HELP, I've got a bully duckling!

Lolliegee

Songster
11 Years
Dec 8, 2008
331
6
131
Cottage Grove, OR
I just moved them into a bigger brooder box yesterday, but "she" is still picking on all the others. They are exactly a month old today. I thought she was bugging the others from being too crowded. She even broke the tip off of one of other's wings to the point it was bleeding. He's ok now, but I really want to stop this. Do I have to separate her out or is there some way to discourage this behavior?
hu.gif
 
Are they all the same size/breed?

There are a couple thinks that you can try.

Change the brooder light from white to red.
Put a mirror in the brooder to distract her.
Give them something to nibble on.

If needed, you can section off part of the brooder with wire so that she can see the others but not peck them.
 
Yes, they're all the same size and breed...Khaki Campbells.

They haven't been using a brooder light for several days now. It accidentally got unplugged and I decided to see how they did. They seem totally comfortable.

Hadn't thought of the mirror.

I did give them some green beans floating in their water bowl earlier this evening, but she's still doing it.

They're settling down for the night now, but I definitely don't want her to keep doing that.

If I separate her from the rest, will I be able to reintroduce her?

Thanks for you help.
 
I'm no expert, but I think the idea of sectioning off and still being able to see the other ducklings/ducks I wouldn't think she should need to be reintroduced to the others. So far I have no problem with the new little rouen babies I got yesterday. So I will be learning alongwith you about this if it should happen.
 
Sometimes if you remove a problem chicken from the flock, wait a few days and reintroduce them, the pecking order gets "reset" and the bully is no longer a bully.

Not sure if it works that way for ducks.
 
Well, I first noticed when I still had the chicks and ducks together. I thought it was from being crowded...at the time she was just picking on the chicks. Now, a several days after being separate from the chicks, she started doing it to the other ducklings. I think I'll try separating her, but sheesh, I only have so many containers I can use for food and water! Thanks for all the input.
 
I got 4 Khaki Campbells last year and we had the same problem. Plucky (wonder where she got the name from) used to pluck the other 3. She started after about 2 weeks. They had plenty of room and food and attention, we are not sure what triggered her. She made the others bleed, she would pluck the wing and tail feathers. She actually even got worse after we moved them into their spacious digs outside at 3 weeks. I threatened to sell her to someone else and after a couple more days she stopped doing it. Not that the threat really worked. They were almost fully feathered before she stopped doing it. It seems that she stopped as fast as she started though. She has not done it since at all. Even when they have molted. Hang in there, it will end.
 
Quote:
That's exactly what happened to us, except that they're older...They were 4 weeks on Friday. She got worse when they got moved to their larger brooder. I've been cleaning out their brooder and was planning to separate her after their bath...I went in and looked at them and she was still bugging them in the tub. All 5 of the others were clearly missing wing feather tips and 3 of them were bleeding. I promptly took her out and now she's crying for everyone. Little Stinker...now she cries like she's lonely. Ugh, I sure hope separating her helps, or I definitely will have to find her a new home.
 
Last edited:

New posts New threads Active threads

Back
Top Bottom