[Jellyhead]

Hi, as you may or may not know I have 3 ducks. Bertie a mallard drake and Jemima and Jemima :shock:  :oops: 2 big white possibly aylesbury type. We originally had 4 females. They all arrived together, same age and everything. Bertie however, took a dislike to one of the females and was so aggressive towards her that I rehomed her and her friend to a friend of mine Then Martha hatched 2 ducklings for me, they were always destined to go to a friend of mine but, in the meantime Bertie was really vicious to one of them and twas a good job she was going anyway. My dilemma is that 1) Jemima is due to hatch 4 eggies (fingers crossed) and also my turkeys are coming. He will be alright when they are small (hopefully) but I know he will be horrid when they get bigger. So, after all that waffle :oops:  :roll: would it be cruel to take him to a friend of mine who has a few ducks and a small lake or should I send him with one the girls or what. I dont know what to do thats kindest and bestest, all I know is that he has to go :cry: sad but true please, what are your opinions on this one :?:
Ta
Jelly
XX

[Vember]

OOo

That's a tricky one Jelly, i think it depends alot on the set up your friend has??  Do the ducks live "wild" or do they come in at night??

If they're wildy free range then I think ( i'm not 100%, Kate my say diffrent) but any way I would send a pair so they can explore togeather an then gradually mix with the other group.

If on the other hand they are defo all females that your friend has and they come in to a hut at night I might send him alone and pop him in at night with the new ladies.

Tricky as I said Knowing the situation as you do I would say go with your gut instinct

Not really much help am I :oops:



Vember

[Jellyhead]

I went over there today and basically its this. Because they dont have a problem with foxes her own ducks are in a pen to stop them buggering off. However they have a huge lake about 100 yards away that gets wild ducks on it. That is where Bertie would go and basically live wild. So if I send him with one of the Jemimas (obviously the one thats not broody) will Jemima the broody pine or will she be ok given that hopefully at least 1 eggie will hatch?? such a quandry??

[Vember]

If eggy hatches Jelly then she should be ok


But yes defo a quandry,

would you be able to get the Jemima to come back to you at the lake IF the eggies don't hatch for other Jemima???

Are you with me ?

[Jellyhead]

I am with you but really dont know. Would it be cruel to send Bertie on his own to find a new mate :?: I think the answer is yes but also would the girls mind him going, I suppose it would save them having a headache :shock: most days   As much as he p****s me off cos hes aggressive I wouldnt want any harm to come to him :roll:

[Kate and her Ducks]

Really hard one. I think that if he was going to live with the other ducks in the pen then I would send him on his own, especially as I would worry about the remaining duck being lonely without adult companionship even if her eggs do hatch. But Bertie has never had to live wild and I doubt he will be equiped to cope but I could be wrong, especially as he is a mallard and ducks do seem to be hardwired for a lot of things. Of course he might just take things into his own hands and join them in the pen! How many are there in the pen? He might be less of a pain if he is a little fish in a big pond so to speak.
Don't really know what to suggest. Hope it works out OK for all

[blulagoo]

Jelly - i'm in the same boat with Fidget the cockerel - he is going for my children everytime they go in the garden. Do I keep him but in a pen - or does he go - i have a friend who has 'wild' chickens - they live in a wood an get fed but roost in trees. Fidget has only known the garden and his girls! Oh! The quandry!!

Hope you get it sorted soon.