Is this normal??

[justmeandtheflock]

My older call ducklings (by 3 weeks) keep going after my younger ones. I had to seperate one of the younger ones because it was sick and not growing as fast and now they want to kill it too. They all (except for the littlest one that is caged with chicks) also go after chicks. Is this normal? Will it stop when they are all the same size? If I let any of them hatch next year will the others kill the ducklings?

 

[aussieheelr]

I haven't got my ducklings yet, they come on the 21st! Anyway with my chickens I've noticed that if one hatched out weak the others would pick on it and kill it. I think it's a part of their natural instints of servival of the fittist or something. So I would say it's normal

 

[janastasio]

I had the same problem with my call ducks. My older group by about 4 weeks would beat the snot out of the new ones. I had to separate them! Grrr, meant yet another cage to clean! They are now outside (the older batch) with all of the other calls and big ducks and all has been smooth. Small amount of feather grabbing initially, but all has been smoothed over!

 

[priss]

I only have three calls, two are about five weeks older than the youngest one. There was some pretty bad bullying going on for about three/four weeks but they settled and are all pretty close. I bought a water pistol to squirt at them to teach them to leave the little one alone only it turns out they LOVE being squirted lol. Spot the new person to ducks GAH!!!!
I hope yours all manage to get along when they are older. I'm afraid I can't give advice because I've only had my three for a year and they are the first ducks I've ever owned. Cute though right? Calls are very angelic lookin!
xxxxx

 

[nettie]

I had two runners about 6 months old, when I got a snowy mallard and a pekin. The snowy mallard was tiny even at 4 weeks old, but the pekin was huge, and almost as big as the runners. My one runner would chase the snowy mallard all around, and the pekin would stand in like her bidy guard and warm victor off... it was too funny.... Of course when you put victor next to the mallard he ran away scared out of his mind...

Victor has picked on every single duckling I've had since him. I'd find black feathers in his mouth and a gap in butt feathers on the black duck's butt. lol. I think non broody ducks, and males just have an urge to pick on ducklings that aren't theirs... probably some sort of survival instinct to get rid of competition