Mean ducks!

[Bakinbaker]

We have 4 total, 2 are 9 weeks and 2 are 6 weeks old. The older girls are mean to the younger girls! The oldest Pekin chases the younger girls around, kicks them out of the pool, has tried to drown them, and gets so mad she quivers violently before she charges them.

The other 9 week old is a runner and is almost as mean but I think she realizes that she's almost smaller now than the 6 week old girls (another Pekin and a Black Swedish) so she only aggresses at them in the pool for the most part.

What can I do? I hate to leave the younger girls out there unsupervised with the older girls but we're ready to start transitioning them outside. They have the whole yard (20' x 40') so there's plenty of space for everyone. I don't get it.

 

[gritsar]

Can you make a tractor to keep the younger girls safe within the yard until they are of a better size to defend themselves?
I have a pair of call ducks that get along fine with my runners, all except for the two drakes tangling from time to time - fights that the call drake always starts; but I also have a pair of geese and I worry about the goose hurting the tiny calls either on purpose or accidently.
My husband and I created a tractor out of PVC pipes and fittings, plus some chicken wire that keeps the calls safe during the day when we can't be out there with them full-time yet lets them be in the same yard with the other waterfowl. Took us less than an hour to build it and cost less than $20. At night my calls share a coop with the other waterfowl, but in an old wire dog crate that my shepherd outgrew.

 

[Crafty-Duck]

I had a Muscovy that was mean to my little one but as she grew it kept getting better and then when she was fully grown there was no more problems.So maybe it will get better in time??? I would suggest keeping them in a tractor like gritsar advised or providing them with a place to hide.

 

[Going Quackers]

Hmm.. my first question is are you sure these are ducks(ie girls?) because as someone who once had a predominately drake flock they can be a handful even as young ones.

Pecking orders aside, if situations are getting out of control, separation maybe a route, i generally introduced birds to the flock by having pens within the pens, this way birds could talk and see one another yet, not actually physically touch.

Since they are different ages, how were these introduced, originally?

 

[Bakinbaker]

They are definitely all girls. We vent-sexed them in the beginning and their quack is obviously duck not drake (as far as I can tell from listening to other ducks and drakes and based on when they started quacking).

We put the cage outside with the older ones so that the younger ones would be safe. I also gave them about an hour of supervised time all together each day. If the older girls got aggressive I'd step in.

 

[Going Quackers]

They are definitely all girls. We vent-sexed them in the beginning and their quack is obviously duck not drake (as far as I can tell from listening to other ducks and drakes and based on when they started quacking).

We put the cage outside with the older ones so that the younger ones would be safe. I also gave them about an hour of supervised time all together each day. If the older girls got aggressive I'd step in.

Okay, just checking lol

So were they just recently introduced then? If so, i wouldn't expect much within an hour... did they have access to one another prior? just trying to get the dynamics of how this flock has begun.

 

[Bakinbaker]

They were all indoors until about 3 weeks ago but the younger ones were in a brooder box while the older ones were in a cage.

They've all been outside together for the last 3 days. They seem to be fine now. The largest girl (9 week old Pekin) won't get in the pool with the other 3 but otherwise everyone seems to be getting along now.

 

[hdowden]

they need to be togther for longer than an hour to establish a "pecking" order. pecking ordres take longer than an hour to establish and i wouldn't seprate them unless they are really being hurt and it doesn't sound like they are getting hurt but just put in their place in the flock.

 

[Bakinbaker]

The oldest Pekin (now 10 weeks) STILL doesn't get in the pool with any other than the Runner (also 10 weeks) and only if the Runner is alone. Thunder (10 week Pekin) won't get in if the younger ones are in no matter what; instead she circles the pool. It's kind of like she's the lifeguard. They all get along just fine now though. Although, I'm waiting on the younger ones to go through their irst molt because I think the Black Swedish may actually be a male. Her/his voice has become very raspy (or maybe it always was and I just didn't notice it as much).