Super Aggressive Mallard Duckling

[FlaneryFlock]

I got her a few days ago from a feed and seed along with a few of her siblings, I'm assuming they are about a week old. The thing is, she is extremely aggressive and attacks her siblings mercilessly. I put her in with some older ducks and she went after them too! Right now she's in by herself and a stuffed giraffe (which she adores and never strays too far from). She will still lower her body and hiss at anyone, plus she goes after hands and fingers angrily. Luckily she is still little and her bites don't really do anything, but what can I do so she wont grow up to be an attack mallard?

 

[melissamerry]

My mallards did that too, but not at that age. Mine were about 4 months were the agressive behavior came about. I would just pick up the little booger who was charger/nipping/hissing at me and tap its beak a few times and give a stern "no". After a few weeks they stopped. They are 8 months now and don't show any agressive behavior towards me or their siblings. However they do chase the wild mallards that stop by.

I don't know if that tactic would work with she being so young? Maybe? I hope someone else has some advice!

 

[FlaneryFlock]

I have no idea. I think she would rather maul my finger than let me tap it. I feel bad because she would rather be angry at everything than do normal duck things. The only way she can even be normal is with that stuffed animal giraffe.

 

[melissamerry]

Is it possible for a duckling to imprint on an inanimate object? Or is that an absurd idea?

 

[FlaneryFlock]

Her and her best friend.

 

[FlaneryFlock]

Is it possible for a duckling to imprint on an inanimate object? Or is that an absurd idea?

I was thinking the same thing.

 

[FlaneryFlock]

This is her hissing at my hand. Like a dinosaur.

 

[Frank Phinster]

This is her hissing at my hand. Like a dinosaur.

Basically, ducks are dinosaurs

Ducks can be imprinted on inamate objects, there have been experiments. It has at least to make a sound and appear to be moving. I guess your duckling likes to cuddle with the giraffe because it is soft and serves as a subsitute for siblings but to find out whether it has imprinted on it, try to move it away from the duckling (maybe with a string attached to it) and look what it is doing.
I have one duckling in my hatch from five weeks ago that has started to subdue its siblings. It has always been the keenest and independ one and even tried to chase away a grown up runner.

Such an aggressive behaviour like your duckling is showing is unusual, though. I see that your duckling has a crest. It is known that the crest can cause brain damage because it is set on a knot of fatty tissue that prevents the cranium to close and can even reach into the brain and cause changes in behaviour. I'm just guessing here, but maybe that is the cause for the aggressiveness. But maybe it has faced mistreatment before you got it and developed that quirk.

By the way, the duck must be older than one week. One week olds are rounder in shape and have much shorter bills while yours has already aquired the typical shape of a duck and a long bill.

I would say that your duckling it at least two weeks old.

 

[fowl farm]

I agree with Frank- older than a week and possible crest issue. Not even my nesting Mallards were that aggressive. Hold her a lot. Don't let her win the "go away" fight or things will be much worse as she grows. Good luck! It's kind of funny to see the picture

 

[desertdarlene]

I know a duck that acts that way when he's scared. I agree, hold and handle her a lot while she's still small. Perhaps give her a treat when she behaves better, but not after she bites.