2 Khakis, 2 Welshes, 2 Old, 2 New

[Fort Quackalot]

I could use some advice on a couple new ducks that I just introduced to the flock. We had raised 2 Khaki Campbells and 2 Welsh Harlequins from babies, and the Khakis both turned out to be girls and the Welshes both boys. They were mating without being overly aggressive and all 4 were also very sweet - we held them every day. But my boyfriend and I split up and he took one male and one female with him, so I just bought two new ducks to keep the old ones company - 1 Khaki and 1 Welsh, both females.

First of all, they are very skiddish and not used to being held. Does anyone have any advice on how to tame them a little? They are only about 4 months old.

Secondly, our male has decided that he is aggressively in love with the other Welsh Harlequin and won't leave her alone. Since I knew that Welshes and Khakis could interbreed and he was already accustomed to Khakis, I didn't know he'd have such a strong preference for the Welsh. Does anyone have recommendation for how to handle this mixed breed flock so that he doesn't end up hurting her or neglecting the other ladies??

Thanks!!!

 

[Amiga]

Sometimes just mixing up the dynamic by rotating roommates helps. It can be extra work, but their little lives and health depend on you.

 

[Fort Quackalot]

Gracias, Amiga - but I don't have roommates to rotate. Just these 4 ducks in a small backyard run. They new ones seem to be settling in and the male calming down a little, but his affections are still fairly imbalanced. Do you mean that I would need to buy new ducks to keep the Welsh female safe?

 

[Amiga]

I mean if at all possible, subdivide the living space with temporary fence, just intervene a bit in the dynamic. Sometimes it works.

 

[Fort Quackalot]

Ah, ok. I'll try that. Thank you!!