natem1270
Chirping
Hello,
I started raising Khaki’s in the spring. I started with three but sadly have lost two to date: unsure of the cause of the first and the second was a hawk. My remaining Khaki was a drake and I decided I wanted to pursue an all male flock. My ducks live in an 16x8x5ft chicken wire enclosure with an attached 4x4x4ft nesting box and a kiddie pool. Note: they used to range the yard until the hawk incident.
I purchased two new Drakes, a Rouen and a mixed breed I was recently inquiring about the breed of:
My hope was that the two new ones would keep my current drake company. Sadly, after four days they still stay on separate sides of the pen away from each other. The two I adopted appeared to live mostly indoors (was not pleased to see how they lived before I got them) and tend to try and stay indoors if not locked outside.
My question is, should I be looking to get rid of the new addition(s)? Today I noticed my original drake did not seem himself. He seems to be moving around less and spends most of his time just sitting in the pool.
It was strange when I first added them my drake who was already there was very aggressive and tried to fight or mate the other two. Now, it appears he’s lost the power struggle and seems resigned to running away or avoiding the other ducks. I don’t see feather loss on his neck or body but I fear them all spending the night together in their nesting box. Should I wait or consider moving one of the new ducks.
I’m new to ducks but have been raising other birds for years and have developed (I believe) an ability to tell when something is off with one of my birds despite their attempts to hide it. Just now I went out to check on my original drake and found him sitting on the ground outside which is not typical behavior.
I should add, one of the new ducks is significantly larger than the preexisting drake.
Group photo for reference:
The two new additions are on the left with the new alpha on the far left. Far right is my Khaki drake I’ve had since the spring.
I started raising Khaki’s in the spring. I started with three but sadly have lost two to date: unsure of the cause of the first and the second was a hawk. My remaining Khaki was a drake and I decided I wanted to pursue an all male flock. My ducks live in an 16x8x5ft chicken wire enclosure with an attached 4x4x4ft nesting box and a kiddie pool. Note: they used to range the yard until the hawk incident.
I purchased two new Drakes, a Rouen and a mixed breed I was recently inquiring about the breed of:
My hope was that the two new ones would keep my current drake company. Sadly, after four days they still stay on separate sides of the pen away from each other. The two I adopted appeared to live mostly indoors (was not pleased to see how they lived before I got them) and tend to try and stay indoors if not locked outside.
My question is, should I be looking to get rid of the new addition(s)? Today I noticed my original drake did not seem himself. He seems to be moving around less and spends most of his time just sitting in the pool.
It was strange when I first added them my drake who was already there was very aggressive and tried to fight or mate the other two. Now, it appears he’s lost the power struggle and seems resigned to running away or avoiding the other ducks. I don’t see feather loss on his neck or body but I fear them all spending the night together in their nesting box. Should I wait or consider moving one of the new ducks.
I’m new to ducks but have been raising other birds for years and have developed (I believe) an ability to tell when something is off with one of my birds despite their attempts to hide it. Just now I went out to check on my original drake and found him sitting on the ground outside which is not typical behavior.
I should add, one of the new ducks is significantly larger than the preexisting drake.
Group photo for reference:
The two new additions are on the left with the new alpha on the far left. Far right is my Khaki drake I’ve had since the spring.
. And congrats on your new guys!
