The Ducks verses the Chickens

[JessLV]

I have two Pekin ducks, one Khaki Campbell duck, & 6 ISA brown hens. Everyone got along well until recently. The hens are laying eggs regular though the ducks have yet to lay any eggs. The entire flock is under a year old. Recently, as in 2-3 weeks, the Pekin ducks have been targeting one of the hens. Everyone will play nice when we are in their pen to feed and water them. As soon as we step out the ducks start making a beeline for the one hen. She is terrified. I separated the hen for a couple of days and gave her extra food. Then I separated the duck that seemed to be most responsible for the attacks and reintroduced the hen. I didn’t want her to be separated from the flock for too long. The next day she had feathers removed and damaged in somewhat of a ring near her tail. So, I separated her again and reintroduced the duck. During this process, I started noticing black, tarry stool where the chicken had been perching to escape the ducks. It began to smell pretty bad and my search showed that this could be a sign of internal bleeding. I have checked on the hen today and her feathers are making a substantial regrowth. This has me thinking she is on the mend, even if the ducks hurt her. Soooo…. Now I could use help trying to navigate this social upset with my flock. Any tips for reintroducing the hen so she won’t be attacked? Do you think I need to keep her separated permanently? Does this happen when ducks get ready to lay? I saw the Pekins look up at the hen while she nervously perched on the coop and they patrol it waiting for her to jump down to eat or feed. The ducks seem to be doing fine with the rest of the flock. Also, the separated hen is having normal feces in her confined personal quarters. The separated hen is also laying. TIA!

 

[Isadora]

Do you know the gender of your ducks?
How much space is there for everyone?

 

[JessLV]

They are supposed to be all female. We did have a rooster even though we were supposed to have all female hens. He was rehomed because we are not allowed roosters where we live. He’s been gone awhile. How would I know if my duck was male? They look the same.

 

[Isadora]

They are supposed to be all female. We did have a rooster even though we were supposed to have all female hens. He was rehomed because we are not allowed roosters where we live. He’s been gone awhile. How would I know if my duck was male? They look the same.

The quack is different. The males are much quieter and have more of a raspy tone and the females have a loud quack, just like Donald Duck.
I'm asking because males can try to mate with chickens and harm them because their anatomy is not compatible.

That's also why I asked about how much space they have. Ducks and chickens could possibly work together if the environment is right but I think it requires more space than if you only had one species in the pen.

 

[JessLV]

The quack is different. The males are much quieter and have more of a raspy tone and the females have a loud quack, just like Donald Duck.
I'm asking because males can try to mate with chickens and harm them because their anatomy is not compatible.

That's also why I asked about how much space they have. Ducks and chickens could possibly work together if the environment is right but I think it requires more space than if you only had one species in the pen.

Hmm. That’s interesting. I might have a male duck then. I’ll have to listen more internationally. They do souls Donald Duck-ish when the three ducks are together, and they stick together like glue. Space may be an issue because we had a neighbor that caused us some grief over the summer despite it being acceptable for us to have the chickens & ducks. We have new neighbors who love them now so we may need to let them roam a little more. We have been super cautious because our eagle is around for nesting season and we don’t want him to snatch the chickens or ducks. Thanks for your help! I’ll tune up my listening ear!

 

[HeatherKellyB]

You probably want to keep a close eye on this hen because if your ducks are males (aka drakes) and they have tried to mate your hen and succeeded, she may be suffering from internal damage. Drakes have a penis that penetrates during mating. Roosters do not have a penis that penetrates while mating, so hens aren't made for duck mating. I hope this makes sense as I've tried to explain this as delicately as possible. I am worried about your hen and hope she's OK. I wish you the best with your flock

 

[JessLV]

Thanks! I just put the ducks out on their own because we are having rain. They are loving it! I am beginning to think we have a drake. I put the hen back with the other hens while the ducks are out. They were very welcoming & kind. It seems like we may have a drake that has reached maturity based on the responses here so I am keeping a close watch & keeping them separated.

 

[dusta]

Male ducks will kill a hen mating with her. Sometime a drake will prefer chickens over ducks. Probably because they can not get away from him .

 

[Yardmom]

If you are having trouble separating which duck is making a rasping instead of quacking, look at the base of the tail. See if one has a curly feather there. If one does that is your drake

 

[JessLV]

If you are having trouble separating which duck is making a rasping instead of quacking, look at the base of the tail. See if one has a curly feather there. If one does that is your drake

One has that!!! Thank you!!!!