Bullied duckling!

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Hi everyone - I've just joined this forum and was hoping for some advice? I apologise now for being so long winded! We've recently hatched 17 ducklings - one of them had trouble but was helped out by my husband. He moved them from heat lamps into a large cage for a while and, on Saturday, decided that they were ready for the outside world. We keep chickens, geese and ducks and their pens are all together but separated by gates. We decided to put them in the pen that also encroaches onto the stream so they could swim. They all ran in but one tiny one got squashed and fell in. Husband rescued her (I'm calling it a her!) and put her in the hut with some straw thinking she'd dry out and be fine (please don't shout at me). About an hour later I decided to go and check on her and found her on the brink of death nearly frozen - took her inside, towels, warm fire, sips of water and, a few hours later she was sat on my shoulder drinking out of a pint glass. Hurrah. We kept her in a cat basket with water, food and bedding for the weekend. Monday morning she was all fluffy and yellow so decided to take her out to the others. She came out of the cage, ran into the stream and was immediately pecked and bullied by all the largest of the ducklings. It was heartbreaking to see her swimming around looking for a friend and just being pecked at. She is a third of the size of the others. One of them actually lurched on her and seemed to be holding her underwater. I waded in and plucked her out. She's doing really fine, pecked bits are healing and she's still in the living room. Now, finally, to my question. How on earth do I get her from my living room back into the world of ducks? When will they stop bullying her? Will they stop it? Nature is so cruel and I do understand but it really is breaking my heart to see her on her own in that cage - as happy as she seems. Even my two cats aren't bothering her and she's been out walking around a few times. I've noticed that when I leave the room she cries out and I desperately don't want her to get attached to me so that she can live a happy life with the gang but how do I get her accepted? She's only 4 weeks old, nearly died three times and has been bullied since the day she was born. Any advice would be greatly welcomed. Many thanks.
 
I had this problem with a call duck and took the duck back out of the duck pen and put it back into a nursery area with the next smallest duck for a couple of weeks, till it got stronger, they eventually both went back together, sadly they both turned out to be drakes :roll: but they are best buddies :lol:
I had the problem once before, but there was no next smaller duck at that point. so that one went in with some chicks that had just come off heat for a few weeks, but it took ages to integrate him ( yes another drake) :roll:
back into the duck pen i think he thought he was a chicken :lol:
good luck but i really don't think the duckling is best alone.
 
Hi thanks for your reply! We did think about getting one of the smallest ducks and putting them both in a cage together so they could bond but when we went back to the pen all the other ducklings were swimming about and we thought it might be cruel to pick one of them out of the pen and stream just to put her in a cage. Do you think that's what we should do? Even the next smallest one is twice her size but maybe he/she wouldn't bully her if there was just the two of them. Our other idea was to maybe put her in with three little chicks we have on heat in the shed but I'm not sure if that's a good idea either as, when they're older, the chickens won't swim obviously. We already have a duck that was hatched with geese and now thinks it's a goose - seems perfectly happy though! It's so difficult to know what to do and, you're right, she really shouldn't be on her own. Shall we try her out with one of the smallest ducklings - or two maybe? Really appreciate you replying to me - I know I sound like the softest thing on earth but I am!! Just want her to be free from the bullies and roaming around like all the others. Ooh, one more thing - we do have adult ducks - I suppose they'd attack her as well if we put her in with them?????
 
i think you should try one or other of the 2 options you put forwards, otherwise the duckling will get very lonely, i think one duckling not 2 as the 2 may gang up, or the chicks, but not if the chicks are much smaller as the duckling may attack the chicks.
I would definitely not put it with the adult ducks
 
When my husband came back into the room and saw me sat there in my soaking wet dressing gown with the little duckling sat on my shoulder drinking out of a pint glass he thought it was hilarious - softies unite! Right then, adult ducks completely out of the question. Chicks are way too small - JoJo (yes she has a name!) might attack her as you say - didn't think of that. So, when we get home tonight we'll just have to pick out one of the smallest ones and put them both outside in the cage. It's more of a caged pen really with a roof and plenty of room for two. Nothing for them to swim in though. Thanks you so so much for your advice - can't wait for this day to be over so I can go home and see what happens. I shall let you know what happens. Many many thanks.
 
swimming doesn't really matter for ducklings as long as they can wet their eyes.
good luck and keep us updated
 
Great I'll put an enamel tray in there then for them to dip their heads into. I'm feeling quite nervous about this - hope it works and the other one doesn't turn on her - poor little thing. Will update you as soon as I've any news! Take care.
 
Well I got home, changed her water and feed and cleaned her mess. Hubby cleaned out the caged pen and went and got the smallest duckling he could find out of the other 16 and put her/him inside the hut inside the pen. I then took JoJo and put her in - no fighting so far! They didn't exactly fall in love but I've seen no sign of any bullying over the past hour. They are crying though (heartbreaking to hear) but the one doing the most crying is the one we've separated from the gang. Oh lord now I'm worried about that one! :lol: I've seen them both drink so that's good. Hubby says they'll stop crying soon - I hope so or I'm going to have to move in with them. Thanks so much for the advice girlracer265 - just cross fingers that they'll bond now. It did make me feel so much better seeing her with one of her own kind - even if they ARE different colours. We think JoJo's an Aylesbury and the other one might be a Harlequin. Please don't tell me we should have put the same breed together! I'll keep checking on them but.............so far so good :)
 
I've not got much to suggest. Hopefully someone will be along with some suggestions.

You did say about her still being fluffy and yellow. I am figuring this means she doesn't have her feathering through yet? If not, you are better to keep them under heat till its grown (and away from deep water etc as they can't dry themselves out).

If it were me I'd probably pull one or two of the other ducklings out from the pack and put her in with them and see how they get on. Once they are established try again when they are all feathered to put them back together.
 
Ducklings only really need heat for a couple of weeks, but i don't let mine near deep water till they are 6 weeks old, but i think with ducks as long as they are pretty happy and getting on with it, i tend to leave them to their own devices.
I have to disgree with snifter tho and not put any more bigger ducklings in, as in my experience, one of my call ducklings was injured quite badly by 3 slightly bigger ducklings, this is the one that thought it was a chicken :lol:
I have found that 2 together tend to bond for company.
good luck with jojo and friend and btw different breeds don't matter in the slightest.
 
Hi snifter - thanks for replying. I only worked out that she couldn't dry herself out after I found her nearly frozen to death in the hut - horrible, horrible - but she made it with a little help. I took girlracer's advice (as per my email last night) and we took one of the smallest (though still almost twice her size) and put them both in a caged pen. There was a lot of crying from 6 till about 8.30 then they both went inside the hut and snuggled down. I snuck out to take a peek and they were really close up together. Went out first thing this morning and there was a bit of crying but they were both eating and drinking. The crying is mainly the one we took from the pack which sets JoJo off. I'm hoping they're going to settle down and become friends. They're both very downy but the other one was swimming happily - until we wrenched her away :( - so that one seems much more developed. JoJo did have trouble hatching of course and I guess she'll always be smaller than the others? She is SO tiny and cute that's why I'm feeling so bad about it all as she looks so helpless. But, on a bright side, they were both eating and drinking this morning so made it through a fairly cold night. The sun's out over here today so I'm hoping that'll help too and cheer them up. I guess the other one is missing the gang. It's so difficult to know what to do for best but she couldn't stay on her own - as much as I loved having her in the living room! How long do you think we should keep them in the caged pen? Two weeks? I've read other forums which all say how quickly they grow - I'm not even going to attempt to put her back with the others for a while - not after the way they all ganged up on her. Perhaps if these two bond the others won't bully them???
 
sounding better today :)
i would suggest a couple of weeks at least should be ok
just mke sure the littlest is able to at least run away or not be knocked over so easily
 
I know! I think I'm used to kittens and expected them both to be tumbling around with each other playing instead of sitting there :lol: . I did think the big one was trying to peck her once but then realised he was after the piece of straw she had in her beak. I suppose the big one's missing his gang now and that's why he's crying - I hope he stops soon - it's a real heart-tugger cos he sets JoJo off. When you integrated yours back into the gang was there any bullying then? This is going to be the longest two weeks EVER!
 
the duck that was raised with chicks was eventually reintegrated by putting him with younger ducklings who he was scared of at first lol but they never hurt him at all and eventually they all went in together. the two ducks that were together tended to just hang around together on the fringes of the duck group when they went in but eventually integrated with the next youngest ducks and sort of had their own little gang of 4 but no real bullying went on, just some ducks sort of saying, i'm older than you, i use the pond first :lol: :lol:
I have a single call duck at the moment, the only hatchling from a few eggs who is living with chicks, he has just gone to the greenhouse with some growers, i think the smallest duck will have to come out again soon so we can start the process over again :lol:
 
Equally sized ducks don't usually cause damage to one another (they can't really with that beak!) but being a different size makes a difference.

I would separate the little one and ensure she gets the right feed (high protein duck grower pellets) then after a couple of weeks when she is a little bigger and stronger, try introducing them again, this time at night in their house. The next morning, they will probably be fine.

Ducklings in different groups will squabble at first (usually without causing damage) but will normally integrate happily after a week or so as they get used to one another.

Tim
 
Hi to you both! Well the two of them seemed OK last night (and this morning) though they didn't come out of the hut inside the pen much. Is that normal? Don't tell me they're depressed now :cry: When JoJo was in the cat basket in the living room she used to come out and walk round the living room - maybe they do when I'm at work? I seem to be willing her to grow because I can't wait to reintroduce her into the gang and see her swim in the stream - and the other one of course (his name's now Lloyd!) I had been feeding JoJo chick crumbs mushed up with water which she seemed to love so I'm now trying to get her to eat grower pellets (thanks Tim) which she's not impressed with - took a couple and spat them out. Lloyd is eating them quite happily so I'm hoping she'll just start copying him. I gave her the mush as we also have a chicken (though I'm starting to think she is a he!) who got her beak bashed up (one of the geese?) and couldn't pick at anything. Realised that if I mushed the crumb up and rolled them into little balls she could manage to get them into her beak - seems to love them and I hand feed her twice a day. Waifs and strays - seem to be collecting them :lol: Tim, I've heard that you should reintroduce picked on birds in the night but, and pardon my being completely soft yet again, what if I did that and left them and they picked on her in the night and killed her? What happens with them then - do they just not see her at night and then wake up and don't realise she's there? Sorry to sound stupid - I am sooooooooo new at this. Went to feed the other 15 ducklings last night and they are much bigger than her - so's Lloyd. Is there anything else I can feed her that might help her grow or do I just have to leave it to nature? Maybe she'll always be tiny - I'm only 5'2" :lol: :lol:
 
Hmm. Just been to check on them now and they're both still inside the hut. Why aren't they coming out? The bigger one, Lloyd, has also stopped crying - is that good or bad? Food has been eaten but why are they hiding in the hut? Is this normal or are they both now losing the will to live? Lord I'm not happy when they cry and now I'm not happy because they're so quiet. Any suggestions to cheer them up? :(
 
Hi - thanks for replying yet again - sorry if I'm being a pain!! It's a wire cage about 8 foot long with a roof and inside is a wooden hut full of straw. The floor is concrete so I cover it in newspapers and change them every day. The food is right outside the entrance to the hut and the water is at the other end - a large enamel tin as you said they needed to wet their eyes. There's also a little water thing I've attached to the wire on one side. The hens, ducks and geese all walk past it so I thought that they would have been curious enough to come out. I am soooo tempted to try them with the other ducklings again - do you definitely think they need to be on their own for longer? I worry that they're lonely and depressed! At least it's Saturday tomorrow so I'll have the whole day at home to see if they come out or not. Hey (probably another stupid idea!!) what if I let them out onto the grass outside the hut and make sure the psycho geese aren't around? I value your advice - feel free to tell me to stop fretting and being an idiot but I soooooooooo want them to be happy and can't bear the thought that my keeping them locked up in there is making them sad and lonely. God I'm going to cry in a minute :lol:
 
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