Pekin ducks

[Porpie Pie]

So I can't find my original thread about my ducks. I hatched 2 pekin ducks going on 8 weeks ago. I used a flock raiser from TSC not realizing it would make them grow..FAST.. they turned out to be a drake and a hen. I got them some nutritional yeast for the b vitamins and liquid vitmain b complex since everyone who replied says it works best. The drakes legs are straight but the hen went bow legged. I gave them both 1 ml ( I think the syringe is ml??) Each in their food (adult duck food at this point) and made sure they each ate it all up each day. Welp...I went out to the coop and the poor hen was dead. . There was a small pile of feathers a little ways from where I found her inside the run, I looked her over and found no wounds but her back was bare. Only thing I can think is the other 2 pekins I have are about a year old a drake and a hen. I've seen the drake climb on the young female like he was breeding her and I've always chased him away because she's only about 7 or 8 weeks old. Is it possible the drake accidentally hurt her by trying to breed her too early or did they just grow too fast and, like a broiler chicken her organs couldn't keep up? Should I be worried about the young drake? I've got 3 more ducklings that are a week old on chick feed and nutritional yeast and I've got vitamin b complex in their water. I plan on switching them to duck food on week 2. I'm pretty sure that's what I had my older 2 on who grew up fine.

 

[Quatie]

I am so sorry about your duck. It is most likely that the older drake accidentally killed the younger duck while trying to mate. Often it is recommended that you don't integrate young ducks with an adult drake till they fully mature for this reason.

 

[ruthhope]

Poor little girl. Please keep the little drake separately from your other ducks until he is fully size

 

[Porpie Pie]

Poor little girl. Please keep the little drake separately from your other ducks until he is fully size

So when she was a accidentally killed ( I found her that way in the coop I really don't know what happened. I'm assuming because there where no wounds like if she was attacked by a predator.) She was about 8 weeks I think, approximately and she was almost the same size and the adults. Was she just not able to handle it because she wasn't that mature yet??? Anyway I still have the drake and have kept them separate. Yesterday I heard someone quaking there head off and I thought there was a catastrophe so I ran over to find 2 ducks together in the cows yard just hanging out and 1 duck in the coop so I assumed it was the drake but it's quack was LOUD like a female. Well it didn't register until later that this 1 duck has a loud quack and no curly tail feather that it must be Peaches my female. I just saw 2 ducks in the cow yard digging for bugs and my brain insisted that it was Peaches and Waffles because they are inseparable and that I somehow mistook the other for a drake. Well this morning I let everyone out if the coop and Peaches as always is in her igloo house laying and Waffles and the new young drake walk out of the coop together like they're besties. Eating bugs, drinking from their kiddie pool...is the younger drake old enough that he can be with the adults? He's the exact same size at approximately 11 weeks. I've got 1 female duck and 2 drakes. I assume they'll establish a pecking order but is it safe for them to be together at this point?

 

[Miss Lydia]

If it looks like it's working then probably so. Adult drakes can be unpredictable so supervising may be your best bet to make sure the young one doesn't start getting picked on and possibly raped. And If it was me I'd be looking for many more females so Peaches doesn't get over-mated by 2 drakes once Jr. becomes of age. Drakes need at least 3 and up females each. The more the better. I had Father and son Runner drakes never was there any fighting and I think it was mainly because the younger never showed any dominance even when Dad tried a few times to be pushy he would just ignore Dad.

 

[Porpie Pie]

If it looks like it's working then probably so. Adult drakes can be unpredictable so supervising may be your best bet to make sure the young one doesn't start getting picked on and possibly raped. And If it was me I'd be looking for many more females so Peaches doesn't get over-mated by 2 drakes once Jr. becomes of age. Drakes need at least 3 and up females each. The more the better. I had Father and son Runner drakes never was there any fighting and I think it was mainly because the younger never showed any dominance even when Dad tried a few times to be pushy he would just ignore Dad.

I'm going to rehome him. I made a nice fenced in area so he could roam outside the coop and go back in but I guess they found a weak spot. ill leave it up just in case we run Into any issues.

 

[ruthhope]

Oh poor boy! It's difficult to rehome drakes. I have two nice juvenile pekin drakes seeking new homes. I don't want mine, Huey and Dewey, in someone's cooking pot.

Much easier to get 4 or 5 more females to keep peaches company. You might consider getting 3 more females now and be alert to potentially but not enevtiably needing a further 2 in the future if the males are over mating.

 

[Miss Lydia]

I'm going to rehome him. I made a nice fenced in area so he could roam outside the coop and go back in but I guess they found a weak spot. ill leave it up just in case we run Into any issues.

As @ruthhope says very hard to find good homes for extra drakes.

 

[Porpie Pie]

I would love to have more ducks but I have chickens too and a smaller coop. I'll keep him until I can find a good home for him. I just worry about him being attacked by my older drake. I had 3 smaller ones that I sold I called them Shits and Giggles and Shenanigans

 

[cincyfarmgirl]

So I can't find my original thread about my ducks. I hatched 2 pekin ducks going on 8 weeks ago. I used a flock raiser from TSC not realizing it would make them grow..FAST.. they turned out to be a drake and a hen. I got them some nutritional yeast for the b vitamins and liquid vitmain b complex since everyone who replied says it works best. The drakes legs are straight but the hen went bow legged. I gave them both 1 ml ( I think the syringe is ml??) Each in their food (adult duck food at this point) and made sure they each ate it all up each day. Welp...I went out to the coop and the poor hen was dead. . There was a small pile of feathers a little ways from where I found her inside the run, I looked her over and found no wounds but her back was bare. Only thing I can think is the other 2 pekins I have are about a year old a drake and a hen. I've seen the drake climb on the young female like he was breeding her and I've always chased him away because she's only about 7 or 8 weeks old. Is it possible the drake accidentally hurt her by trying to breed her too early or did they just grow too fast and, like a broiler chicken her organs couldn't keep up? Should I be worried about the young drake? I've got 3 more ducklings that are a week old on chick feed and nutritional yeast and I've got vitamin b complex in their water. I plan on switching them to duck food on week 2. I'm pretty sure that's what I had my older 2 on who grew up fine.

Sorry to hear about your duck. Drakes can be brutal. Mine seems to want to chase a couple of my chickens he’s decided the silver Wyandots and One of my six month old white leghorn’s need to be disciplined. He has not tried to mount them. Thank goodness they can run up the ramp back into the chicken house and he quit following them inside like he did in the beginning. I think he’s actually jealous of one of the white leghorns who has become my “people“ chicken and always wants to be picked up and after I have picked her up he chases her and of course like I say she runs into the chicken house and he doesn’t bother to go up the ramp which is kind of difficult for his awkward duck feet.
I do have a question: has anyone experienced there female duck hen gathering rocks into her nest which is on the ground in a covered dry area. She lays one egg a day. she’s seven months old. she’s been gathering up about 2 inch diameter rocks up as many as four in her nest. When I have removed them they reappear the next day. Maybe one at a time. she covers them up just like she covers of her egg. Do you think she wants to brood? She does not sit on the nest. I’ve heard Pikens aren’t very broody. Has anyone had a duck gather rocks into her nest?