New aggression in a 6 week old duckling

[ColinsMom]

Hi,
I am new to the boards and hoping for some help understanding my duckling’s behavior. I have a small flock (4 laying ducks) and a couple guard geese that live outside but this summer I ended up with a little singleton duckling that I raised inside. He is going to be 6 weeks old on Tuesday and is already huge (3.7lbs!). He is a Muscovy x Cayuga hybrid and DNA confirmed to be a male. Up until a couple days ago he has been the sweetest and snuggliest little guy and in the past couple days there has been a major shift - he still follows me closely but inside he chooses to pout in his bed instead of sit with me and when I do hold him/have him in my lap he has gotten quite aggressive. He has always nibbled at my hands and fingers but now he is aggressively biting them and has even done a little hiss.

I worry a lot about enrichment but he gets lots of outside time with the other ducks (he is afraid of them and they ignore him). He will often stomp up to the front door and demand to be let inside after 20 or so min… Inside he gets tons of free range around the house time and when he is confined he has a large (4’ x 6’) clear sided pen with a tub, puzzle toys, snuffle mat, etc. I even bought him a roll of sod for inside because I was worried about natural behaviors!

Anyway, he is currently getting in his pin feathers on his wings and I’m hoping this is just a transient behavior change because maybe the process is uncomfortable? Or is it normal for them to start to distance themselves and become aggressive at this point and it is a more permanent change? I miss my little cuddle buddy so I’m really hoping this change is temporary

 

[sourland]

It's all about the pecking order. He wants to be boss. Don't allow him to get away with bad behavior or it will escalate.

 

[ColinsMom]

It's all about the pecking order. He wants to be boss. Don't allow him to get away with bad behavior or it will escalate.

Ugh I was hoping that wasn’t the case. Do you have any suggestions for how to correct the behavior? I don’t want to damage our relationship or introduce fear but it sounds like some boundaries need to be set…

Thank you!

 

[bhaugh]

I would be very careful trying to have a cuddly drakelett. The more they feel they are on the same level you are the worst it is going to be as they mature. Drake's are ignored by me and if I can at all help it they will be raised by the group as the adult birds will keep them in line and remind them their place in the flock. As they get older I am harder on them than the girls because of the damage that an adult Muscovy can do. I know you said that yours are mixed breed so hopefully your drake will not be clawed. If you must have a cuddly duck pick a girl they will usually be smaller and easier to control. However I have found that girls sometimes are more catty than the boys and if they cause too many problems they are out. Temperament is Paramount to me and I will not hesitate to remove a bird who is aggressive and not trustworthy.