Duck not getting along with ducklings

[Gigib]

I have an older male duck thats almost a year, he was paired with another male duck so they werent lonely. One of my ducks was killed so now my duck Melman is by himself. We bought 4 other ducklings so he could have amore friends. The first two are arpund 4 and 5 weeks and the second batch is 3 weeks. One of the ducks in the second batch was injured by his friends stepping on him so nos his growth had slowed compared to the others and is small compared to the 5 week old duckling. I want to know if its his injurt thats caused his growth to slow. My second issue is that my oldest duck Melman has been pecking at them quite harshly and ingured the amallest duck so now hes hurt again. They are seperated by a cage. The side of the cage were both the duck and ducklings meet i put a lid to a container to block Melman from pecking them but there is a small gap where he can see the ducklinfs so they can slowly get used to each other. Well i was in bed and i looked over and Melman was picking at the smallest one theough that small opening (therea still the cage between them just not a barrier). Is this behavior goinf to go away when they get bigger. I took the smallest out the cage and hes in my lap so he cant get bullued but my other ducklings are in the cage near Melman and he keeps quaking at them and tries to stick his head through the gap but they keep away anytime he gets close to them. What ahould i do???

 

[Miss Lydia]

This is really a hard time of year to introduce ducklings to a drake. The drake is full of hormones and can seriously injure a duckling by mating with them and or pecking them to the point of injury. Keep them separated until the ducklings are at least 4 months of age unless you are supervising them. By mid-summer the hormones aren't near as high as they are now and hopefully your ducklings will be ready to go in with the drake.
Are you giving your ducklings niacin along with their feed? Niacin is very important for duckling growth and can cause leg issues and 0ther problems if they are deficient in it. Nutritional yeast is one natural way to offer it 1 Tab over 1 cup of feed daily until at least 10 weeks old. Or get liquid B complex from TSC it will say injectable but we use it orally 1ml over a tasty treat is a good way to offer it. This could be one reason why your youngest is having trouble. What breed are you talking about? And what are you feeding them?

 

[IvysAnimals]

I have an older male duck thats almost a year, he was paired with another male duck so they werent lonely. One of my ducks was killed so now my duck Melman is by himself. We bought 4 other ducklings so he could have more friends. The first two are around 4 and 5 weeks and the second batch is 3 weeks. One of the ducks in the second batch was injured by his friends stepping on him so nos his growth had slowed compared to the others and is small compared to the 5 week old duckling. I want to know if its his injured that's caused his growth to slow. My second issue is that my oldest duck Melman has been pecking at them quite harshly and injured the smallest duck so now hes hurt again. They are separated by a cage. The side of the cage were both the duck and ducklings meet i put a lid to a container to block Melman from pecking them but there is a small gap where he can see the ducklings so they can slowly get used to each other. Well i was in bed and i looked over and Melman was picking at the smallest one through that small opening (there's still the cage between them just not a barrier). Is this behavior going to go away when they get bigger. I took the smallest out the cage and hes in my lap so he can't get bullied but my other ducklings are in the cage near Melman and he keeps quaking at them and tries to stick his head through the gap but they keep away anytime he gets close to them. What should i do???

Full grown duck ( usually ) won't get along with ducklings, especially without a few 3-4 females by his side to relieve stress. I would suggest putting the ducklings in a kiddie pool in your house where they can still stay warm, get food and water, stay safe, grow, and have time to bond. They should be outside when they start getting their feathers. To introduce them, you should do what you're doing now and have him just see them and then to start gradually letting them walk around each other till they feel comfortable. Just make sure the ducklings are getting the right kind of feed so if they do get injured, it can heal faster because they're healthier. You might need to add a few extra vitamins and minerals for the good health of the babies.