Introducing Ducklings to a flock?

[talkhorsesducks]

Hey! I have 3 ducklings 4 weeks old I think I have one drake and 2 females but it’s hard to tell. and I have 4 year old ducks, 2 drakes and 2 hens. The drakes any time the ducklings walk by are ready to attack the ducklings but the hens don’t care. I wait until they’re fully grown to introduce them right? Any tips for introducing them? The plan is to have them all living together in the same coop. Thanks!

 

[ruthhope]

View attachment 3107281

Cute ducklings, and you are correct that they should not be introduced to your flock until they are fully grown.
The problem is your duck math. You are lucky 2 drakes and 2 females are living together peacefully. But any new drake you introduce will be in great danger of being attacked. I suggest that you only introduce female new ducks and rehome any ducklings that turn out to be drakes

 

[talkhorsesducks]

View attachment 3107281

Cute ducklings, and you are correct that they should not be introduced to your flock until they are fully grown.
The problem is your duck math. You are lucky 2 drakes and 2 females are living together peacefully. But any new drake you introduce will be in great danger of being attacked. I suggest that you only introduce female new ducks and rehome any ducklings that turn out to be drakes

Thank you! Yeah, my big drakes are very polite to the females and to each other the occasional squabble but nothing seriously injuring to anyone- they almost wrestle haha. Out of curiosity if I did introduce a new drake would he always get attacked or would they sort out a Peking order quickly?

 

[New duck mommy 2021]

Hey! I have 3 ducklings 4 weeks old I think I have one drake and 2 females but it’s hard to tell. and I have 4 year old ducks, 2 drakes and 2 hens. The drakes any time the ducklings walk by are ready to attack the ducklings but the hens don’t care. I wait until they’re fully grown to introduce them right? Any tips for introducing them? The plan is to have them all living together in the same coop. Thanks!
View attachment 3107281

Waiting is best but keep doing it how you are keeping them where they can see each other at all times eventually they will start to relax
The two older drakes may gang up on a new drake or even a hen that wants nothing to do with them if it’s mate season
bring them together supervised outside of the older ducks run area
This makes them less territorial
Things may look okay in the day but nights in the coop it may still get ugly
This happened when I introduced one duck to my girls. In the day they tolerated him took a few weeks before I could leave them all day but at night if I tried to put him with them they attacked in the duck house
Took another 2 weeks Before it stopped
Now they are tied at the hip and cant be without the other one
All ducks are different some welcome new ones no problem others take awhile
Just keep watch on body language

 

[talkhorsesducks]

Waiting is best but keep doing it how you are keeping them where they can see each other at all times eventually they will start to relax
The two older drakes may gang up on a new drake or even a hen that wants nothing to do with them if it’s mate season
bring them together supervised outside of the older ducks run area
This makes them less territorial
Things may look okay in the day but nights in the coop it may still get ugly
This happened when I introduced one duck to my girls. In the day they tolerated him took a few weeks before I could leave them all day but at night if I tried to put him with them they attacked in the duck house
Took another 2 weeks Before it stopped
Now they are tied at the hip and cant be without the other one
All ducks are different some welcome new ones no problem others take awhile
Just keep watch on body language

This is awesome thank you for sharing this information. I really appreciate it. Yes they all can see each other right now which seems to be good. My very docile female went in with them for 1/2 an hour yesterday and she was calm and wanted nothing to do with the babies. But I suspect my one drake will be fairly aggressive to begin with. Thank you again!!!

 

[Quatie]

When I have new ducklings I am introducing to the flock, I do it over several weeks. My ducks who are new to having additions are usually the more aggressive. I take them out in a fenced area where everyone can see each other. But none of my ducks can get to the ducklings, a lot like the pen you have. By the time they are ready to go out, they have seen each other on the other side of the fence for a long time. When I do start to introduce them face to face, I let them share to the area during the day and at night they are seperate in the coop. I tend to use a dog crate in the coop for separation. Lastly they share the coop at night too.

With drakes, every drake is different. Mine has never cared about younger females and I can put them with him. Other drakes will definitely try and mate younger females. The Drake can injure and potentially drown and kill the younger female. Size is the issue. This is also the potential problem with too many drakes. You can get your drakes overeating females and gang up on one in the water and drown her. I have had 13 females and 2 drakes at one point. I had to rehome one drake because he was too much for my flock and causing my other drake to stress out. He went from a very sweet drake to his girls to getting crazy eyes. After removing that drake, the flock calmed down and the my boy became sweet again for a drake. Mine didn't fight, but some do have that issue.

 

[New duck mommy 2021]

This is awesome thank you for sharing this information. I really appreciate it. Yes they all can see each other right now which seems to be good. My very docile female went in with them for 1/2 an hour yesterday and she was calm and wanted nothing to do with the babies. But I suspect my one drake will be fairly aggressive to begin with. Thank you again!!!

You will know by body language for sure
We lost our second female awhile ago as she ate a Penny. She must have dug it up from the ground as we haven’t had penny’s forever
So my drake and hen became very close
He is very gentle towards her and although he likes to mate when she doesn’t he leaves her be
I hatched 5 of their babies in December and got 3 girls 2 boys. I was able to keep them all together for the last 1.5 months but now my one young drake has decided he wants mom and she isn’t having it so he chases and bites at her then dad gets after him
So I have them separated in their pen day abd duck house at night
It’s high hormones going right now
Hopefully the young drakes will settle down by next mate season
They are not gentle like dad is
Dad has no interest at all in the other 3 girls he has eyes only for daisy
I do have 3 more 2 Week old hopefully girls to add to keep the young boys happier

 

[talkhorsesducks]

When I have new ducklings I am introducing to the flock, I do it over several weeks. My ducks who are new to having additions are usually the more aggressive. I take them out in a fenced area where everyone can see each other. But none of my ducks can get to the ducklings, a lot like the pen you have. By the time they are ready to go out, they have seen each other on the other side of the fence for a long time. When I do start to introduce them face to face, I let them share to the area during the day and at night they are seperate in the coop. I tend to use a dog crate in the coop for separation. Lastly they share the coop at night too.

With drakes, every drake is different. Mine has never cared about younger females and I can put them with him. Other drakes will definitely try and mate younger females. The Drake can injure and potentially drown and kill the younger female. Size is the issue. This is also the potential problem with too many drakes. You can get your drakes overeating females and gang up on one in the water and drown her. I have had 13 females and 2 drakes at one point. I had to rehome one drake because he was too much for my flock and causing my other drake to stress out. He went from a very sweet drake to his girls to getting crazy eyes. After removing that drake, the flock calmed down and the my boy became sweet again for a drake. Mine didn't fight, but some do have that issue.

Thank you so much!! I really appreciate this!

 

[talkhorsesducks]

You will know by body language for sure
We lost our second female awhile ago as she ate a Penny. She must have dug it up from the ground as we haven’t had penny’s forever
So my drake and hen became very close
He is very gentle towards her and although he likes to mate when she doesn’t he leaves her be
I hatched 5 of their babies in December and got 3 girls 2 boys. I was able to keep them all together for the last 1.5 months but now my one young drake has decided he wants mom and she isn’t having it so he chases and bites at her then dad gets after him
So I have them separated in their pen day abd duck house at night
It’s high hormones going right now
Hopefully the young drakes will settle down by next mate season
They are not gentle like dad is
Dad has no interest at all in the other 3 girls he has eyes only for daisy
I do have 3 more 2 Week old hopefully girls to add to keep the young boys happier

That’s awesome!! Thank you! my one drake lavender is the nicest guy. I hand feed my ducks treats all the time and he always waits until the females have had their share before going in. Is the protective one and if the other Drake is being too strong with the girls he will go and chase after him. He’s also really pretty.

 

[ruthhope]

Thank you! Yeah, my big drakes are very polite to the females and to each other the occasional squabble but nothing seriously injuring to anyone- they almost wrestle haha. Out of curiosity if I did introduce a new drake would he always get attacked or would they sort out a Peking order quickly?

I cannot know the answer to that as each drake is different.

I have an all drake flock. I had 1 pekin [loud and noisy, bossy boots but no fight in him] and 2 muscovy [learn quickly that I don't like bullying behavior and hold back from actual fighting: make do with side swipe pecks to let each other know who is boss.] I introduced a new adult pekin drake beginning of April. It took a month for them to all settle down. My existing pekin drake is big buddy with one of the muscovy and was initially conflicted about the new pekin drake demanding his obedience. He has now worked it out -- he is still big buddies with one of the muscovy but gives attention to the new pekin too. Both pekins sleep in dog crates in the coop as the muscovy are prone to bulling [excluding the pekins from food and water.] The muscovy get away with that as I am not there to teach them not to do it [and I am not going to spend a night in the coop to teach them!!!]

Two weeks ago I rescued 2 more pekin drakes. I think they are 6-9 months old [probably closer to 6 months.] They are closely bonded and had obviously been maltreated even before they were dumped out on their own in the world. The new ducks are in quaratine, sleeping in a divided dogcrate in my florida room and out in an exercise pen on my patio during the day. My ducks can see them but not touch. One of the new drakes makes threatening head movements to my drakes when any of my drakes walk past. My recently added pekin drake has been seen to make threatening head movements to the new drakes when he goes past. One muscovy is completely disinterested, and the other -- the alpha male that prefers my company to duck company -- goes and looks at them through my patio scrren door every morning as soon as he gets let out of the coop, but isn't otherwise interacting with them.

The two new drakes are now very vocal [they weren't when I first found them] chattering away with each other. From yesterday, they have also joined in the loud chorus of ducky shouting that happenes everytime I go near the patio.

But I don't know how the full introductions will work out in another 2 weeks. Before then, I will have the two new ducks sleeping in their dog crate in the coop with the other ducks, for a week, but still in their own exercise pen during the day. I don't know how they will get on -- and they have no distraction of female ducks to fight over!!