Ducks being aggressive

[hudz1986]

Ok long story. I rescued two pekin ducklings. They grew and 1 was male and one female. They stay at my parents farm and I visit them on the weekend. Unfortunately the female died suddenly so we got our drake a grown female. A couple of months later we added another grown female.
The new female duck has just started swimming in the water..the other female still hasn't. Why is that?
Second my mum sent me a video and it looks like the old female is pecking at the feathers of the new female. She's also does that with the chickens.
The drake was alsonibbling at her while they were both in the water. What's going on? Are they both attacking her. Should I separate her? I feel bad because I'm not around. Help please!

 

[DukesDucks]

IMO they are establishing pecking order. The older female is showing dominance. The drake nibbling at the other one in the water sounds like mating behaviour. Unless one is actually getting hurt, you need to let them figure this out.

 

[hudz1986]

Both females were both older but not laying eggs when we got yhe

IMO they are establishing pecking order. The older female is showing dominance. The drake nibbling at the other one in the water sounds like mating behaviour. Unless one is actually getting hurt, you need to let them figure this out.

IMO they are establishing pecking order. The older female is showing dominance. The drake nibbling at the other one in the water sounds like mating behaviour. Unless one is actually getting hurt, you need to let them figure this out.

Will she survive. She's missing lots of feathers from her neck. I feel really bad. I'm thinking of giving her away.

 

[Miss Lydia]

It does sound like she is taking to much dominance. I would remove her from the other 2 but place her so they can all still see each other. Maybe with some time out they will get better acquainted and you can eventually put them together again. This time of year everyone is so hormonal it's really hard for the lower dominant ducks. Or maybe find her a home where she won't get picked on, but she'll have to go through the dominant thing no matter where she goes. Can you make her a smaller space inside your run? after a few weeks, you can try the dominant female in with her and see how that goes.

 

[hudz1986]

Yea I will try and separate her. If that doesn't work I will try to find her a new home. It makes me upset because I got her her for the male so he has more than one female. But that didn't work out. Thank you for you're response.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Please keep us updated on how they are doing.

 

[hudz1986]

I will thank you

 

[hudz1986]

My mum has decided to give the duck away. It's too stressful for her as I don't live on the property to help.

 

[hudz1986]

We gave her back to the owners we got her from. For some reason they told my mum she won't survive. I don't think that's true. She has some missing feathers on her neck. But hearing that really upset me.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Unless she is severely injured there is no reason she won’t survive they are amazing at healing from injuries you’d never think they could survive from if given a chance and some TLC.