Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have 5 Peking ducks - four were hatched together, the 5th was abandoned in our creek and was being attacked by swans so we adopted her/him? He/she is very sweet. The four are about 4 months old, the 5th's age is unknown. They got along well for the first 1-1/2 months however now one of the ducks keeps biting the back of the new duck's neck - to the point where the feathers are gone and the area is swollen and bruised. We are therefore now keeping them separated - but I am wondering why this happened and if it will stop or if there is something else I can do. It is just between these two ducks - the others are getting along fine. I can't tell which are male or female - but three have curled up tail feathers and 2 do not - the two that do not are the ones who are not getting along? Please help! Thanks -

Hi, sounds as though you've got alot on your hands. You done the right thing by seperating the ducks apart.
The ducks with curly tail feathers are most likely to be male, and the ones without are most likely to be female. Other signs of sexing ducklings can be...

* Males have a deeper softer call (only females really have the loud quack quack sound).
* Males also are larger in size/weight and have slightly larger feet.
* Males have curly tail feathers whereas females don't.

It's hard to say why the two ducks are fighting without seeing their environment/enclosure. They could be fighting because of competion over food, space, water/pond, the best places for rest/sleep and attention from the other ducks.

How are you ducks kept? Are they pened together or do they have an unlimited amount of space? I hope you don't mind me asking but it may halp to determine why they have been fighting.

Regarding the age of the 5th duck... compared to your other four ducks does it look more developed or less developed? Does it have a full set of feathers yet?
However it looks, make a note and take a photo.
If it is more developed than your other 4 when they reach the same stage of growth then you can work out the 5th's age.

Hope this helps abit... let us know how things go please.
Mel X

Thanks for your response - it is very helpful. It would appear that the two fighting ducks are females. The 5th duck seems to be very much the same age as the other 4 - white feathers, no down, same weight. All have an unlimited area in which they roam during the day - and at night, they are kept in a coup with an outdoor run. The two ducks fight whether they are in or outside the coup. Could it be possible that they will outgrow this? I keep them separated now between the coup and outdoor run - but once it gets colder at night- I would think they would all want to be in the coup.

Hey, glad i could help in some way.

To be honest it's hard to say whether they'll grow out of fighting with each other. Only time will tell, so it'll just have to be a waiting game. If they do continue fighting could you make another coup for the 5th duck and possibly another one for company, so that they can spend the nights in that over winter?

I've had to recently adjust my garden as i've got 3 Muscovy ducklings and i can't keep them with the father.

Some ducks do continually want to fight and theres nothing that you can do to stop that behaviour (apart from seperating it).

I hope everything works out...
Mel X