2 ducklings aggressively ganging up on my adult duck

[Brooke_R]

I went with Demeter (goddess that grieved over the loss of her daughter) and Kijora (duck god that cursed those that didn't respect a duck's soul if killed). I like where your head was at. Best show ever!!

Aww those are pretty!

 

[Miss Lydia]

Pretty funny to see ducklings chasing adult ducks around the yard. Happened here many times. Be patient they will be buds eventually.

 

[Quatie]

Thank you all for the advice. I did the pen "look but don't touch" approach for a while. I'm glad Frankie, the adult, is being nice due to size, but hoping this gang up behavior comes to a halt. The ducklings go back in their brooder at night for another week or two. They have several kid pools and water bowls, but great advice for having multiple food/treat bowls too! This is only their 3rd no fence supervised meetings. I'm just a concerned mom. Thanks everyone. Hopefully it'll work out

Sleeping in the same area at night helps a lot as well. I usually use a dog crate in my coop to seperate them. Something about them sharing the space at night really speeds up the process. I have cameras in my coop at night and often ducks that don't spend as much time together outside, seem to sleep next to each other.

I have introduced several batches of ducklings into my flock and each group is different. One pair integrate super quickly and smoothly and they were the only ones for me that have ever gone straight into the coop at night with no crate. Others have taken a few weeks, some much longer on to months. It really depends on the ducks. Usually the chasing doesn't go on for too long, but you do unfortunately have to let them work it out.

Full integration where they full get along takes longer. I often find when they reach full maturity and start laying, girls tend to start to fully integrate. Before they will be in their brooder group mostly and then start to shift to spending time with the other ducks in the flock.

 

[Quatie]

Pretty funny to see ducklings chasing adult ducks around the yard. Happened here many times. Be patient they will be buds eventually.

I always find the most unexpected one to charge the adults too. My most timid runner in my brooder was the first to chase my adults. She is now currently the smallest and the most easy going.

 

[cheezenkwackers]

I can't help but wonder if the young ones see it like going to prison and they have to pretend they are tough or they won't survive.

 

[CayugaDuckMomOfTwo]

Sounds like they might be ok. There's definitely not any aggressive behavior that has me overly concerned. I just worried that I was trying to do the right thing by getting Frankie friends so she was not alone, but they turn out to just be bullies. I'll keep my introductions going, and see how it plays out. I'm ordering a new "dog house" coop to add to their run when they all live outside.

 

[CayugaDuckMomOfTwo]

I can't help but wonder if the young ones see it like going to prison and they have to pretend they are tough or they won't survive.

Lol that kind of makes sense though

 

[Miss Lydia]

Mine always remind me of kids on the playground. There is always a bully with his gang around him/her.

 

[CayugaDuckMomOfTwo]

Mine always remind me of kids on the playground. There is always a bully with his gang around him/her.

I definitely feel like the ducklings give each other the confidence to be a bully. One on one they don't try the tough girl behavior

 

[Miss Lydia]

That’s the way it works lol