Help! New ducklings and Drake attacking!

[SallyP]

Hi everyone,
We have a hotel and have chickens and ducks that we keep in our 6 acre grounds. We have one black East Indies duck and a Cayuga drake, our East Indies ducks partner recently got caught by a fox when she was sitting on eggs. We now have 11 ducklings that will be 4 weeks old on Saturday, we have been keeping them in their house with a run attached which the drake has been sleeping in at night.
So.... We let them out this afternoon for the first time but the drake chased them and was grabbing the ducklings by the neck! They got so distressed and the mother protected them from him as best she could. They went into our pond and struggled to get out which also added to the trauma, it was a bit of a disaster!! We lost one of them to either drowning or the stress of it, we found it in among the plants
They are now tucked up back in the house so hope they all survive the night.
Any advice about letting them out again and how to protect them from the drake. We can't keep them separate for ever!
Thanks xx

 

[sourland]

If he were mine, I would put the drake in solitary confinement until the ducklings were full grown. If his over aggressive behavior continued after this, he would have to find a new home -- or the oven. He is fully capable of killing or drowning the ducklings.

 

[SallyP]

Thank you, he is normally really placid and happy with us and the other ducks and chickens, just the ducklings he doesn't seem to like. I think he definitely is capable of killing them which worries me
Don't really want to get rid of him though so hard to know what is best. What age will the ducks be fully grown and able to look after themselves?
Thanks for the advice x

 

[Miss Lydia]

Thank you, he is normally really placid and happy with us and the other ducks and chickens, just the ducklings he doesn't seem to like. I think he definitely is capable of killing them which worries me

Don't really want to get rid of him though so hard to know what is best. What age will the ducks be fully grown and able to look after themselves?
Thanks for the advice x

has he had a chance before today to see these ducklings? I have 4 ducklings 1 week old with a mama duck and they are protected from the flock including 3 drakes till at least 4 weeks old I used the plastic poultry fence and when they are large enough will take the fence down. This way though everyone sees the ducklings and vise versa and hopefully when fence comes down they will all be one flock. I know what your going through I lost 2 ducklings last year and even though I had never had any problems before then I decided not to risk losing any this year. so mom and babies in fence during the day and locked up at night .

 

[SallyP]

Thank you Miss Lydia,
He has seen the ducklings but only through the fence on our run. Today we have built a new pen for Mummy and ducklings, we made a little shallow pond and they seem really happy in there this afternoon, Charlie Drake as we call him can see them and chat to Mum through the fence but can't get to them to cause anymore stress! We will leave them in there in the day with access to their house and then lock them in when they go to bed.
I can see the start of their feathers coming in a beautiful bottle green like Mum's so won't be long and they will be able to get out again to run free on the lawn!!

 

[Miss Lydia]

Thank you Miss Lydia,
He has seen the ducklings but only through the fence on our run. Today we have built a new pen for Mummy and ducklings, we made a little shallow pond and they seem really happy in there this afternoon, Charlie Drake as we call him can see them and chat to Mum through the fence but can't get to them to cause anymore stress! We will leave them in there in the day with access to their house and then lock them in when they go to bed.
I can see the start of their feathers coming in a beautiful bottle green like Mum's so won't be long and they will be able to get out again to run free on the lawn!!