Newly rescued ducklings - need some educated guessing from you. ;)

[RacerWife7]

I got these 3 little ones from a local rescue over the weekend. She and I think they're KC's. But, not really sure the age. They were being starved by the previous 'owners' (if you can even call them that) because they didn't want them pooping in the pool. (GRRRRR!). Anyhoo... Any guesses on age and gender? At least 2 of them are pretty talkative. But, they don't have their adult voices yet. So, it's hard to tell.

Also, they're in with my mallards. I put them there instead of with my Swedes because the Swedes can be pretty aggressive, whereas my mallards are much quieter and less aggressive. The problem is, the ducklings are harassing my mallards. I never expected that. But, I guess it' happens. I have to put a divider in their house at night so they don't fight. ...Any suggestions there? Do you think things will quiet down after a while? TIA

 

[RacerWife7]

Their wing quills are still clearly showing and they only have about 1/4" - 1/2" of feather sticking out the end of them, at most.

 

[RacerWife7]

Here are some closer pictures of them. I tried to enhance the color a bit. Any guesses on drakes/ducks??

 

[RacerWife7]

IDK.... I just went back outside to look at them and they don't look the colors that the photo enhancements made them. So, here are some untouched pics...

 

[Duck Drover]

They are old enough to voice sex. The hens quack like a duck while the drakes sound more like croaking frogs. You could vent sex to be sure but hopefully the rescue was concerned enough about their welfare to make sure you have 2 hens with 1 drake and not 2 drakes with 1 hen if they are not all the same gender.

 

[RacerWife7]

The rescue didn't vent sex them. They were going by voice. But I think they are mistaken. I believe these are 2 drakes and one hen. One of them is VERY quiet. I have yet to hear anything from "him". Another is pretty vocal, but sounds to me a lot more like a drake than a hen. The third is definitely a hen. She was startled by something yesterday and let out a nice loud quack.

IDK what I'm going to do with 2 extra drakes though.

I'm disappointed to say the least.

 

[RacerWife7]

Aaaand... another question: If it comes down to having a total of 4 drakes and 3 hens, including my 2 bonded pair of mallards and Swedes, is it possible or even suggested to separate the genders into 2 pens? Note: we already have 2 pens because prior to the KC's arriving, we had each pair in a separate enclosure, each with their own pond. I've always been afraid of putting my mallard hen in with my Swedish drake due to the size of him compared to her. So, would it be absolutely horrible to break up the pairs and keep the hens in one side and the drakes in the other? They have an adjoining fence where they "talk" to each other all day. But, they wouldn't be able to physically interact. And will the drakes still fight even if they can't get to the hens? ...? Thoughts??

 

[Kroelies]

I think they are about 6 weeks. My drakes are never "quiet", they chat constantly. I wouldn't seperate the mallard pair, my mallard pairs seem to really love each other.

 

[Duck Drover]

Ducks do have special bonds so it is hard on them when you separate mated pairs. Drake groups can do fine but having hens close could make them competitive with each other to win the affection of the hens.

 

[RacerWife7]

Ducks do have special bonds so it is hard on them when you separate mated pairs. Drake groups can do fine but having hens close could make them competitive with each other to win the affection of the hens.

That's what I was afraid of. ...My current issue is that the ducklings keep chasing the mallards. My mallards LOVE sitting in their pond. But, the KC's won't let them OUT of the pond. Anytime either mallard comes out, they chase him/her back in.

IDK what to do at this point. I may have to contact the rescue and have them take them back.

I don't WANT to do that. But, I won't get rid of my mallard pair. They're lovely. And, to make matters worse, my mallard drake is blind in one eye (came to me like that from the hatchery). So, I'm afraid the KC's will end up hurting him because he's defenseless on that one side. I like my bonded pairs. And while I'd love to have more. I'm not sure this situation is a good fit for us; especially if they're 2 drakes and 1 hen.

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