Moving out, moving in.

[Miss Lydia]

I agree since young this would be a good time to add the females then next year they will all be used to each other for when mating season starts up.

 

[ruthhope]

My 4 drakes free range in a fenced back yard with plenty of shrubbery and trees. For the last 6 or so months they had access to their coop during the day and I left the extra food in there after feeding them in the morning. However, over the last week I have stopped giving them access because of a rodent problem.

From the getgo, I had at least one squirrel that went in the coop every morning and took his breakfast from the duck's bowl. I also had Carolina wrens that went inside regularly, but I don't think they ate much!!! But two rats showed up during the day and I draw the line at feeding 2 rats--next week there will be 10 rats and after that who knows how man. I do not want to risk them getting into my roof. So now, I close the door after letting out the boys. If there were any mice around [I haven't seen any], they could still get in, but rats cannot. I bring the food bowl over close to the house where my nosy ducks spend a great deal of time walking up and down peering in through my patio doors. I haven't seen any rats with the nerve to come up close to the ducks and my house. I should add that back earlier in the year, while I was leaving the door open during the day, I put the boys to bed one evening and within a few seconds there was a thwump. I seriously thought one of my muscovies had jumped on another drake. I quickly opened up again and one of my muscovies had killed a rat. The rat was still alive but obviously dying. I scooped it and dropped it outside, and buried it in the morning when it was stiff. I am hoping my muscovies will be effective deterrents to the rats coming up by the patio doors to take the duck food. If I see any rat by the house, the ducks will have to do without food during the day -- there is very good foraging in my garden and the ducks eat only about 3/4 cup of pellets each day -- whereas my son's laying females eat 2 cups each per day. My drakes are big healthy boys -- they are feeding themselves.

I think that rats are a fairly common problem steeling duck food. If you leave your coop open during the day, be on the look out for rats.

And, yes. I, too, think you should get more females now so that they are all one big happy family by breeding age.