Mean Pekin Hen

[cher1fan]

Hi,

I have a problem with my pekin hen. She does the mating dance then tries to mount my mallard hen. What is this about?

Second problem my pekin hen acts just like a male, very agressive and is biting the necks of my 1 month old ducklings. They are only together when I'm there to supervise but she holds them by the neck and will not let them go. I smacked her easily with a newspaper to get her to let go.

She really is becoming a problem. What shoud I do. I built a separate fenced in area for the babies where they adults can see them and the babies can see the adults. This does not seem to make her like them at all.

by thew ay is there a way to tell which duck just layed an egg. It is my first egg. I have peking hen and a mallard hen.

Thanks for your help.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Hi,

I have a problem with my pekin hen. She does the mating dance then tries to mount my mallard hen. What is this about?

Second problem my pekin hen acts just like a male, very agressive and is biting the necks of my 1 month old ducklings. They are only together when I'm there to supervise but she holds them by the neck and will not let them go. I smacked her easily with a newspaper to get her to let go.

She really is becoming a problem. What shoud I do. I built a separate fenced in area for the babies where they adults can see them and the babies can see the adults. This does not seem to make her like them at all.

by thew ay is there a way to tell which duck just layed an egg. It is my first egg. I have peking hen and a mallard hen.

Thanks for your help.

The egg from the Pekin will be white and much larger than the Mallard egg. As far as your Pekin duck being mean she is showing dominance behavior. so keep the ducklings like you are separate but where everyone can see each other once the ducklings get her size try again putting them together,. and the mounting is very normal, especially if there isn't a drake. But even though I have drakes my ducks will still mount each other. Their crazy. I'd still let them all out together periodically with treats so they have their minds on food instead of each other.

 

[cher1fan]

Thank you so much for your reply. I'm guessing this is a mallard egg. It is white and the size of a chicken egg. I will put them all together with supervision for a snack and see how that goes. Thanks again!

 

[Going Quackers]

The first of eggs of a pekin can be small.. when mine began to lay they did resemble a chicken egg and then continued to enlarge. Some will colour the vent of the birds to see who is laying, just food dye.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Thank you so much for your reply. I'm guessing this is a mallard egg. It is white and the size of a chicken egg. I will put them all together with supervision for a snack and see how that goes. Thanks again!

Sometimes eating treats keeps their mind off picking on one another. There will still be a pecking order to work out but it's not a rough as chickens pecking order. But your ducklings are no match right now for a adult Pekin duck. Let us know how it goes.

 

[cher1fan]

Thank you all. I will keep you up to date. What color is a mallard egg?