New To Ducks And Needing Some Help

[Misty n Michael]

We Bought 6 Pekin Hens and 1 Drake. They are all over 1 year old according to the man we bought them from. They are all laying eggs but so far out of 40 eggs only one has been fertile. We was told to get another drake and see if it helps. But so far they don't like the new drake. Any suggestions and tips would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

 

[Richb353]

My guess is to give it time and eventually they will figure it out. I had to introduce some new ducks a year ago and for a couple of months you could see them keeping their distance. Now they are all one big happy flock.

Good Luck,
Rich

 

[Orca5094]

How long have you had the original group? They might still be settling in and the drake hasn't started getting back to business. Though the females obviously have, so maybe he just needs more time to get back into the mood? Do you see mating behavior from him?

At any rate, it was probably a good idea to get the second drake with that many females if you are after fertile eggs. It sometimes takes awhile for ducks to accept newbies into their group, so you might want to keep the new guy separated by a fence (so they can all see each other, but no fighting is possible) for awhile so they can all get used to each other. Are there ANY of your other ducks that are ok with the new drake? If so, you can try one or two nice ones in with the new guy so he has company (and an entourage to help him fit in when you put them all back together). Good luck!

 

[Misty n Michael]

Thank You. I hope they all get along with him soon. I think the poor thing is getting tired of me being his only friend.

 

[Misty n Michael]

How long have you had the original group? They might still be settling in and the drake hasn't started getting back to business. Though the females obviously have, so maybe he just needs more time to get back into the mood? Do you see mating behavior from him?

At any rate, it was probably a good idea to get the second drake with that many females if you are after fertile eggs. It sometimes takes awhile for ducks to accept newbies into their group, so you might want to keep the new guy separated by a fence (so they can all see each other, but no fighting is possible) for awhile so they can all get used to each other. Are there ANY of your other ducks that are ok with the new drake? If so, you can try one or two nice ones in with the new guy so he has company (and an entourage to help him fit in when you put them all back together). Good luck!

The original group has been together for a year. They don't fight with the new drake they just keep their distance and in duck talk yell at him while shaking their heads no. I did find one of my hens in the pool with Aflac(my new drakes name) so I am hoping it's a start.

 

[Orca5094]

Ok. I just meant how long have they been living with you? Ducks take awhile to adjust to change, like a new home.

But that is great if he can at least have a little chicken buddy for awhile! And that's also good they aren't trying to attack him, just the cold shoulder. Hopefully they'll warm up to him soon. Do you have multiple feed stations so that he can eat without being bullied or kept away from the food by the others? That's another important thing to keep an eye on when someone is being excluded from the group.