Pulling feathers - advice needed please.

[Highlander]

I have 9 ducklings and a gosling in a 20'x 9' coop. They have constant daytime access to an outdoor run with a pool. One of the ducklings is constantly chasing the others around and pulling out their feathers and eating them. Is this a naughty habit or a protein issue? I pay extra to buy them a good quality (or so I thought!) specialist goose and duck food. http://www.smallholderfeed.co.uk/Products/Poultry/Goose-and-Duck-Grower-and-Finisher-Pellets.aspx I thought this would mean I didn't have to worry about nutritional issues. Any thoughts? It's a khaki campbell if that makes any difference and they are around 4 weeks old. Thanks!

 

[ranchhand]

He's a brat?

Not sure about ducks, but it might be like chickens, establishing a pecking order. Of my 3 female Mallards, there is one who is definitely lowest in order, she's the Mal-mix.

 

[gofasterstripe]

1 of my white Runners is a feather plucker, it doesnt do it nearly as much now as it used to. As the goslings feathers were coming in, it would pull them out. They would all get in the pool and you would see it chasing the others pulling feathers and it would clear the pool in 2 seconds flat. It doesnt do it as much now, thank god!!

 

[Highlander]

Thanks both. Well as of tonight I have had to separate his happy little ass as I went to lock them up tonight and one of my Cayugas is nearly bald. So he is in a big cage inside the coop and he AIN'T happy! Hope it takes him down a peg or two and things get on a more peaceful track when he gets out. I'll give him some scrambles while he is in jail just in case it's a protein thing.

 

[Highlander]

Ok, so I let him out of his cage today (he was not a happy bunny in there) and the first thing he did was run straight to one of his friends and grab a beakful of feathers.

I am thinking I have 3 options here. 1) Wait it out and hope he grows out of it - he really is hurting the others though and some of them have very prominent red bald patches. 2) Cull 3) Put him in with my 3 grown ducks and hope they put him in line.

Thoughts?

 

[FarmrGirl]

Quote:
If it was me, I'd stick his bully little butt in with the grown-ups and let them take him down a notch. He may lose a few feathers of his own but it shouldn't take him long to learn to keep his beak to himself.

 

[gofasterstripe]

Learn to keep his beak to himself. You thats what I would do too, let him get a few feathers missing for a change

 

[Highlander]

They won't beat the you-know-what out of him? He is only 5 weeks old and they are 7 months or so. I'm willing to give it a go if you think it will work though. Should I cage him in their run for a bit or just throw him straight to the lions?