Do ducks have pecking order?

[SHELLY]

I have four Pekin Ducks. They are about 6 months old. I have never had ducks before and I think I have 1 male and 3 females (the only thing I base this on is the drake feather).

For the past week Hubby and I have noticed that the girls (?) are biting the neck of the boy (?) and he is loosing feathers there. Every day they chase him, pin him down and bite the back of his neck. Sometimes it is just one on one and sometimes it's two against one.

The boy seems a bit smaller. None have laid eggs yet, so I really don't know what I've got. And, I have no idea if this behavior is normal, if the little one is being abused or if it is a prelude to mating.

Can someone help me?

 

[Sparkalator]

Very good question, sorry I don't know the answer, just starting with ducks myself. Hopefully someone else will answer soon.

 

[NewHopePoultry]

Yes ducks have a pecking order. My females seem to be the bosses around here too.

 

[WindyOaksYokes]

My girls seem to be the bosses around here too.... but my BIG blue sweedish seems to have some clout too and will take the lead at times... hmmmm.... interesting and good question... would like to know the answer to that myself.

 

[greyfields]

My females as well. Now, I never see "pecking". But, they all follow the same couple girls whenever they are on the move to a new spot. They do chase chickens away from the food when they're eating.

 

[chickenlisa]

what about different breeds of ducks together-can they work out who leads without hurting each other? I ask this b/c we have Blue Swedish and Cayugas mixed together now and they get along great, but soon I'm getting 4 Mandarins. Can they all get along nicely without hurting the smaller Mandies?
Lisa

 

[WindyOaksYokes]

Today 2:24 pm what about different breeds of ducks together-can they work out who leads without hurting each other? I ask this b/c we have Blue Swedish and Cayugas mixed together now and they get along great, but soon I'm getting 4 Mandarins. Can they all get along nicely without hurting the smaller Mandies?
Lisa

Yes, they will figure it out amoungst themselves... my ducks are all mixed too. Don't worry... they will be okay​

 

[zatsdeb]

I have 7 ducks, 6 white pekin and 1 kaki campbell.
the white ducks all follow each other around. I think they take turns leading. The way I tell them apart, besides the drake will have a curled tail when he is grown, most of the time, is the drakes have a quiet quack, and the hens are very loud! I have one named Delta who is the loudest. Usually the drakes will swim in the pool first too, the hens let them go first.
I had 2 hens sitting on eggs and they hatched them together. It was pretty cool.

 

[SHELLY]

Thanks to all who responded. I have been watching the ducks more closely this week. The girls are the boss, the boy is loosing feathers on his neck and one of the females gets on top of his back. Hubby thinks they are mating, but I think she is just being mean to him. We have been discussing seperating them. We don't want him hurt. I don't want him to be lonely either. What do I do? Leave them alone or intervene?

 

[eggchel]

Leave them together. They arent hurting each other or being mean, it is just mating type behavior. Usually it is the males that are biting the necks of the females and climbing on top, but sometimes the females do it too. Males dont always show drake feathers so listen to their voices. Low and raspy for a male and loud / sharp for a female.

They have much less of a pecking order than chickens. Unlike chickens, the ducks wont gang up on a newbie or really try to hurt it. When you add new ducks to the group, they may initially chase them away from the group but after a few days they are all fine together. It is easiest to introduce them when they are outside rather than in their night pen.
Your ducks are beautiful.
Chel