Introducing New Ducks

[Haydog03]

My older ducks are 5 months, the new ones are 2 months. We want to introduce them to one another, as for the past month they’ve seen each other everyday through a fence. Sadly, whenever we let out older ducks free roam; they immediately go to pecking at them through the fence. It’s the two drakes that peck at the babies. Any idea why? If we put them together I’m afraid the drakes will continue to peck the babies! Our female doesn’t mind them, but the drakes hate them! It’s getting colder, so we’d like to put the babies with the older ones so they can cuddle for warmth! One of the babies has a broken leg, that we’re trying to treat and heal. We don’t know the gender of the babies, either. Will our drakes stop pecking eventually? Any advice appreciated!

 

[Callender Girl]

My drakes EVENTUALLY stopped harassing the younger ducks -- most of the time. Because my three adult drakes were overworking the hens, I added three ducklings this spring. All were supposed to be hens; one grew up to be a drake.

Initially, the older drakes were horrible to the youngsters, attacking the young drake and constantly trying to breed the young hens. As fall has rolled around and the hormones have settled a bit, there is SOME peace in the community. I still house the three younger runner ducks in their own remodeled dog house at night, adjacent to the shelter/run that houses the others. I did, however, lock up everybody together for a week while I was out of town, and there were no injuries.

However, during the day everyone free ranges when I'm home, and while Lane likes to shepherd his own two girls around, all nine ducks do socialize nicely, including at feeding time.

Best wishes for getting your ducks settled.

 

[Miss Lydia]

It won’t be a good idea to put your two month old ducks with drakes your drakes at 5 months are going into their hormonal changes and could try mating with them and it won’t matter if the 2 month old are male or female. Any way you can separate your duck house in two spaces so they can all be together but the drakes are not able to get to the young ones?

 

[Haydog03]

I noticed the drakes seemed more flirty than normal! We have two pens located across the yard from one another, then we let them free roam at different times. The pen is right beside a creek and the house, so no way we could build on and have a no-touch/see thing... they only see each other when they free roam! They stay out for an hour, sometimes longer, and normally pester the young ones! We’re thinking about just letting them together in the yard, but with Blue injured, it’s risky.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Yes I think you’ll be sorry with the one with the broken leg trying to stay out of the drakes way running from them but up to you!

 

[Haydog03]

Do you think we should just let our female (named Pato) out in the yard with the babies? She doesn’t seem as aggressive!

 

[Miss Lydia]

All you can do is try it even if Pato picked on them a little to establish dominance. Hopefully it wouldn’t be bad. Just watch your little one with the broken leg with her.

 

[Haydog03]

Thank you for the advice! We’ll try it tomorrow! Hopefully I’ll have some good news tomorrow!

 

[Miss Lydia]

hope so too

 

[Haydog03]

My drakes EVENTUALLY stopped harassing the younger ducks -- most of the time. Because my three adult drakes were overworking the hens, I added three ducklings this spring. All were supposed to be hens; one grew up to be a drake.

Initially, the older drakes were horrible to the youngsters, attacking the young drake and constantly trying to breed the young hens. As fall has rolled around and the hormones have settled a bit, there is SOME peace in the community. I still house the three younger runner ducks in their own remodeled dog house at night, adjacent to the shelter/run that houses the others. I did, however, lock up everybody together for a week while I was out of town, and there were no injuries.

However, during the day everyone free ranges when I'm home, and while Lane likes to shepherd his own two girls around, all nine ducks do socialize nicely, including at feeding time.

Best wishes for getting your ducks settled.

Thank you! Our males, Hercules and Destiny, are getting protective, but not over the female! Hercules guards a metal bowl we have... not sure why he loves it so much! We had to move it and give it to the babies, maybe that’s why he pecks them through the fence... he wants his bowl back! ​