The other night I got to cuddle with our new baby ducks and I'm so happy. Bonding with a duckling isn't easy. Ducklings are naturally skittish. Humans are such big creatures to them and they easily run and try to escape. Little by little I'm going to try to bond with my new ducks so they won't be afraid of me.

I set up a make-shift "pen" using couch cushions on our couch as a place I could hang out with them more easily. I wanted to bring my face down to their level so I wasn't so high up and intimidating. I also just wanted to be comfy so we could have a long bonding session in a place they wouldn't get cold.

At first they stayed away

The little ones were afraid of me and their new location at first. They cowered on the far side of the couch and tried to climb up the arm to get away from me. Thankfully, it was too high up. I kept quiet and when I did talk I spoke sweetly to them. Mostly, I left them alone at first and let them calm down. I put their food near them and eventually they ate a bit. I put some food in my hand and inched it towards them causing another freak out.I slowly moved my hand closer and closer and finally stopped short of where they were.

I stayed still and eventually the little male duck came for a snack. So far he seems to really enjoy treats and usually takes them from me. The two girls eventually joined in and ate from my hand.

Some food helped them relax

My husband came in the room and as soon as they saw him on the other side of the couch, they ran the opposite way to where I was at. They let me pet them and at some point curled up together next to my chest with my arm around them to make a little nest.

Luring them closer and gaining their trust

The male is in the front and the two girls are behind him. I can tell him because he has yellow "eyeliner."

They fell asleep after a while, enjoying being warm. It was so nice they felt safe enough to fall asleep curled up with me.

This batch of babies seems a lot less skittish than my four ducklings I got last year. I did get a Pekin, Khaki Campbell, and two Black Swedish last time. My Khaki Campbell and Pekin were super skittish when she was young and I think maybe they influenced the group. I had a harder time bonding with them as a group. My Black Swedish seemed the least skittish. The same seems true with my three new ducklings.

So far bonding is going well. They hate being picked up but they don't seem to mind me being nearby or eating from my hand. They are now a week old so soon I'll give them their first swim and maybe take them outside if we get the 80 degree weather the weatherman promised. When they hit 6 weeks if it's warm enough I'll move them outside into the big duck pen. I'll have to make them a separate fenced in area at first so they and the older ducks can slowly get use to one another.