Adults harming babies

[ZuLaNi]

Hi there. I have 3 grown Pekin ducks. 6 duckling Pekin and 2 mallard ducklings. All are free range. The adults attack my ducklings. The ducklings outgrew they brooder box I had and I had to let them free range. They’ve done well for several days now. Until today. Today one of the adults was trying to what looked like drown one of the ducklings. The duckling is tore up because of it too. Obviously on land I can intervene. But when they’re out in the water there isn’t much of anything I can do. What can I use to get the adult ducks off of the baby ones if they’re behind my physical reach? Someone else suggested using a regular BB gun to scare it but I don’t wish to harm any of them at all. I don’t own animals of any kind for any other reason outside of wanting to care for them and raise them up. We don’t even eat the ducks we raise.

 

[KaleIAm]

Hi there. I have 3 grown Pekin ducks. 6 duckling Pekin and 2 mallard ducklings. All are free range. The adults attack my ducklings. The ducklings outgrew they brooder box I had and I had to let them free range. They’ve done well for several days now. Until today. Today one of the adults was trying to what looked like drown one of the ducklings. The duckling is tore up because of it too. Obviously on land I can intervene. But when they’re out in the water there isn’t much of anything I can do. What can I use to get the adult ducks off of the baby ones if they’re behind my physical reach? Someone else suggested using a regular BB gun to scare it but I don’t wish to harm any of them at all. I don’t own animals of any kind for any other reason outside of wanting to care for them and raise them up. We don’t even eat the ducks we raise.

I think you should keep them separated until the young ones grow up a little more. How old are the ducklings? Can you let them free range in sessions? And for nighttime put a barrier in your coop?

 

[ZuLaNi]

I think you should keep them separated until the young ones grow up a little more. How old are the ducklings? Can you let them free range in sessions? And for nighttime put a barrier in your coop?

I don’t have a coop for any of them at night. We never have. Tiny ones are kept in the garden tub while itty bitty, then moved to the brooder box when a bit bigger, then cut lose in the yard when they can no longer fit in the brooder box. Never had an issue where an adult did this to one of the ducklings before. Usually they chase the babies off and may peck em here and there but nothing this bad. I def was not expecting this. The ducklings are 5 and 6 weeks old. The one that’s getting picked on by the adults is a 5 week old one.

 

[KaleIAm]

I don’t have a coop for any of them at night. We never have. Tiny ones are kept in the garden tub while itty bitty, then moved to the brooder box when a bit bigger, then cut lose in the yard when they can no longer fit in the brooder box. Never had an issue where an adult did this to one of the ducklings before. Usually they chase the babies off and may peck em here and there but nothing this bad. I def was not expecting this. The ducklings are 5 and 6 weeks old. The one that’s getting picked on by the adults is a 5 week old one.

Ooh, that's a hard one, then. Unless you are willing to build some kind of coop or run type structure for them until they get bigger.

Otherwise I have heard of people tying bottles or empty milk jugs all along a rope. Then have two people, one on each end of the rope. You can move the rope over the water to disrupt or move the birds. I wonder if you could do it yourself by tying one end to a post. Of course if there were many trees it wouldn't work, and if your lake/pond is very large that wouldn't work either.

I hope someone else has a better idea.

 

[ZuLaNi]

Ooh, that's a hard one, then. Unless you are willing to build some kind of coop or run type structure for them until they get bigger.

Otherwise I have heard of people tying bottles or empty milk jugs all along a rope. Then have two people, one on each end of the rope. You can move the rope over the water to disrupt or move the birds. I wonder if you could do it yourself by tying one end to a post. Of course if there were many trees it wouldn't work, and if your lake/pond is very large that wouldn't work either.

I hope someone else has a better idea.

That’s a good idea for the water! Also, I’m going to be building an enclosure for the babies. Hoping to get on it today. I have some lumbar already. Need to go get some fencing though.