2019 Spring Ducklings are here!

[SailorNoMore]

Texag87 I feel your pain there. My old drake bites his kids if they get through the temp fence separating the pens of the old ducks and the young ones.

How long do you keep the temporary fence up separating the young ones from their parents? I had mine in adjoining runs for five days before I put the two groups together, which did not work for the drake & young ones like it did for the mothers and their young ones.

 

[SailorNoMore]

WannaBeHillBilly Young drakes are like young male humons: Once the hormones take over, the brain is meaningless. The only way to keep your young ducks safe is to keep either them or the drake on a »see but no touch« protocol. - Meaning divided by a fence, with a mesh too small for the drake to fit his head through. Is your drake able to flap over a fence? If yes, you may want to have a higher fence or build an aviarium for him as a temporary dwelling.

My drake cleared a four foot fence to check out the juveniles when they were exploring the kiddie pool in his run. When I isolate him in the back half of the coop he has another two feet of fencing on top of the four feet he already cleared, much to my surprise. It is a long time to March before he rejoins the flock to begin mating the flock for fertilizing the eggs for spring incubation.

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

WannaBeHillBilly Young drakes are like young male humons: Once the hormones take over, the brain is meaningless. The only way to keep your young ducks safe is to keep either them or the drake on a »see but no touch« protocol. - Meaning divided by a fence, with a mesh too small for the drake to fit his head through. Is your drake able to flap over a fence? If yes, you may want to have a higher fence or build an aviarium for him as a temporary dwelling.

My drake cleared a four foot fence to check out the juveniles when they were exploring the kiddie pool in his run. When I isolate him in the back half of the coop he has another two feet of fencing on top of the four feet he already cleared, much to my surprise. It is a long time to March before he rejoins the flock to begin mating the flock for fertilizing the eggs for spring incubation.

Wow! He has a strong pair of wings and the right set of muscles for them if he can jump a fence that high. Fortunately drakes seem to become more "let go" when they get older. Limpy at an age of 2 is really laid back and Erpelchen, from last Spring let off enough steam this spring to just lay in the grass and watch the young drakes push off their horns…