Do Any of Your Ducks ATTACK Your Legs?

[1234duck]

My duck is now 1 year old, I hatched him in the incubator. He has always been around people. Sometimes he would try to get your toes through the fence if your not wearing shoes and he would try and get my kids legs if they were inside his pen/area. If people tried to pet him through or over the fence he would bite or pinch their hand with his beak. It wasn't a real hard bite or pinch. But now every time I get in the pen he tries to attack my legs, he acts too aggressive which is now making it a chore to feed or water. I don't look forward to entering the pen at all. I need to enter his area in order to get to my other ducks and some chickens. Any suggestions? Is this normal behavior? I'm not looking forward to enter the pen to feed any more.(he has made it such a chore just to feed) I do tell him "NO"... NO BITING and I give him a little swat and push him back easy. But it doesn't help. Thanks, Julie

 

[thatstegallguy]

My male Pekin, Niblet (proper name) will playfully nip at your shoes on occasion. In the mornings when I release them from the kennel, feed and water and toss mealworms out, he will happily run about quacking. Munch on the mealworms and come to me and lightly nip at my shoes. When I head back to the house, he will run beside me doing a nip here and there and loves to get chin itches (well under the bill).

 

[ChristineR]

Yes. It's really annoying and it hurts! What I've found most helpful is to pick him up and hold him. That seems to be most effective. Pushing him away does absolutely nothing. If anything, it makes him more aggressive. Picking him up seems to make him think twice about bothering me once I put him down. I don't do it all the time. He might get better if I was consistant about picking him up every time he bites.

Something else that is mildly effective is grabbing the top of his bill when he goes to bite. I don't hold his mouth shut, I just hold the top of his bill between my thumb and fingers. He doesn't like it and he can't bite me when I have him that way. This isn't as effective as picking him up, though.

 

[DUCKGIRL89]

My welsh drake does this when I get near his ladies. I know better now

 

[Ilovemyduckies]

This happened to me. When I got my first male, I got him as an adult. Before that I had only gotten girls from feed stores. Anyways, Because I got him as an adult, he had not been handled much. He did this exact same thing. He would bite me if I picked him up or tried to touch him. This seemed to be worst when I touched one of his girls. My advice to you it too handle him as much as possible. I handled him tons, and within about a month, he stopped all together. Also, if you ever get more ducklings, try to handle them a lot when they are babies just in case some are boys. I don't have that particular male any more, but I do have a male that was handled a lot that never went through this stage.

 

[duckyfromoz]

Julie- it is very common with hand raised male ducks- especially if they were raised on their own with other ducks around. I have Monty, who thankfully because of his size cant run very fast- so in most cases we just run away from him. It is a hormonal thing in part- but you can train your drake out if the bad behaviour. Picking him up and carrying him around- making sure you face his head away so he cant bite, turning him upside down - never leaving them for more than half a minute or so if they havent righted themselves already- or some people even say- standing over the drake as if you are trying to mate him works. Yes- ok it sounds funny - and make sure no-one is around to watch or with a camera. It is a domineering behaviour that makes your drake realise he is being dominated making you top duck in the flock.

 

[Oregon Blues]

No, they don't. My drakes wouldn't dare.

When I walk through their pen, the drakes (and the ganders) bow and move back to let me pass.

 

[ChristineR]

I've wondered if it's the drakes who have been handled a lot, who have basically no fear of humans, who are the worst.

There's some debate over imprinting at birth with foals. Advocates say that it makes them less fearful of things they will encounter in life, others say it makes them lose their healthy respect for humans.

Julie- it is very common with hand raised male ducks-

 

[kuntrygirl]

No, they don't.  My drakes wouldn't dare.

When I walk through their pen, the drakes (and the ganders) bow and move back to let me pass.

 

[kuntrygirl]

None of my ducks do that but my geese will rip a hole in anyone's leg.