New Ducks Old Ducks

[Miss Lydia]

They are free range on little over half acre and do a good job of foraging when weather is good. But over winter there isn't much to eat but what I give them.

 

[Quack head]

My 7-month-old kids, especially the 2 drakes, are very aggressive toward my old girls and my little drake (2 1/2, 1 1/2 and the little drake is 1 now). They deal with it. I've got them all together and mostly they act ok. The only thing I have to watch is the 2 young drakes ganging up on one of the older girls raping them but I'm not filling the pool much this time of year so I think that is under control too. I know this will be a huge problem in the spring but I'm making some plans for that.

Last year when I got my little chocolate drake he blended into the flock perfectly. I sat and watched and everyone was fine and at night he marched right into the big pen with all the girls just like he'd always done it. I was nervous and went out later to check that there was no fighting. It was fine, everyone was asleep and settled in. I guess I was really lucky. He was about 3 months old when I got him.

It's funny how the new group of 4 sticks together all day mostly even though they are all together in one run. You might find your 3 do the same thing. At night those 4 march into the small pen and the other 7 go into the big pen all by themselves. I don't have to do anything but stand there until everyone gets situated.

Yesterday I let the two older ones out to free range and kept the three young ones in the fenced area with a pool of water. The younger ones spent a lot of the day inside the house and came out when I would go to check on them. Also, the older ducks would run up and check out what was going on when I would go out.

I did put them together for a little while and it went better. I still keep them separated at night with a plastic fence in between.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Sounds to me like progress is being made!! That’s the important part time and progress!

 

[Quack head]

Update on the New vs Old ducks. I have been putting them together for about 1/2 hour each day. The chasing and biting is less. They even were eating meal worms side by side when I put them in the kiddie pool. But, afterwords the Old ducks took over the pool and when the new ones would come close they would reach their heads out and snap at them. Progress! we went from chasing them all around the pen to just snapping at them from the kiddie pool. At one point all the ducks went inside the nighttime house and the New ducks stayed to one side and the old ducks stayed to the other.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Yay for progress!!!

 

[DuckyDonna]

It just takes time! My kids still stay apart from the old ones for the most part but they are all together just the same.

 

[Miss Lydia]

My Runner, Buff group has merged as one now! Might change when breeding season gets fired up.

 

[Quack head]

One of my young ducks seems to be more clumsy than the others. She still runs around and dunks her head in the kiddie pool then runs around the pool. She also seems to squat a lot more than the others especially when sticking her head in the pool and bathing. I also noticed the breast on her seems to be wider (maybe the feathers). Should I be worried?

 

[Miss Lydia]

Are you giving any niacin like Nutritional yeast liquid b complex. Usually leg weakness means a niacin deficiency.

 

[Miss Lydia]

As for her chest can you post some pics?