New Ducks Old Ducks

[Quack head]

I did take the advice of someone on this Forum and set up a temporary outdoor pen for the ducks. I took down the separation yesterday and it was chaos to say the least. After two weeks looking at each other thru chicken wire I thought it would be a little less.

The two old ducks went after the new ducks for hours. I sat in the pen/house for an hour calming everything down. This morning was a little less chaos but still the old and new was still going at it.

I let the ducks out into the new enclosure and it did seem to settle down a little. I have sat inside the enclosure most of the morning and early afternoon and after a while it was less. The old ducks let one of the new ducks into the water. I am sure it was the first time it was in a pool when it could dip the total body under water. The other two new ducks just kept running around the pool dipping their heads under water and splashing. Finely the old drake came over and cleared the pool.

I do feel bad for the old ducks they didn't get to free range, really feel bad for the new ducks getting chased around.

Any more suggestions?

 

[21hens-incharge]

Add barriers.....things to hide behind but open on both ends so no one can get trapped.

A few short tree stumps can help too.
Things to break up all that wide open space.

Do you know if your new ones are hens or drakes?

 

[PirateGirl]

I also like to have more than one food dish and more than one water container, bullying seems to happen often around food and water.

Keep giving it time. It should settle down eventually.

 

[erehwon]

I sympathise, we tried introducing our muscovies today and the feathers flew everywhere, so much for our familiarisation procedures, back to square one tomorrow!

 

[Miss Lydia]

I like what you’ve done in making them an outside area. Hopefully by end of the week they will be doing much better all together.

 

[Quack head]

Add barriers.....things to hide behind but open on both ends so no one can get trapped.

A few short tree stumps can help too.
Things to break up all that wide open space.

Do you know if your new ones are hens or drakes?

All three of the new ducks are hens about three months old.

 

[Quack head]

I like what you’ve done in making them an outside area. Hopefully by end of the week they will be doing much better all together.

I was at the new enclosure almost all day watching them. I put the old ducks up early and let the new ducks have the outside area all to themselves for a hour or so.

 

[Quack head]

I sympathise, we tried introducing our muscovies today and the feathers flew everywhere, so much for our familiarisation procedures, back to square one tomorrow!

I just checked on the ducks, the new ducks are in a corner and the old ducks are sitting in the middle of the house (8'x8'). I am sure they were running around earlier.

 

[chickens really]

That's normal behaviour and should settle down once they get used to being together.

 

[Quack head]

I decided to give the new ducks a break. I let the old ducks out to free range today and put the new ducks in the outdoor pen. Both are happy, the old ducks are enjoying the rain we had last night by digging in the mud at the pond edge. The new ducks seem happy having the pen and pool all to themselves. I am think about putting up the barrier in the Quack House again and wait until the new ducks get a little bigger and put them together again? Thoughts?