5 week old drake being aggressive?

[Duck mommy 2019]

If that is what you feel is best in your situation

i’m honestly not sure what to do

 

[MugsyM]

even at 5 weeks though?? i was really hoping i would’ve have to rehome him until spring

I know he was young but I can't remember how young. My problem is I have gotten attached so I can't re-home him. I just keep him separate from my girls. Every time I have given him a chance I wind up wanting to clobber him with a hammer. He just won't stop going after the girls. My other drake is more polite and he usually takes the winter off but my Big Boy is 365 days a year and 24/7.

 

[Luv Ducks]

I know he was young but I can't remember how young. My problem is I have gotten attached so I can't re-home him. I just keep him separate from my girls. Every time I have given him a chance I wind up wanting to clobber him with a hammer. He just won't stop going after the girls. My other drake is more polite and he usually takes the winter off but my Big Boy is 365 days a year and 24/7.

I know this is an old thread but I have a Mallard Runner Drake that has been doing the same thing to its hatch mate a 5 week old Fawn and White Runner. It started very soon after I got them as 3 days old. I just wondered what you ended up doing with your drake? I have mine separated right now but he sits outside of her pen just waiting to get ahold of her.

 

[MugsyM]

It became a case of just let nature take its course. We lost the most aggressive drake. He got some kind of respiratory problem. The vet gave him some Baytril. That gave him a few peaceful days but he didn't make it. We're down to one, the one I said wasn't as aggressive and took the winter off. Forget that. He suddenly realized he's "da man". He does have one girl he treats differently and he doesn't bother her. He certainly doesn't get rough with her ... she would kick his butt. We were isolating and along came Chick Days. They didn't have any Pekins this year. We wound up with 2 Khaki Campbells, 2 Rouens and an Indian Runner and then one of the brooders who sits and broods every year for months popped out 3 chicks. If the 5 from TSC, 2 are male and 2 of the Pekins are male. And now there are 5. We bought another pen but it's hopeless. I have a couple of females humping females. It's a battle you can't win. We were lucky until now because all the babies we had were females and now we have 5. I can't separate them out because those Pekin males will kill the other breeds fighting for "King of the Mountain". How's yours doing? Sorry it took me long to get back with you but it's been a bit overwhelming here with duck watch.

 

[Luv Ducks]

It became a case of just let nature take its course. We lost the most aggressive drake. He got some kind of respiratory problem. The vet gave him some Baytril. That gave him a few peaceful days but he didn't make it. We're down to one, the one I said wasn't as aggressive and took the winter off. Forget that. He suddenly realized he's "da man". He does have one girl he treats differently and he doesn't bother her. He certainly doesn't get rough with her ... she would kick his butt. We were isolating and along came Chick Days. They didn't have any Pekins this year. We wound up with 2 Khaki Campbells, 2 Rouens and an Indian Runner and then one of the brooders who sits and broods every year for months popped out 3 chicks. If the 5 from TSC, 2 are male and 2 of the Pekins are male. And now there are 5. We bought another pen but it's hopeless. I have a couple of females humping females. It's a battle you can't win. We were lucky until now because all the babies we had were females and now we have 5. I can't separate them out because those Pekin males will kill the other breeds fighting for "King of the Mountain". How's yours doing? Sorry it took me long to get back with you but it's been a bit overwhelming here with duck watch.

Thank you for letting me know. My male Mallard may just turn out to be a female. It is starting to change and it is now 6 weeks old but has no interest whatsoever in any of the rest of my females and is letting my Fawn and White Runner alone for the most part. My other Mallards were all trying to mate with my females by this age and their bills also had turned the olive green. This one has a more girlish looking bill and even though it does not make noise, it's coloring looks more like the female mallards I have rather than the males I had before. If it is a hen I will keep it for sure. It's small in size and has small feet so hopefully it is a hen and not a drake. I was sorry to hear about all of the males you ended up with. These two came from Rural King. My other two Runners I got in May that both turned out to be Hens were from a town about 45 minutes from mine and were listed on Craigslist. Sometimes I wonder if the hatcheries that send these ducklings to the feed stores know what sex they are and get rid of a lot of their drakes that way. Another friend I had bought 6 and ended up with 4 drakes and 2 hens. He got tired of all of the fighting and took them down the road and turned them loose. I felt bad because he more or less just fed the coyotes with them. I told him I had a friend that eats them and he said afterwards he should have let me have them. They would have at least had a more peaceful death. Good luck with yours my friend and thanks again for your response.

 

[MugsyM]

Thank you for letting me know. My male Mallard may just turn out to be a female. It is starting to change and it is now 6 weeks old but has no interest whatsoever in any of the rest of my females and is letting my Fawn and White Runner alone for the most part. My other Mallards were all trying to mate with my females by this age and their bills also had turned the olive green. This one has a more girlish looking bill and even though it does not make noise, it's coloring looks more like the female mallards I have rather than the males I had before. If it is a hen I will keep it for sure. It's small in size and has small feet so hopefully it is a hen and not a drake. I was sorry to hear about all of the males you ended up with. These two came from Rural King. My other two Runners I got in May that both turned out to be Hens were from a town about 45 minutes from mine and were listed on Craigslist. Sometimes I wonder if the hatcheries that send these ducklings to the feed stores know what sex they are and get rid of a lot of their drakes that way. Another friend I had bought 6 and ended up with 4 drakes and 2 hens. He got tired of all of the fighting and took them down the road and turned them loose. I felt bad because he more or less just fed the coyotes with them. I told him I had a friend that eats them and he said afterwards he should have let me have them. They would have at least had a more peaceful death. Good luck with yours my friend and thanks again for your response.

I just watch for that drake feather to show up. That's about the only way I can tell with the Pekins. I thought the other Rouen was a drake, his tail feathers separated but it never curled. Did a name change from Roy to Roxie on that one. I just started with ducks in 2019 and I knew nothing. There's times I still feel like I know nothing or they know something that I don't. I have lost a few to coyotes and raccoons and the one to the respiratory problem so we've been lucky. I get mad as fire but they're like a part of the family. I could never take them out somewhere and drop them off. That would explain why I am in the car driving around looking for them and doing head counts every morning and night. Good luck with your male becoming a female.