Screwed up introducing new ducks - Need help Please!

[donnavee]

Ok, so we introduced new ducks all wrong and obviously need advice on how to start over.
We have 2 female BEIs - 1 is about 7mo old and the other about 18mo old - we have had them for about 3mo.
DH decided he wanted some gray call ducks and found a trio for sale (2 girls, 1 boy) from a local breeder - she said they are about 20mo old. So we ask her if we could put them right in with our BEIs and she said after some initial jostling, all should be fine.

We let the 3 call ducks loose in the pen with BEIs and at first they seemed OK. Then they all jumped in the water and all H____ broke loose. Mainly between the drake and our younger BEI. But we hoped for the best and let them spend the night together. This morning, I found the 3 calls in the pool and the BEIs sitting on the ground looking kind of miserable. The drake and the young BEI would start at each other if one came near the other.

So, we decided to take the drake and one of the female call ducks and put them in a separate pen for a while - leaving one female call with the BEIs. The female call that was left started quacking loud enough to raise the dead. So we put the other female back in with her and they quieted down. However, then the younger BEI started harassing the 2 calls. Grrrrrrrr. So, now we have the 2 female calls together with the older and less agressive BEI. We have the younger BEI out free ranging for a while - something she enjoys. The drake call duck is in a pen by himself, though not very happy about it.

Suggestions on how to start the intoductions again with hopefully better results?

 

[chickensioux]

I have always put new ducks in with older ducks at night, when it is pitch black. When they wake up the new ones are just there. I have also had scuffles between the new ones and older ones. As long and no one is getting injured, I let them sort things out. All of my calls, teals, mandarins are together with little to now problems. Good luck.

 

[duckyfromoz]

Sometimes I have held new ducks in a separate pen- but where both groups can see each other for a few days before letting them all together. Others times I havent had to . A few months ago I bought a new drake- I had spent 3 hours organising a pen for him- but as soon as he was out of the travel crate he was desperate to be with the others- and so I put him over the fence- he didnt even get so much as a sideways glance from any of them- including my most dominant drake. I was very surprised by that.

It depends alot on the dynamics of your group and who you are trying to introduce. Keeping them apart for a few days is what I would try- and then let them together- if they still fight alot- seperate them again- and try each day to let them together until they dont go for each other as soon as they are let out- there is likely to be a bit of squabling, but it should decrease over time.

 

[sourland]

Put the drake back in and allow them to sort it out. Sounds like things were working out this morning until you intervened. They have to develop their own social structure. Until the younger duck learns her place, she will continue to cause problems. The drake is needed to be the enforcer.

 

[Muscovies]

They are just letting the calls know who rules the roost and ducks have a pecking order it will quiet down after a few days and then every thing will be back to normal I agree with chickensioux about putting them in the dark.


Hope this helps

 

[donnavee]

Thanks to all. And, yes I am somewhat soft hearted and hate to see them scuffling - probably over reacted. I should have thought of introducing them at night since that is the way we introduce new chickens to the flock.

So tomorrow, I think we will fence off a section of their pen and let the new ones hang out there for a while before reintroductions at night. The young East Indies was the only survivor of a hatch and spent most of her life as an only duck until we got another East Indies a couple of months ago. They never had any problems getting along since the older one was very shy and not any competition. The 3 calls are obviously creating a whole new social order which I guess is just going to take some time for them to sort out.

 

[AdamD77]

When we introduced ours at first we let the two groups out with each other supervised then when the second group were fully grown we moved them into the same house as the boys but fenced them off from each other. Now they are still seperated from each other when inside but we always let them out together and they're like a proper flock with only a tiny bit of chasing, but the girls will stand up to the boys now and not run away so easily.

I would say what you've said sounds good - fence them off from each other inside for a few days and let them spend some time outside with each other supervised and where they aren't enclosed in a small area and can run away if they want/need to