Squawk Box

[MugsyM]

I just had the Pekin who blessed us with 4 sweet babies. They're skinny but they stand as tall as Momma. We have the world separated. Now I am having a hard time with one of my females. I call her Little Darling. She had the sweetest disposition until about 2 days ago. We were rotating feed and Little Darling snuck in the pen with Momma and her babies. She went after the babies and they scattered. I got her out and since then she has been running around squawking just like Missy Miss did before her babies hatched. Today she was squawking around and she suddenly started pecking at another female we call Precious. Precious didn't back down and they were starting to get serious about this dispute. We took Little Darling out and she ran around the cage and went into the pen with Momma and babies before I could get to the door. She went after one of the babies twice. I got her out of there. I am not sure what is going on with her. I have two males in their own pen. I call one of them Puff Daddy because he has been in a huff since we took the females away. I hate to petition another section off for just Little Darling. I know I'm looking at more shuffling once we find out how many of the 4 babies are drakes. And everybody talks about how social ducks are. I have 10 ducks out there and 4 sections of pens and I still don't have enough sections. Any idea why my female has suddenly started sounding like she's broody. She has no eggs.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Seems broodiness is contagious. And crankiness comes with it. Let the females work it out or do solitary confinement for a day an night. When I get a broody and she is relentless with picking on everyone she goes into solitary confinement over night maybe a couple times then she snaps out of it. Keep her away from the ducklings though. Them she can injure.

 

[MugsyM]

Thanks Miss Lydia. I swear the others start up and are all telling her to shut up. Precious has been strange. They were all best of buds and suddenly Precious was kind of left out of the group and she stayed by herself all the time . Since Missy has hatched her babies Precious came out of it and acts like the Nanny. She and Missy are almost Momma inseparable. When Momma runs for the pen Precious is right on her heels. Precious will walk the fence line laying the law down to the others. I hated to see the fight start but Precious was minding her own business and Little Darling went after her. At first she just took it then she went back after her. I was glad to see she would stand up for herself if I'm not around.

When or do the drakes ever get over the breeding torture? We have the 2 males alone in their own pen. We can't let them all out together because the drakes just will not leave the girls alone. I didn't know if they breed year round or give it a rest for a day or two.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Some breed year round right now my Runner drakes and Muscovy drake have chilled out. So all you can do is try letting them all together.

 

[MugsyM]

Mine are obviously not over it yet. We let them out with the girls for treat time and Puff Daddy took off after Missy Miss. We took after Puff Daddy and ducks scattered in every direction. I can only say I am grateful I live in the country and have no neighbors, they would probably have me committed.

 

[Miss Lydia]

They can make you do all sorts of things that neighbors would wonder about.

Well I lied I was sitting out with mine yesterday and my Runner drake mated with one of his females. So I guess mating will continue through winter just like in the last 2 yrs. I do believe my Muscovy ducks are finished for the year. And so far no action out of my youngest Runner.

 

[DuckyDonna]

My runners are little crazed sex machines all year. I think it's calming down a bit but still, it does not stop. I wish it would and I wish my old girls would take a break from laying. They've got to be tired since it's been 10 months straight now and their poor little bodies need a break. Their shells are getting thin too.