How to Integrate Ducks with Chickens

If you’ve been following me here, on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, or Twitter, then you know that I recently had a little duck that was sick. Her name was Pringles.

Pringles was such a special little duck! I say “was” because unfortunately, she passed away the day after my family arrived in Toronto to care for my terminally ill mother-in-law. I knew she would likely die soon since she was old for a duck, but it was hard never-the-less. You can hear the full story here on my last Bawk Talk LIVE show:

We’ve been through a lot of changes lately here in Chickenlandia, but when one thing ends there will always be a new beginning. Enter my two newest Chickenlandia members, Angry Marshmallow and Mr. Robot!

New Call Ducks!

If you want to know why the little white one is called Angry Marshmallow, then check out this hilarious photo from right after I rescued her. She looks ANGERY! lol

Angry duck is angry!

As with all transitions, there’s a way to do it to make it the easiest for everyone. In this week’s Welcome to Chickenlandia video, I show step by step what I do to integrate new ducks into my flock. Since ducks don’t have as extreme a pecking order instinct as chickens, it’s fairly easy. But you definitely need to keep an eye on them and it works best if your chickens are already used to ducks in the flock.

Hahaha an oldie but a goodie from my flock.

So, without further ado, here’s my new educational video on how to integrate ducks with chickens. As always, be sure to do lots of research to find out if ducks are right for your flock. And make sure to watch them closely those first few days to make sure there’s no bullying.

Do you have ducks with your chickens? Would you like too? Let me know in the comments!

Welcome Duckles the Duck!

Welp, the kids’ birthdays are over (they’re both in October) and Halloween is finally done. Even though I’m so happy things have slowed down, I confess to being a little bored this week. Boredom is a dangerous state for those who suffer from chronic #BirdMathFlu such as I. A couple days ago, my sister (The Pippa of Chickenlandia) and I got to talking about ducks and guess what I went out and did? Yup, I got another duck. Please welcome Duckles the Duck to Chickenlandia!

The day Duckles came home to Chickenlandia.

I actually did put some serious thought into whether I should add a new duck to Chickenlandia. This past Spring was the worst for us in terms of duck luck. I had two ducklings die in transit to me, one die in the brooder, and two juveniles die suddenly of an unknown illness. It was just awful. You can see them toward the end of this video. They were both healthy and happy, then tragically passed away just a few days later.

Sweet Rosalina at the vet on the day she died.

So, you can imagine I had some moments where I thought no more ducks, ever. But here we are a few months later and I’m ready to try again! I feel confident that Duckles will do well here. Take a look at what she accomplished her first morning in Chickenlandia:

Big o’ duck egg! The best kind.

Since we have some chicken egg intolerances in our home, Duckles is going to serve a great purpose as well as being a wonderful pet. In case you didn’t know, duck eggs makes the absolute best pancakes, waffles, muffins, and other baked delights. They’re also delicious how I like them, in an omelette covered with sheep feta. I just love eating them and so does my family.

So, of course, I vlogged all about my trip to go get Duckles and her arrival in Chickenlandia. You can see where she lived before, and how I’m integrating her into my flock. I may have also taken some creative license to make it more fun LOL. To watch the video, click the play button below!

Have you had any new arrivals in your flock lately? Let me know in the comments!

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