Older ducks picking on young ones...

[mapsey]

I have four Mallard ducks that I raised from babies last year, two males and two females. One female hatched 9 babies five weeks ago. I put the ducklings and the mama in a large run to protect them from the numerous cats we have. Now the ducklings are huge (nearly as big as the mom). I moved them to a different enclosure that still offers some protection, but not totally enclosed. The problem is that when the ducklings try to venture out into the yard, the adult males start attacking them. How can I integrate the younger ones with the older ones?

 

[desertdarlene]

I would keep them separate a little longer. 3 months old is a good age to try again.