Muscovy fighting getting worse - at my wit's end!

[Miss Lydia]

If she's okay with the chickens and they don't mess with her keep her with them when my Muscovy was in the other coop she roosted with the chickens. Chickens on the roost the ducks and geese under the poop boards.

 

[StinkyAcres]

If she's okay with the chickens and they don't mess with her keep her with them when my Muscovy was in the other coop she roosted with the chickens. Chickens on the roost the ducks and geese under the poop boards.

Yeah, I plan to keep her there. Problem is I have three other naughty ducks...

 

[Miss Lydia]

Is this year round? Mine seem to settle once real cold weather gets here and stays.

 

[StinkyAcres]

Is this year round? Mine seem to settle once real cold weather gets here and stays.

They do settle down a little for a few weeks, but they're never as chill as they were when they were ducklings.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Of course not duckling are just sweet and precious. But then hormones play into it too I believe. Even my other ducks Runners & Buffs will do some fighting in fall and spring but they don't draw blood usually just end up with a mouth full of feathers.
Maybe you should consider adding a drake (1) even a young one. Seems people always are trying to rehome drakes.

 

[StinkyAcres]

Of course not duckling are just sweet and precious. But then hormones play into it too I believe. Even my other ducks Runners & Buffs will do some fighting in fall and spring but they don't draw blood usually just end up with a mouth full of feathers.
Maybe you should consider adding a drake (1) even a young one. Seems people always are trying to rehome drakes.

My coop is not big enough for a drake, but I guess I could try to make room somehow. But even if I did I'd be afraid he would stress them out even more. I'd really like to hear from someone who has introduced a drake. @Crazy Maizie

 

[Miss Lydia]

I did the opposite I introduced females to my drake.

 

[Crazy Maizie]

My coop is not big enough for a drake, but I guess I could try to make room somehow. But even if I did I'd be afraid he would stress them out even more. I'd really like to hear from someone who has introduced a drake. @Crazy Maizie

Sorry to hear that your girls are still being naughty. My drake grew up with the female muscovies and I've only added female runner ducks. Except, I let one of the girls hatch eggs and out of the 3 that hatched 2 were male. My original male was a good duck dad, but once the drakes grew, I had to find them a new home. Drakes will fight with each other.
While my girls have had some squabbles, it never gets far. It is almost like at this point it's learned behavior. They are all just going at it? When I had 3 Muscovy girls, one always got picked on by the 2 until they changed places. I have had Muscovy that preferred to roost with the chickens. But, they can also be naughty to the chickens if they choose. Is the coop in a secure run? If so, maybe they can just be in the run and not cooped up? I'm not sure if a drake would be the solution. Mine always preferred one over the others. I don't know if he kept them in line. I feel like mine was just a side observer to the girls. But, he might not have been typical.

 

[StinkyAcres]

Sorry to hear that your girls are still being naughty. My drake grew up with the female muscovies and I've only added female runner ducks. Except, I let one of the girls hatch eggs and out of the 3 that hatched 2 were male. My original male was a good duck dad, but once the drakes grew, I had to find them a new home. Drakes will fight with each other.
While my girls have had some squabbles, it never gets far. It is almost like at this point it's learned behavior. They are all just going at it? When I had 3 Muscovy girls, one always got picked on by the 2 until they changed places. I have had Muscovy that preferred to roost with the chickens. But, they can also be naughty to the chickens if they choose. Is the coop in a secure run? If so, maybe they can just be in the run and not cooped up? I'm not sure if a drake would be the solution. Mine always preferred one over the others. I don't know if he kept them in line. I feel like mine was just a side observer to the girls. But, he might not have been typical.

Thanks, @Crazy Maizie. I don't have a secure run for them, just a pasture, but I don't think it would matter anyway. Even though they hurt each other they seem to want to stay with each other. It does seem like it's just a habit and there is no rhyme or reason for their bullying. One month one duck decides to pick on one individual and the next month it's a different duck being picked on by another duck. But there are two who have been injured more than the other two. I half-jokingly told my brother that I need four duck coops for my four ducks...

 

[Crazy Maizie]

Maybe you could find one or two of them a new home? I know it's a hard decision when you consider them to be pets. When I had the extra drakes, I kept trying to make it work. Then, I realized it was just too much extra work on my part to try to keep them all happy. I also didn't really have the room especially when they needed to be locked in the run due to predators. So, I rehomed them. The stress and work level went way down. You should also consider your goals for the Muscovy. If pets, you want them to have the best life that you can offer them. You could just wait and see. When my drake was here, he always settled down around this time of the year. Then, as each year went by, he seemed to be less hormonal. He was infatuated with me which led him to bite me and jump on me - I always looked forward to fall. I still miss his antics.