Now momma duck isnt being nice

[mogrl840]

I posted the other day about my drake being very aggressive and killing a duckling and going after the other ducks. IDK whats goin on but now my momma duck is being mean to the ducklings i had to help her hatch. She has two older ones that are a little over a week and 3 others that are 3-4 days old. The older ones will pick on the younger ones wen i take them outside and then mom will bite and hit them with her bill. Im slowly trying to introduce them but the older babies are mean. Did they get this from daddy? I have 1 pekin drake that is good with mom and the older babies not younger ones tho. but my crested blue Swedish drake is the killer. He is permanently caged in another area by himself and can not be re homed. I am fed up with these mean ducks and im about ready to get rid of them all except the 3 im raising inside. My ducks used to be so nice and friendly now they are a pain in the ass

 

[bt03]

A week makes a lot of difference in duck world. You said when you take them outside the others will be mean to them. Does that mean that you take them inside every night? How long are they out with the others? Do you always intervene when they are picking on the younger ones? Do you take them outside during the daylight hours?

If the older ducklings are a week old then you may have missed the window to add new ducklings without hostility, even if they are all hers. You may have to keep them separated until the younger ones can fend for themselves and even then they will have a show to see who belongs where in the pecking order. It's not a "dad showed us to be mean" thing with ducks it's more of a "new guy better learn his place" thing. So usually it's best to wait until they can push back before trying to mix the flock.

 

[mogrl840]

yes i have 3 of them inside. Mom left the nest and i had to hatch some of the eggs inside. So they are inside with me until i take them out for play time. The babies we not coming out of the shell on there own and they were dying in the shell. This is the 1st time iv ever owned ducks and the baby thing is really new to me. After 2 died in the shell, I helped the two out that she has now and they are doin great. We had a bad rain and she wasnt takin care of the eggs so i took about 6 inside to finish hatching. same thing happened. They started to come out and almost 48 hours later they we still in there so i stepped in and got them out. Now those 3 are doin great so i must have done something right by helping them. Now im stuck with all these babies and no one gets along

IDK what to do. im lost. I always step in when they get mean and i dont have them outside unless im out with them. They are really small and its not warm enough for them without a mom

 

[Luciesbuddys]

I had a similar issue I had 4 Mallards that were a week older than 3 Peking. I got them as ducklings and didn't have any other ducks so i kept them in a brooder in my heated garage. I did try to integrate them when i first got them ... that didn't work. I tried again at 6 weeks... yet again failure. Finally at 10 weeks i needed to move all the ducks and 6 chickens out side they had all out grown the brooders. I had the chickens and mallards out side for the first night together because they were segregated but had seen each other through the brooder. The next night was all of them after a long day sitting outside on the lawn with them watching the pecking order develop. It took a few weeks but now a female mallard and my male peking are best friends but not mates.

You will get through it and eventually they will coexist. they may not be best friends but hopefully they wont be killing each other.

 

[mogrl840]

Thanks and i will keep trying. I will have a happy duck family someday if not ill keep them separate till they do decide to get along

 

[bt03]

Keeping them separate is the best idea right now. On the bright side you will be able to people socialize them more than the babies outside with momma

It will take a while and I suggest waiting until they are big enough to fend for themselves and even then it will be a big adjustment for them but it will all work itself out. Until they do move out, enjoy because they will grow faster than you want them to...

 

[mogrl840]

I had my first ducks from babies and they do grow fast. Its so cute when i take the babies outside they stay right by me and if i move they follow right behind me. If i go to far i can peep and they come running. I got one that came out with a little poof on its head like daddy. Its my favorite and falls asleep in my hand when i hold it