Gosings are picking on my smaller ducklings

[KymSommers]

My ducks and geese have been together the entire time I’ve had them and issues have started this week. My bigger to geese are picking on the smallest duckling and almost killed it today. These birds will be 4 weeks old on Friday and the ducks are 5 Peking and 1 crested Peking and the geese are 2 African Greys and 2 Toulouse. I looked up what might be causing it but I’m not sure what to do. I read it could be caused by boredom, being too hot, lack of space or a need for more protein. Please help me I isolated the duckling and not sure what to do besides let it heal. These are my fair projects for FFA and 4H please help me.

 

[Miss Lydia]

My ducks and geese have been together the entire time I’ve had them and issues have started this week. My bigger to geese are picking on the smallest duckling and almost killed it today. These birds will be 4 weeks old on Friday and the ducks are 5 Peking and 1 crested Peking and the geese are 2 African Greys and 2 Toulouse. I looked up what might be causing it but I’m not sure what to do. I read it could be caused by boredom, being too hot, lack of space or a need for more protein. Please help me I isolated the duckling and not sure what to do besides let it heal. These are my fair projects for FFA and 4H please help me.

Time to give each ones their own space. Put the ducks together and the geese together. Make sure they all have plenty of room to move around and try things like hanging heads of Romaine lettuce up for the geese to nibble on and interact with. Geese are bad for nibbling on each other too so you have to give them something to do. If the weather is warm take them outside with supervision and let them run around play in the dirt and nibble grass. Do the same for your ducks and be sure to give the lil duckling who is injured a buddy duck so it won't be alone.

 

[BirdCrazy12]

I am so sorry about your little ducklings @KymSommers! My first geese also killed my two first ducks. It wasn't probably from lack of space or lack of protein. Boredom is more likely. I would advise you to separate them. You can do this in a few ways. The first is to put them in completely different pens. The second is to put hardware cloth divider into the pen to separate them, but so that they can see each other. Then they will eventually make up on their own. I hope this helped you and I hope your babies get better

-BirdCrazy12

 

[KymSommers]

Thank you both so much I am working on separating them right now and I will add some lettuce in for the geese

 

[chickens really]

Yes....The Poopers need to go out to the coop bad run now......They are bored and all lettuce will do is make them poop loose and more.....lol


Best wishes!

 

[KymSommers]

Hi again my little duckling's breathing is super labored and he doesn't respond to when I talk to him so I'm really scared for him and I don't know what I can do to help and also his feet cross when standing or walking and he falls

 

[chickens really]

Hi again my little duckling's breathing is super labored and he doesn't respond to when I talk to him so I'm really scared for him and I don't know what I can do to help and also his feet cross when standing or walking and he falls

Try a drink of sugar water..... Sounds like he is imbalanced right now and then get it to drink and eat..Soupy feed to get him eating...

 

[Miss Lydia]

Hi again my little duckling's breathing is super labored and he doesn't respond to when I talk to him so I'm really scared for him and I don't know what I can do to help and also his feet cross when standing or walking and he falls

This is the one the geese attacked? What all did they do as far as injuries? If he isn't responding how can he be standing and walking?

 

[Miss Lydia]

Yes....The Poopers need to go out to the coop bad run now..

....They are bored and all lettuce will do is make them poop loose and more..

...lol


Best wishes!

Hanging romaine lettuce is one way of giving gosling something to do besides chewing on each other which happens quite often. When they are bored and really doesn't make their poop that much different than normal except a smidge green.

 

[Ducks4us]

Hanging romaine lettuce is one way of giving gosling something to do besides chewing on each other which happens quite often. When they are bored and really doesn't make their poop  that much different than normal  except a smidge green. 

Agree, great for boredom. Didnt change poop at all, they already eat a ton of grass and drink a ton of water.

A patch of grass /dirt dug of from the yard if you have a place you can take it from works too.
We dug some up when planting trees and gave ours a patch. They love it