I need help with the flock rejecting/chasing ducklings away!

[jlholm]

this is my first time with ducks and I had 3 females go broody and hatch eggs in the same nest together. They only had two eggs hatch and be successfu, but now the drake and the other two females that did not go broody are constantly chasing the duckling away and they wont Let them go into the duck house at night. As soon as the ducklings try to go in with their three mamas, the other three ducks chase them back out. Is this normal? What can I do to get everyone in at night and start getting along? I always had believed that ducks are easier to integrate than the chickens and these hatched and have been raised out with the rest of the flock. The ducklings are almost 6 weeks old now.

 

[sourland]

It may be necessary to separate them until the ducklings are larger. Grown ducks are not beyond killing ducklings.

 

[jlholm]

It may be necessary to separate them until the ducklings are larger. Grown ducks are not beyond killing ducklings.

Oh, wow! I would never have dreamed they’d go after their own flock ducklings! They’re getting pretty big now, and I let the others out of the pen during the day to go to our pond, but when they’re all in the pen, the ducklings have to keep in Hiding, so to speak, or get chased away.

 

[416bigbore]

Unfortunately there is a pecking order within the flock regardless of their own babies or not. It's sad but it happens, need to separate until the babies are bigger and can hold their own with the bigger ducks.

 

[jlholm]

thanks! I nay have one duck pen and one duck house. I have been letting the offenders out of the pen during the day to go to our pond and yard behind the house just leaving the ducklings an at least one of the mamas in the pen with them during the day but bedtime is a real issue as they all file into the house and then one of the non broody kicks the babies back out. Then they cry and cry for their mama ducks, which I’m afraid will attract predators. My husband wondered if separating them during the day was making it worse. Maybe I can find a way to set up a temporary house for them at night.