Why are my ducklings so skittish?

[FernbergFarms]

Hello! So this is my first time getting ducks and we got 3. They have been with us for almost 2 weeks and they are SO skittish!! I feel bad every time I pick them up because they are so scared and I can feel their heart racing.. is there anything I can do to calm them or have them get used to me? I have to move them around a lot bc they sleep inside at night but if it’s a warm day we put them outside so we move them some. They’ve been skittish since we got them. I heard ducks are just skittish..? I would really like them to not be so scared because when they’re older it will be a challenge to get them in their coop.. so if you have any tips or tricks I would love to hear! One of the 3 little ducklings are pretty chill, but the other two aren’t.
Thanks you for all the feed back! I will be anxious to hear!

 

[FarmInProgress]

Yeah that’s how my ducklings were too... i hatched 2 and they thought we were mom lol. But we wanted more than 2 so we bought 4 from Atwoods. And they hated us! They still are a bit shy (they are almost a year old). But the 2 we hatched are a bit less shy...

 

[Lobo123]

Yeah, my ducks are like that too. I guess you have to bond with them at a very early age and hopefully they imprint on you. Otherwise, they become skittish. I got some ducklings at a local feed store and I tried to bond with them, seems like they would much rather imprint with each other than me. The ducks are fairly calm unless I try to touch them, then they freak out.

Hopefully, someone with duck expertise can help us out.

 

[FernbergFarms]

And what are good duck treats ? Does anyone know?

 

[FarmInProgress]

Mine absolutely love watermelon! And I throw spinach in their pond and they also love that!!

 

[FernbergFarms]

@FarmInProgress good to know! I’ve been giving them strawberry tops and they seem to like them! How do if they are female or male? Can you at this young age? Mine are just getting feathers and my yellow duckling has a weird tuft if feathers on the side of its body.. is that normal? My other two have them too but theirs are way smaller. I’ll attach a picture!

And Daisy the yellow duckling seems to be a lot bigger than the other two! Thankyou for all your feed back!!

 

[FernbergFarms]

** how do you know if they are male or female?

 

[NuggetTheChicken]

You can tell by the sound of their voice. Females quack and males make a raspy sound. In a few weeks or so, you could tell if they are female. Use this link to view examples:http://www.majesticwaterfowl.org/artquacks.htm. My ducks love dandelion leaves and flowers. Cute ducklings!

 

[FernbergFarms]

Okay Thank you!!

 

[FernbergFarms]

@25chickens