Our Khaki Campbell is doing the same thing right now. It’s been going on for several weeks. She’s been so moody, she even tried to take on our 60lb dog yesterday (thankfully, he’s a big baby and ran from her). She’s in the middle of a molt right now, so I expect it’s due to that. Any chance yours could be beginning to molt? If not, I second the broody possibility. Our Silver Appleyards get very weird when they go broody.
This is the first time I’ve seen her like this (I’ve been a duck mom a little over a year). It’s all new to me, and I’ve seen conflicting advice online on what to do. We have a small flock, and only one male who is injured and cannot mate with her, so ducklings aren’t a possibility. What’s the best way to help her?
Oh wow! She does sound a bit moody and broody like my Becky! So I am a new duck mom (a little over a year) and have never experienced broody or molting behavior. I’ve researched both but there are no “sure signs” and I’m having trouble distinguishing which one (if not both) she is experiencing. What would you recommend to help her? Thanks!
I agree with the others to just let it run its course. Just make absolutely sure she’s eating and drinking enough. We had one go broody and didn’t pay close enough attention to her food and water intake. They forage all day and have unlimited access to pellets, so we assumed she was leaving the nest to eat when we weren’t out there. A month later, I had to give all the ducks a shot in their breast muscle and when I got to her, I realized she was just bones under her feathers. We broke her broodiness immediately and started work to get her to put weight back on, but it took a long time for her to get healthy and back to her old self. Extra protein is very important when regrowing feathers too. Are you in an area that has cicadas right now? Ours are eating an incredible amount each day currently and it’s helped a lot with weight gain, molting, and general flock happiness. Cheaper than meal worms too, which is nice.
And keep your hands back!
