[LT71689]

Just want to note to keep an eye on the temperature, especially since we're still in winter. Brand new ducklings usually require a heat lamp or equivalent in their brooder for the first couple weeks (and that's a recommendation that doesnt take into account the people who want to bond with them and dont just leave them alone in the brooder like a commercial farm would, so if you're taking them out of the brooder the heat might need to come along too) If you're walking around the house with a sweater on, they wont fair too well on the cold tile floor, for instance, so just be mindful of the temperature of the environment you're keeping them in while you're spending time with them.

They may also tire quickly because they're spending literally all of their energy in their first 4 weeks quadrupling in size, so a lot of your bonding time might be them intermittently napping. In the first two weeks with mine I'd lay on my stomach on the floor with a pillow under my chest and they'd hop up on the pillow and snuggle up under my chin/around my neck. And 5 minutes later they'd hop back down and eat. And then 5 minutes later it was nap time again.