The girls have arrived!

[Miss Lydia]

They are all doing okay today. The Embden chases Tufted around still, but not as much. Tufted is bummed out, he feels sad his buddy turned on him so quick. The girls are doing good, eating and honking. They all seem to get along pretty well. The girls seem to be more in with the group than Tufted. I cannot see any pairings yet, or mating even. Perhaps that happens more so in the water. I know if they want to lay eggs it should be in the next couple of months.

I will keep the post updated. I will have to post pics as well. I have just had this terrible cold for almost a week now, ugh.

So you only have 2 ganders and 2 geese? I hope the embden doesn't end up with both girls and tufted is the odd man out which happens.

 

[cdnley]

Yes, just a small flock..plus 2 drakes and 2 ducks. The Embden is more in with the ducks at this time. Tufted spends his time outside with the girls. I have no idea how this will turn out. Perhaps the Embden wants to have a duck girlfriend?

 

[cdnley]

Everything is still the same. Tufted is sad. He is avoiding Embden completely and runs away within sight of him. There was some blood today, on his leg. I freaked and grabbed Tufted to ensure he wasn't hurt. I washed the bloody area with warm water and discovered he ripped his toenail a bit. The blood was from him lifting his leg and it was rubbing on his feathers. I splashed some peroxide on it and let it be. Hopefully he recovers okay. This is the second time he has sustained this injury to his toenail. Good thing that he didn't get an injury from fighting.

 

[cdnley]

Well the girls are getting along with everyone now. It has been almost 2 weeks. The girls are still hesitant of me, they don't hiss or act agressive but they do give me a "muuuhhhhh" sound, sounds like a warning/unsure type of noise. My Embden hisses at me everyday, and has for a while now. We don't spend as much time together because of the winter and it is mating season. He is never agressive as in challenge me or give me the angry neck. He is all talk and no action. I hiss right back at him and tell him to stop being so crabby. My tufted used to hiss at me, and now he is back to his old nice self. He is still keeping his distance from Embden, and they do have a little "bite the feather and run" match, but it is kept pretty clean.
They seemed to have paired up although the girls sometimes hang out together with Embden. Tufted sleeps outside with his older girlfriend goose. Embden and his girl room in with the ducks in the house. For tufted and his girl I made a small hay bale shelter for them outside so they wind can't blow on them from the N, E, and S. Hopefully that will be okay. I have not seen any mating from them but I did see my small male duck jump on Embden and attempt to mate him, haha, that will teach him.

Overall the situation seems to be okay, it is slowly working out. I watch them everyday as their drama is pretty exciting, more exciting then any drama in my personal life anyway!

 

[cdnley]

It has been unseasonably warm here and all the snow is melting. I really want to let them free to wash, forage and just walk around. My pond is slowly opening but they are not to keen about swimming on water with ice underneath. They are all splashing in the puddles, well not my tufted, he is by himself. The gander keeps chasing him away, although he is never that far from the rest. I am hoping after breeding season and after the pond opens up they can all be one group. Even one of my drakes is chasing tufted away. The girls are just doing their own thing because they don't follow the flock as closely as the ducks.

 

[cdnley]

Well...things have not really improved. Tufted is still an outsider. Embden has been hanging around with both girls. The girls like me better but have been very mean to my ducks. They have been ganging up on them and biting them..pulling tufts of feathers out. This behavior has started yesterday, not sure why. The ducks run away from them but they go and find them and chase them around and bite them. Looks like I am going to sell the girls because they just upset the balance of the whole flock. Hopefully my buyer will come next week for them. Until then I may have to set up a block so they are all kept seperate in the pen.

I have learned a few things from this though. Introducing adult members into a current flock can go either way, my flock is in poor balance now and I am very unhappy with the results.