how to introduce a new duck to my flock

[FaizanJatt]

i have 3 males, and 1 females which i have raised since they were ducklings.
they are old enough now and i have seen them trying to get on with the only hen we had thus i got 2 more hens and 1 male. i didnt want to get the last male but he seemed lonely so i brought him too.
however when i introduced them , our drake altho he is just 8 months old started pecking so hard at the new ones
the newer ones are about 2 years old i am told , however my top drake is at least 1.5x their size and very aggressive he fights them everytime i put them together.
it been 14 days since i have put them in a different cage near them so they can see each other.
any sughestions?

 

[MartinFamilyHomestead]

i have 3 males, and 1 females which i have raised since they were ducklings.
they are old enough now and i have seen them trying to get on with the only hen we had thus i got 2 more hens and 1 male. i didnt want to get the last male but he seemed lonely so i brought him too.
however when i introduced them , our drake altho he is just 8 months old started pecking so hard at the new ones
the newer ones are about 2 years old i am told , however my top drake is at least 1.5x their size and very aggressive he fights them everytime i put them together.
it been 14 days since i have put them in a different cage near them so they can see each other.
any sughestions?

To start, having 1 hen and 3 drakes is going to be a problem. With that you’ve added do you now have a total of 3 hens and 4 drakes? You need a ratio of about 1 drakes to every 4-5 hens so you’ll have to add quite a few more to your flock or get rid of most of your males. It is sad especially when you’ve raised them but this will cause serious problems. First the hens will be over bred and this can cause injuries and exhaustion. Secondly the males will fight like you’ve already said. They have a “pecking order” and the new guy will be lowest on the poll and get bullied. The drakes will even mount other drakes, rip out their feathers and fight violently. Introducing any bird to an already established flock you will see pecks here but they will get use to each other and accept them in. However with your hen to drakes ratio unfortunately it is going to be unavoidable and you will continue to see fights. It is very upsetting. All our ducklings this year that hatched out were actually all males and we weren’t about to keep a single one because we are already pushing it a bit with our ratio but there is still peace among our flock so we chose not even to try to keep any and disturb that.

 

[FaizanJatt]

To start, having 1 hen and 3 drakes is going to be a problem. With that you’ve added do you now have a total of 3 hens and 4 drakes? You need a ratio of about 1 drakes to every 4-5 hens so you’ll have to add quite a few more to your flock or get rid of most of your males. It is sad especially when you’ve raised them but this will cause serious problems. First the hens will be over bred and this can cause injuries and exhaustion. Secondly the males will fight like you’ve already said. They have a “pecking order” and the new guy will be lowest on the poll and get bullied. The drakes will even mount other drakes, rip out their feathers and fight violently. Introducing any bird to an already established flock you will see pecks here but they will get use to each other and accept them in. However with your hen to drakes ratio unfortunately it is going to be unavoidable and you will continue to see fights. It is very upsetting. All our ducklings this year that hatched out were actually all males and we weren’t about to keep a single one because we are already pushing it a bit with our ratio but there is still peace among our flock so we chose not even to try to keep any and disturb that.

Yes I already read about that but there is nothing I can do now.
Also my drake tries to Peck the both females too but I stopped it every time , what can u do about introducing the female at least? Should I just let them peck?

 

[MartinFamilyHomestead]

Yes I already read about that but there is nothing I can do now.
Also my drake tries to Peck the both females too but I stopped it every time , what can u do about introducing the female at least? Should I just let them peck?

Unfortunately these are all signs of too many males in the flock. Even the drakes pecking at the hen. I know it is hard to get rid of them but that is soemthjng you actually could do to help the situation or add at least a handful more of hens to your flock immediately. This could escalate to a dead duck unfortunately.

 

[FaizanJatt]

Unfortunately these are all signs of too mane males in the flock. Even the drakes pecking at the hen. I know it is hard to get rid of them but that is soemthjng you actually could do to help the situation or add at least a handful more of hens to your flock immediately. This could escalate to a dead duck unfortunately.

I do have one other cage , since I bought 1 male and 2 females
I can keep one male and one female there in that cage
And can I introduce the last female one to the old ducks?
Its mostly just one of my drakes that is aggressive,

 

[Crazy Maizie]

For integration, you should set up a look no touch area first (like a fence between the new and old) and then let them mingle after about 2 weeks.
Most suggest quarantining first, but too late for that now.
If it were me, I would find new homes for all but 1 male, but it doesn't sound like you want to do that. If that's the case, then I would separate all males and just have a male only flock and a female only flock. Unless you plan on breeding, then maybe 1 of your favorite males with the females.
Even with all that said, male only flocks don't always work out either and sometimes you have to rehome or find other alternatives if the drakes are too aggressive.
Sounds like you have a lot to think about regarding your flock management.

 

[EmmaGRS]

Hello, so yes I’d suggest getting 2-4 more females. Each male does not need 4-5 females, it’s best but it’s not necessary. At least that is what I have experienced with my rouens. My males have “favorites” for females, but they will get on top of others but for the most part they aren’t very aggressive. I had something similar happen to me, I had 3? Or 4 rouens and I got 4 more, everyone wasn’t very happy with each other but over a couple days they got better. But they also were free range, so depending on your space for your ducks matters too. If they’re in a small pen they will probably be more aggressive, but it always depends.

 

[FaizanJatt]

Hello, so yes I’d suggest getting 2-4 more females. Each male does not need 4-5 females, it’s best but it’s not necessary. At least that is what I have experienced with my rouens. My males have “favorites” for females, but they will get on top of others but for the most part they aren’t very aggressive. I had something similar happen to me, I had 3? Or 4 rouens and I got 4 more, everyone wasn’t very happy with each other but over a couple days they got better. But they also were free range, so depending on your space for your ducks matters too. If they’re in a small pen they will probably be more aggressive, but it always depends.

Thanks a lot Emma, my ducks are actually pretty happy currently
2 males and one female are not aggressive at all its just 1 drake that tries to attack the new ones actively as soon as it sees then.
Currently that Drake is just 8 months old
I want to know if I introduce new females would it be able to survive the pecks if I just let it be?

 

[EmmaGRS]

Thanks a lot Emma, my ducks are actually pretty happy currently
2 males and one female are not aggressive at all its just 1 drake that tries to attack the new ones actively as soon as it sees then.
Currently that Drake is just 8 months old
I want to know if I introduce new females would it be able to survive the pecks if I just let it be?

If it’s just one male being aggressive, probably. If there’s an older male sometimes they will tell off the younger ones too. If you just give them time it probably will be fine. As long as it’s one male and none of the others are aggressive, I wouldn’t be too concerned introducing new ducks.

 

[Crazy Maizie]

The drake can potentially kill her. How about setting up a look no touch pen? It's really not that hard to do.
If you share pics of your current set up, we can offer suggestions.