Pecking Order?

[DuckPensington]

At what age do ducklings start a pecking order? I have noticed that when I lay down food, that one of my five ducklings sort of waits around for the others to finish & then starts eating... Ive been watching this occur for a few days now. He seems to be slightly smaller than the rest as well. Ive been giving him some extra attention to make sure he gets what he needs nutrition wise.

 

[Amiga]

I cannot say my flock exactly has a pecking order, but yes, the littles will often hang back because duck table manners are nonexistent!

Good that you watch out for the smallest - it took Elf months to catch up. She did, though, and now she's in there shoulder to shoulder with the rest!

You may also want to put down a wider bowl or more bowls. I gave my ducklings water with food 24/7 for the first two months, and only took it away overnight during their third month. They moved into adult housing, now have it 24/7 again.

 

[DuckPensington]

Yeah I had to get a bigger bowl for them. They eat sooo much food in a day! Wowza!