A method for synchronizing multicast message subflows in a switched network includes associating, with a processing device, a first destination identifier corresponding to a multicast message with a first queue that corresponds to a first output port of a switching device, associating, with a processing device, a second destination identifier corresponding to the multicast message with a second queue that corresponds to a second output port of the switching device, pausing the first queue in response to a message counter corresponding to the first queue crossing a first predetermined threshold, and unpausing the first queue in response to the message counter crossing a second predetermined threshold, wherein the message counter indicates a quantity of data that has been forwarded by the first queue but remains to be forwarded by the second queue.