Advice needed about adopting a couple of runners

[Miss Lydia]

They sure are pretty. Sounds like for being there just a day so far, they are settling on nicely.

 

[Loopeend]

If it is trying to grab the neck-area, with no full-on madness in it (which it seems, otherwise you would have seperated them already, or a dead one), it is okay. They tend to do that to communicate about finding out who is at which place in the rank*.
And especially in this season they can also try to make clear to the other that they want to mate.

If he is just lightly nibbling at, slightly aggresive, and not going full mental on the duck; I wouldn't use the hose. There is a big chance the duck does not understand this at all (mine love the hose!) and might begin to start to dislike and distrust you.

What you describe sounds like a normal proper introduction. They are all adults so I would recommend to just leaved them be, work it out whatever they need to work out. Ducklings would be another case. But adults ducks rarely are aible to kill each other. Most of the times this happends when multiple male ducks force themselves, in the water, on one female.


*note; Indian runners do not have a lineiar rank. They do not communicate about ranks; but ranks are formed from each ducks personal vieuw, which often has to do with a ducks character.
For example;
Brown duck, black duck and white duck.
Brown duck is the leader. It see's itself as leader, black duck as 2nd, white duck as last.
White duck vieuws itself as last as a whole.
Black duck vieuws brown duck as the leader, white duck as 2nd, itself as last.
In this situation we have everyone seen brown as a leader; but two vieuwing themselves as last.
They are not like mammals; rats, chimpanzees, wolves, where there is a top to down hierachy.
This is only me experience though!

Blablabla, I'm talking too much. I'm mainly glad everything is going so great, and you seem to enjoy the new family members! Your investment in their personal well being gives away you are already addicted

 

[Hil54]

If it is trying to grab the neck-area, with no full-on madness in it (which it seems, otherwise you would have seperated them already, or a dead one), it is okay. They tend to do that to communicate about finding out who is at which place in the rank*.
And especially in this season they can also try to make clear to the other that they want to mate.

If he is just lightly nibbling at, slightly aggresive, and not going full mental on the duck; I wouldn't use the hose. There is a big chance the duck does not understand this at all (mine love the hose!) and might begin to start to dislike and distrust you.

What you describe sounds like a normal proper introduction. They are all adults so I would recommend to just leaved them be, work it out whatever they need to work out. Ducklings would be another case. But adults ducks rarely are aible to kill each other. Most of the times this happends when multiple male ducks force themselves, in the water, on one female.


*note; Indian runners do not have a lineiar rank. They do not communicate about ranks; but ranks are formed from each ducks personal vieuw, which often has to do with a ducks character.
For example;
Brown duck, black duck and white duck.
Brown duck is the leader. It see's itself as leader, black duck as 2nd, white duck as last.
White duck vieuws itself as last as a whole.
Black duck vieuws brown duck as the leader, white duck as 2nd, itself as last.
In this situation we have everyone seen brown as a leader; but two vieuwing themselves as last.
They are not like mammals; rats, chimpanzees, wolves, where there is a top to down hierachy.
This is only me experience though!

Blablabla, I'm talking too much. I'm mainly glad everything is going so great, and you seem to enjoy the new family members! Your investment in their personal well being gives away you are already addicted

Thx Loopeend
It does seem to be calming down out back since the introduction a few days ago. The drake does see his female that he came with as HIS. He does more mouthing now towards my black females and nudging away than grabbing them. And yes there is a difference in aggressive grabbing and mating grabbing.
They can not sleep in the same night coop as both new runners will chase ours out of THEIR coop. We are going to try and fix something later as the coop that came with the two new runners they will not go in and just hang around outside.

Will need time of course like anything else with animals, but will keep an eye on them from a distance. They will eat worms together without any grabbing, the drake seems unsure of his place now as his female gets on fine with ours which makes him restless Im sure. Just the coop is a problem as she will also get the black ladies out, so we need to get them in something for the night for themselves for now.

 

[Loopeend]

Thx Loopeend
It does seem to be calming down out back since the introduction a few days ago. The drake does see his female that he came with as HIS. He does more mouthing now towards my black females and nudging away than grabbing them. And yes there is a difference in aggressive grabbing and mating grabbing.
They can not sleep in the same night coop as both new runners will chase ours out of THEIR coop. We are going to try and fix something later as the coop that came with the two new runners they will not go in and just hang around outside.

Will need time of course like anything else with animals, but will keep an eye on them from a distance. They will eat worms together without any grabbing, the drake seems unsure of his place now as his female gets on fine with ours which makes him restless Im sure. Just the coop is a problem as she will also get the black ladies out, so we need to get them in something for the night for themselves for now.

If you have time or money for that I would do that. But there is a BIG chance it is not needed anymore soon
We were forced due to sudden bad weather to lock the new one upside with the others in our hallway on a square meter; and that settled stuff. Can you lure them all in the coop in the evening with dried mealworms? And just close it. That way they are forced to 'share'. It might be stressfull at first; but one way or the other; they need to learn to A. share. B. own their shed no matter what the new lady does C. Accept each other. They need to work this out. And this had speeded things up for us. We were very scared that night and kept checking up on them if they were not harming each other.. but they didn't. Eventually they just all sat down in the straw and all thought 'hmm, that/those duck(s) are not that scary after all'. That got the rough edges off; it made them 'accepting'. And now they are in the next step; deciding who is where in the social group. The new one is extremely busy with pleasing the leader :') So instead of fighting they are more sucking up to each other now. It looks ridicilous. But atleast it is not fighting and stress-levels are down.

 

[Hil54]

If you have time or money for that I would do that. But there is a BIG chance it is not needed anymore soon
We were forced due to sudden bad weather to lock the new one upside with the others in our hallway on a square meter; and that settled stuff. Can you lure them all in the coop in the evening with dried mealworms? And just close it. That way they are forced to 'share'. It might be stressfull at first; but one way or the other; they need to learn to A. share. B. own their shed no matter what the new lady does C. Accept each other. They need to work this out. And this had speeded things up for us. We were very scared that night and kept checking up on them if they were not harming each other.. but they didn't. Eventually they just all sat down in the straw and all thought 'hmm, that/those duck(s) are not that scary after all'. That got the rough edges off; it made them 'accepting'. And now they are in the next step; deciding who is where in the social group. The new one is extremely busy with pleasing the leader :') So instead of fighting they are more sucking up to each other now. It looks ridicilous. But atleast it is not fighting and stress-levels are down.

We made a new coop house yesterday for the newbies with a dividing small gate in between which is under the covered roof and a gate in front so that they all cant get out. The drake must have had little sleep so we are making him rest this way also as in taking away a lot of square meters and forcing him to stay on a small lot where they can see each other. It takes away some stress too if he can rest.. they couldnt wait to come out this morning at around 7: 30 am and waddled off together after eating. Will see how this goes but its safe too this way.. bit like your your duck in the hallway effect

 

[Loopeend]

We made a new coop house yesterday for the newbies with a dividing small gate in between which is under the covered roof and a gate in front so that they all cant get out. The drake must have had little sleep so we are making him rest this way also as in taking away a lot of square meters and forcing him to stay on a small lot where they can see each other. It takes away some stress too if he can rest.. they couldnt wait to come out this morning at around 7: 30 am and waddled off together after eating. Will see how this goes but its safe too this way.. bit like your your duck in the hallway effect

But then with a less smelly house for you hahaha!

 

[Hil54]

Haha @Loopeend

 

[Hil54]

 

[Hil54]

Houdini break out

 

[Miss Lydia]