Problem managing chickens with solitary duck

[kroolkidd]

Hey there i’m an independent amateur raising 5 chickens and 1 duck, my oldest hen is about 2 and a half months with the others ranging from a week behind or a month behind. My problem however lies in the fact that I now have a female mallard about 3-5 weeks old and I got her with the idea that she would implement herself into my flock and they’d all be friends but it seems mu oldest hen has become territorial and she doesn’t seem to fit in as well as i’ve been told and i thought she would, can i fix this? can they get along and coexist and keep my duckling company?

 

[Crazy Maizie]

It would be best to have a duck companion for the duck. Having a mixed flock does work, but the duck needs companionship from it's own species. The hen most likely notices the differences more so because there is only 1 - so it will single the duck out. My muscovy and chickens hang out and have done well. But sometimes a chicken pecks a duck or a duck grabs some chicken tail feathers. But, the difference is is that they can run off with one of their own if needed.
Do you have pics of your flock and set up?

 

[aart]

but it seems mu oldest hen has become territorial

Any new bird added to a flock will spark territoriality.
Single birds are the hardest integration.

Here's some tips about....
Integration Basics:
It's all about territory and resources(space/food/water).
Existing birds will almost always attack new ones to defend their resources.
Understanding chicken behaviors is essential to integrating new birds into your flock.

Confine new birds within sight but physically segregated from older/existing birds for several weeks, so they can see and get used to each other but not physically interact.

In adjacent runs, spread scratch grains along the dividing mesh, best if mesh is just big enough for birds to stick their head thru, so they get used to eating together.

The more space, the better. Birds will peck to establish dominance, the pecked bird needs space to get away. As long as there's no copious blood drawn and/or new bird is not trapped/pinned down and beaten unmercilessly, let them work it out. Every time you interfere or remove new birds, they'll have to start the pecking order thing all over again.

Multiple feed/water stations. Dominance issues are most often carried out over sustenance, more stations lessens the frequency of that issue.

Places for the new birds to hide 'out of line of sight'(but not a dead end trap) and/or up and away from any bully birds. Roosts, pallets or boards leaned up against walls or up on concrete blocks, old chairs tables, branches, logs, stumps out in the run can really help. Lots of diversion and places to 'hide' instead of bare wide open run.
Good ideas for hiding places:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/a-cluttered-run.1323792/

 

[kroolkidd]

It would be best to have a duck companion for the duck. Having a mixed flock does work, but the duck needs companionship from it's own species. The hen most likely notices the differences more so because there is only 1 - so it will single the duck out. My muscovy and chickens hang out and have done well. But sometimes a chicken pecks a duck or a duck grabs some chicken tail feathers. But, the difference is is that they can run off with one of their own if needed.
Do you have pics of your flock and set up?

update: so i’ve been housing them near each other with my chicken flock in one coup and my mallard in a cage right next to them, i’ve observed them while they’re couped up for the past couple of days and notice that the chickens or mallard will look at each other, when i let them all put to graze my duck can now eat with the flock without any pecking or bullying from other flockmates, what’s more, i think my duck is becoming a chicken as she is now strutting as she walks and always desperately wants to be apart of them.

 

[kroolkidd]

It would be best to have a duck companion for the duck. Having a mixed flock does work, but the duck needs companionship from it's own species. The hen most likely notices the differences more so because there is only 1 - so it will single the duck out. My muscovy and chickens hang out and have done well. But sometimes a chicken pecks a duck or a duck grabs some chicken tail feathers. But, the difference is is that they can run off with one of their own if needed.
Do you have pics of your flock and set up?

i couped them up separately with my mallard just in sight of the flock so they can visually communicate, things seem to be much better as my duck is now strutting and fitting into the pecking order, i still can’t coup them together but for now they can graze together with almost no issues except the occasional bite on the younglings from my mallard or the hen pecking my mallard, but as i said before this is slowly becoming less and less of a problem!