Need Advice Please

[Girl43]

Hi. This hopefully won't get too lengthy but here goes....I have the following set up: 17 chickens, 4 rouens, 5 muscovys. The muscovys are new having brought them into the fold about a month ago. The pen they all share is very big along with a large outside area. When I brought the Muscovys home I put them in with the other birds and all was well for about three days. On day four the muscovys flew out of the pen and wouldn't be coaxed back in. The rouens were giving them a hard time. I put them back into the shed but fenced off from the rouen/chicken population. Two days ago, the rouens got out and in with the muscovys while I was feeding them. They immediately got on a male and where picking and beating him up. I stopped them. The female muscovys they tried to court nd basically left them alone. Yesterday, a female muscovy decided to go in with the rouens. I figured that being a female she would be ok....NOPE!!! I went in this morning to feed and water and the poor little dear was dead. Her head was a mangled mess and the ducks were still at her frozen corpse (Gross). I feel TERRIBLE and GUILTY. Is this behavior normal? I have had ducks a long time and have never encountered this. Obviously, I won't allow them together but what about in Spring when the weather warms...can they free range together? Will the rouens attack their ducklings? Do I have a ravaging flock of cannibalistic rouens or has this come about due to my inexperience with Muscovys? Any advice will be much appreciated. Thank you in advance.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Hi. This hopefully won't get too lengthy but here goes....I have the following set up: 17 chickens, 4 rouens, 5 muscovys. The muscovys are new having brought them into the fold about a month ago. The pen they all share is very big along with a large outside area. When I brought the Muscovys home I put them in with the other birds and all was well for about three days. On day four the muscovys flew out of the pen and wouldn't be coaxed back in. The rouens were giving them a hard time. I put them back into the shed but fenced off from the rouen/chicken population. Two days ago, the rouens got out and in with the muscovys while I was feeding them. They immediately got on a male and where picking and beating him up. I stopped them. The female muscovys they tried to court nd basically left them alone. Yesterday, a female muscovy decided to go in with the rouens. I figured that being a female she would be ok....NOPE!!! I went in this morning to feed and water and the poor little dear was dead. Her head was a mangled mess and the ducks were still at her frozen corpse (Gross). I feel TERRIBLE and GUILTY. Is this behavior normal? I have had ducks a long time and have never encountered this. Obviously, I won't allow them together but what about in Spring when the weather warms...can they free range together? Will the rouens attack their ducklings? Do I have a ravaging flock of cannibalistic rouens or has this come about due to my inexperience with Muscovys? Any advice will be much appreciated. Thank you in advance.

I am so sorry to hear about your Scovie duck, very sad, your established flock of ducks and chickens see your scovies as outsiders and need to be delt with in that way, your poor girl found out. My Scoives have never lived anywhere else and among a flock of 13 their are clicks And fighting among the drakes, I don't let it get out of hand, but I had to learn the hard way also. Do what you are doing keeping them separated with secure fencing but where they can still see each other, do you give treats? if so give to both at the same time and same time of day getting them all into a routine. then when spring gets here start letting them out together under supervision giving treats right off, letting them be together as long as there aren't any seriousfighting, there will be some altercations of course because thats just the way it is in duck and chicken flocks but you don't want it to get out of hand. Keep them separated when you can't be there to watch, then over the course of time, it may only take a couple days it may take alot longer but i think eventually they will be able to free range together. You may always have problems with fighting even the girls will do it but hopefully it will be minor once everyone gets use to each other. And

sorry it had to be under these circumstance.

 

[Going Quackers]

I'm sorry how upsetting! I only brought older birds in once(3 females between the ages of 6-7mths roughly) but this left them only within a couple months of what was currently in the flock, we kept them separated but near for awhile before we let them be with the flock as a whole.

The rest of the birds, were either bought as ducklings or hatched here. So we were able to transition them more easily. Flock dynamics are complicated, i have times where my ducks still fight over what, who knows? and the drakes.. well i have one who is a pain and wants to dominate the flock but he is not as big as the main drake so it gives forth with conflict. We have separated him at night to avoid any harm happening in the confinement of the barn.

 

[jdywntr]

How many of your Rouen are drakes? Same for the Muscovy?

Slow introductions are best. Good advice from GQ and Miss Lydia.

Sorry for the loss.

 

[Going Quackers]

How many of your Rouen are drakes? Same for the Muscovy?

Slow introductions are best. Good advice from GQ and Miss Lydia.

Sorry for the loss.

Yes, good questions! drakes can be awfully defensive when it comes to the ladies... i should know with all the drakes i've had to deal with