The Duck Thread

[mama2girlies]

Good advice has already been given about going slow with integration, but I wanted to address the shaking, biting actions you described...

In my experience it is not actually an aggression sign, good or bad... I think @Tevyes Dad is the one who called it the "I'm gonna do something crazy duck style" type sign...

From what I've seen, it's more of an excitement reaction... I've seen mine do it when they were presented with a bowl full of peas and they were trying to decide if they should eat slower an enjoy them or gobble them down before the others could eat their share...

I also had a Call that hatched out singly, and a week later a pair of Mallard/Rouens hatched out... the Call went all bity crazy and I had to keep them separate... a couple weeks later I had a pair of Calls hatch out and she did the same with them... so I had 3 'groups' to keep separate... once the Mallard/Rouens got 4x the first Calls size, they tried to pick on the pair of Calls and the first jumped to their defense and proceeded to accept the 2 as her flock...

All flocks have a pecking order, and when they're of a size to not be injured easily, they will work it out... we just have to watch out for those little ones, cuz they can get seriously hurt by bigger ones acting as if they're all the same size and age...

Hope this helps...

Edited cuz I can't spell on my phone, lol...

Thank you so much for your info. I have experience integrating new chickens to the flock but not ducks. I'm hoping it's about the same. I will be slowly putting these 2 pekins in with the other 6 I have in about a week when they are fully feathered. I hope things go ok. The babies still have many weeks before they will be integrated but they love to come outside and sit in our laps. They have extreme anxiety when they are not with us.

 

[mama2girlies]

From what I have read here, this is fairly common.

When introducing ducks, go very slowly. Have them side by side separated by fencing at first. Do not leave smaller ducks in with larger - let them grow to at least the same height.

Give treats to everyone at the same time to associate good feelings with being around each other - and monitor, being prepared to separate.

Thank you. This is our plan for them. The pekins have been in a separate pen next to the main one. The babies are still in the garage with a heat lamp. It will be some time before they are with the big kids.

I actually have another question if you are willing...these same babies we got from tractor supply. One of them had been biting out her down on her back. But we thought we could give her a bath and put some coconut oil on her and she would be fine. We didn't isolate her from the other since they have terrible separation anxiety. It seemed like it was getting better but now we see the other baby is picking her own down out now. We did see skin flakes come off. There are no bugs on them but we do see little specks all over their down. Their feathers are growing in fine so they are not picking those out. Would you know what this might be and any ways we can cure it since it seems contagious? @Amiga

 

[Amiga]

Thank you. This is our plan for them. The pekins have been in a separate pen next to the main one. The babies are still in the garage with a heat lamp. It will be some time before they are with the big kids.

I actually have another question if you are willing...these same babies we got from tractor supply. One of them had been biting out her down on her back. But we thought we could give her a bath and put some coconut oil on her and she would be fine. We didn't isolate her from the other since they have terrible separation anxiety. It seemed like it was getting better but now we see the other baby is picking her own down out now. We did see skin flakes come off. There are no bugs on them but we do see little specks all over their down. Their feathers are growing in fine so they are not picking those out. Would you know what this might be and any ways we can cure it since it seems contagious?

My gut feeling about this is that it's their feathers coming in. The new feathers are covered with something like a waxy straw. Little bits of wax were all over the brooder not long after the ducklings arrived.

I only see that now when someone is molting, and getting new feathers in.

That's another reason I got the ducklings into the bathtub (shallow water, same temperature as the brooder, and only for 5 or 10 minutes), to get all that dusty waxy stuff and starter crumble splatter off of them.

 

[mama2girlies]

My gut feeling about this is that it's their feathers coming in. The new feathers are covered with something like a waxy straw. Little bits of wax were all over the brooder not long after the ducklings arrived.

I only see that now when someone is molting, and getting new feathers in.

That's another reason I got the ducklings into the bathtub (shallow water, same temperature as the brooder, and only for 5 or 10 minutes), to get all that dusty waxy stuff and starter crumble splatter off of them.

Ok thank you. I will try them in the tub tomorrow. I know they will love that. All they want is to be with us. Our other ones have not been attached to us at all. @Amiga

 

[Amiga]

Awww

I also made sure that if my Runner girls did not start preening right after tub time, I wiped them off with a dry washcloth. I was quite the helicopter duckling mom. But they all made it to maturity!!!

(We did lose a couple to internal problems. Gosh, it still hurts....)

But nine of the original eleven are still here, starting their seventh year of life.

 

[MandyJ]

We are right there with them the whole time. When this shaking happened my daughter was holding the babies and I was holding the pekins. It just surprised us a bit. Only one did this behavior. The other one was fine.

Funny, when this happens with our hen, the one is "neck shaking" and the other one is...ho hum. go figure! Ducks!

 

[tracyjg]

Snow flake went broody again eggs our in dog house new batch I can't see them.

 

[ToriHenning1234]

Our local duck pond only had one muscovy duck and it got hit by by a car... I am so upset about it

 

[Lamaremybabies]

Our local duck pond only had one muscovy duck and it got hit by by a car... I am so upset about it

I'm so sorry to here that! Hopefully it will be ok.

 

[NathanZee]

Our local duck pond only had one muscovy duck and it got hit by by a car... I am so upset about it

Oh that's too bad! I'm guessing it didn't survive?