Help! Ducks cannibalizing chickens CW: gruesome

[Lana_Marie]

Hello all,

I got my first flock of poultry as chicks last spring (an assortment of chickens, and a few Muscovy ducks). They were all raised in the brooder together and transferred into a shared outdoor living space without issue. However, over the last few months, my female ducks have started attacking my hens and eating them.

Without going into too much detail, I feel like I should share what they are doing, as it is bizarre, and I have never experienced something like this.

CW

They are not getting into fights, killing the chickens, and then eating them. They are actively eating the hens while they are alive, starting at the vent, and then eating the entrails.

When I found the first hen dead in the coop in this state I thought some type of predator had gotten inside. It wasn’t until I walked in one morning to a duck doing this to a still living chicken did I realize what was going on.

I have since slaughtered all the ducks that have done this, and unfortunately had to slaughter my last female this evening (3 in total).

I grew up on a farm with both chickens and Muscovies, and have never experienced this before.

I would really like to get another batch of Muscovy ducklings and try again, but I do not want this to keep happening. Does anyone have any advice on why they might have been doing this and what I can do, if anything, to keep this from happening with new ducks in the future?

Thank you,

Lana

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

It is definitely the ducks starting it. For some reason this flock of ducks was very aggressive, and I have had issues with them chasing the chickens in order to pluck and eat their feathers, and unfortunately it has escalated to this. Whereas, I have not seen the hens fighting/picking on each other basically at all. The hens all seem very docile.

I will definitely work on improving their diet and increasing protein, and then maybe I will introduce some new ducklings to the flock in the spring.

I really appreciate the insight and advice.

Starting over with the ducks would be a good idea. Once they pick up this type of habit it's hard to stop it. Muscovy generally are easy going. They do occasionally fight for dominance so perhaps that what started it all. You may never know the real reason.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

What were you feeding the muscovy? I keep mine with my chickens without too much problem. The only time I had problems is when I bought a swap meet drake and he kept attacking my roosters. I figured he was brooded with chickens which can mess them up.

Almost any species of poultry will cannibalize a wounded bird. Muscovy are omnivores like most poultry and need some extra protein at times.

Chickens low on protein will often start to pick at each other's vents as well.

 

[Huntmaster]

I feed them a mix of about 50% layer mash (17% min. protein), 25% crackers corn, and 25% black oil sunflower seeds,

It's not a good idea to mix those things we call treats with their feed they tend to pick out the treats and not eat the feed. Especially that much, layer feed is usually min. on protein% anyways and you are bringing that % way down. Then the chickens pick out the treats and then it's even lower. The corn and sunflower seeds and fruits and veggies are treats and should not be more than 10% of their diet. I would only give them a little of those things a few times a week or very little daily in moderation separate from their feed not mixed in. That mix you are feeding is only about 13% protein and that is if they are eating equal amounts of everything lower if they are picking out the treats. Hope this helps you and your birds.

 

[Aunt Angus]

Idk if this is at all helpful, but I brooded chiks and ducks next to each other in separate brooders. They could see each other but not get at each other. They are closely bonded now. I haven't idea if that strategy helped them get along or if it's just their individual personalities, if course.

 

[aart]

I grew up keeping Muscovies and chickens together, and have never had anything even close to this happen before

Were they ever in such a tight space?
Were they fed the same feed?
You have the often prescribed 4sqft per bird, but IMO that's bare minimum, especially if they don't have/use outside space.

 

[ruthhope]

It is definitely the ducks starting it. For some reason this flock of ducks was very aggressive, and I have had issues with them chasing the chickens in order to pluck and eat their feathers, and unfortunately it has escalated to this. Whereas, I have not seen the hens fighting/picking on each other basically at all. The hens all seem very docile.

I will definitely work on improving their diet and increasing protein, and then maybe I will introduce some new ducklings to the flock in the spring.

I really appreciate the insight and advice.

THat the ducks were chasing the chickens to eat the feathers is another indication that the ducks were not getting enough protein.

Sorry you have had this horrific experience. Please be sure to feed your muscovy adequately. That, along with brooding chicks and duckslings separately, will likely resolve the issue

 

[Miss Lydia]

I do offer Nutritional yeast for my flock even though they are all adults. They get it mixed into their feed daily. The B vitamins are just so good for them and us that I still offer. I only use 2 Tablespoons to their feed now when they are babes they get a tablespoon sprinkled over each cup of feed I feed them. What they don't use they pee out.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Sorry, meant extra compared to chickens. I couldn’t tell from what OP said if the ducks and chickens were all getting the same (chicken) feed or not. If everyone was eating chicken feed, that could be an issue. Right?

Adults shouldn't necessarily need anything extra, but if someone is feeding a layer ration they might. I personally use an all flock ration which is formulated for multiple species, and I offer oyster shells free choice.

When I'm raising waterfowl I use a starter that is formulated for them which is usually Purina flock raiser. Using a chick starter could cause some growth problems depending on the formulation.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I recommend feeding minimum 16% protein daily. If you are going to add lower protein extras than the base ration needs to contain more protein. I feed an all flock ration with 18% and recommend up to 20%. Corn is only 8% protein on average, so adding it to the diet can lower the protein. Sunflower seeds are very high in fat and can cause hens to prolapse due to internal fat. I've learned that the hard way and use them sparingly. Is it possible you hens are prolaspsing and the ducks are picking at it. How many hens have you lost?

When different species are brooded together they end up thinking they are the same species. Muscovy drakes may try to mate chicken hens which can lead to severe injuries. Muscovy brooded with only muscovy will view chickens as a different species that share their space, and there's less chance of true aggression.

I've never seen my muscovy target my chickens enough to injure them. They will poke and peck each other at times, but mine have a large shed and can get away.

How much space do your birds have? Crowding can cause aggression too. Muscovy do best with lots of room. Any poultry species can become more aggressive if there's not enough room to get away from each other.