The Duck Thread

[Miss Lydia]

Guess what... The egg was an DIS-egg and it exploded when i threw it on the ground!

I immediately washed the ground inside the house (with water) and under her nest was full of insects and creeps. They are all gone now

Since she is so aggressive against the others, I have to sadly get rid of her

Once she gets over being broody she may calm back down and be okay. was she like this before she went broody.

 

[Muscovyduck96]

Once she gets over being broody she may calm back down and be okay. was she like this before she went broody.

Yes, she was like this before too and didn't like anyone staying on her way...

 

[Miss Lydia]

Yes, she was like this before too and didn't like anyone staying on her way...

Sorry to hear that. We have to do what we can to keep peace in the flock.

 

[mama2girlies]

@Ren2014 @CyndiD @MandyJ Thank you all so much for your help. This is harder than I thought it would be. They have all been free ranging together for months now and they look so sad split up. I know it's just me putting my feelings on them but I know it's for the best. It's just going to take some time. I have actually put the 3 more aggressive males in the pen and then all of them will be split into male group and female group for the night. I'm going to try this all out and see if I can make it work without rehoming because I would hate to see them go. It's very interesting how quiet it has been with the 3 separated from the group. I hope they do ok tonight. I have had many unrestful nights and early mornings because of this. I've seen lots of pictures of people with their ducks, chickens, turkeys, etc living together with no problems and I want that too!

 

[Ren2014]

Guess what... The egg was an DIS-egg and it exploded when i threw it on the ground!

I immediately washed the ground inside the house (with water) and under her nest was full of insects and creeps. They are all gone now

Since she is so aggressive against the others, I have to sadly get rid of her

sorry for the DIS and for having to get rid of her.

It hurts but we've got to do what is best for all.

@Ren2014 @CyndiD @MandyJ Thank you all so much for your help. This is harder than I thought it would be. They have all been free ranging together for months now and they look so sad split up. I know it's just me putting my feelings on them but I know it's for the best. It's just going to take some time. I have actually put the 3 more aggressive males in the pen and then all of them will be split into male group and female group for the night. I'm going to try this all out and see if I can make it work without rehoming because I would hate to see them go. It's very interesting how quiet it has been with the 3 separated from the group. I hope they do ok tonight. I have had many unrestful nights and early mornings because of this. I've seen lots of pictures of people with their ducks, chickens, turkeys, etc living together with no problems and I want that too!

Welcome. I know it's hard, we've all had to make decisions that hurt but are best for the ones we care for. Don't give up. Making some changes will bring you a happy flock. Just a note... if it helps, my chickens and ducks do not get along

Hang in there!

 

[mama2girlies]

Hi, i have 11 drakes, 2 are still a couple of months old and are still housed w/the ducks (female). i have Pekins, Runners, Buff O's & Blue Swedish. i have male and female of all breeds. I have 23 ducks and 11 drakes. i keep the ducks seperate from the drakes at all times, they do not sleep together & sadly they do not get to play together. cuz the drakes only want to mate, especially at this time of yr. when i want to breed them for hatching, i will put the like breeds together, the ducks and drakes. and i also put the same breeds together about 1 time per week so the drakes can have their fun and do what is natural. other than this, my ducks and drakes are seperate.
what i think is sad is when i let the drakes free-range and put the ducks in the pen area, the drakes will not go forage, they just hang out at the fence line and move when the ducks move, even when they have had their fun w/the ducks and even when it is not breeding season. maybe they will calm down when they get a little older? my ducks range from 3mos to 2 yrs old... they are still very young.
hope this helps you in any way???
2 days ago i left home for a few hours and when i got home 2 ducks were in w/t drakes. one ducks was running & running trying to get away from the drakes and one f/w runners neck was raw, red/bloody (a little). poor girls. i felt so bad. i got them out of there and doctored up the injured runner... she is fine today... those drakes are viscious, they are male, what else needs to be said about that, huh?
take care

edit to add text:

What is your duck pen like? Can the ducks and drakes see each other? Tonight I'm going to split our pen down the middle, girls on one side boys on the other, using an exercise pen fence. It's only 3 feet tall so I'm concerned they will fly over it

 

[MandyJ]

@Ren2014 @CyndiD @MandyJ Thank you all so much for your help. This is harder than I thought it would be. They have all been free ranging together for months now and they look so sad split up. I know it's just me putting my feelings on them but I know it's for the best. It's just going to take some time. I have actually put the 3 more aggressive males in the pen and then all of them will be split into male group and female group for the night. I'm going to try this all out and see if I can make it work without rehoming because I would hate to see them go. It's very interesting how quiet it has been with the 3 separated from the group. I hope they do ok tonight. I have had many unrestful nights and early mornings because of this. I've seen lots of pictures of people with their ducks, chickens, turkeys, etc living together with no problems and I want that too!

Good luck!
M

 

[MandyJ]

What is your duck pen like? Can the ducks and drakes see each other? Tonight I'm going to split our pen down the middle, girls on one side boys on the other, using an exercise pen fence. It's only 3 feet tall so I'm concerned they will fly over it

Keep us posted.

If they are Pekin, Cayuga or Swedish they can't fly over 3 feet. My ducks stayed with a 2 foot divider for about a month, never flew over.
M

 

[MandyJ]

What is your duck pen like? Can the ducks and drakes see each other? Tonight I'm going to split our pen down the middle, girls on one side boys on the other, using an exercise pen fence. It's only 3 feet tall so I'm concerned they will fly over it

This is mine, but I don't have any drakes. My 7 girls are all together at night. My husband built me a divider for the enclosure. It is just 1x1's in a rectangular shape covered with chicken wire, he hinged it in the center so I can have it all the way across or in an "L" shape if I want to just close off a corner. There are 2 sections each 5 feet long. Since it has chicken wire over the 1x1's they can still see each other but can't get to each other. This is the way that I introduced the new girls to my adult Pekins.

 

[CyndiD]

@Ren2014
 @CyndiD
 @MandyJ
  Thank you all so much for your help.  This is harder than I thought it would be.  They have all been free ranging together for months now and they look so sad split up. I know it's just me putting my feelings on them but I know it's for the best.  It's just going to take some time.  I have actually put the 3 more aggressive males in the pen and then all of them will be split into male group and female group for the night.  I'm going to try this all out and see if I can make it work without rehoming because I would hate to see them go.  It's very interesting how quiet it has been with the 3 separated from the group. I hope they do ok tonight.  I have had many unrestful nights and early mornings because of this.  I've seen lots of pictures of people with their ducks, chickens, turkeys, etc living together with no problems and I want that too! 

I agree with you on how hard it is to seperate the boys and girls, but 2 of my ducks got injured from the boys over breeding w/them. you know how they pic on one or two ducks and love them almost to death, so to speak. i know they are just doing what their instincts direct them, but like ren or mandy said... it is the best for you, your sanity and for your ducks (females) they do not deserve to be over bred.
and i did have to seperate my drakes for a little while, but they are finding their pecking order and doing well together now. i do have to keep an eye on them and stop the bullies.... but my chickens (cockrels) do the same thing, even more than the ducks.. i need to thin out my cockrels or seperate them just like the ducks.
You will work it out, just dont make any quick moves... think about what you really want and what is best for you and your flock...
good luck, and try not to stress too much. i was stressed for a month or two, until i worked things out and they worked things out themselves too.