Cred
In the Brooder
- Oct 31, 2015
- 17
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i am still a fairly new duck keeper- we got ducklings the spring of 2015, so have only had one full season of mature ducks under my belt. Last year we had 2 drakes, 4 hens. My Cayuga drake was the dominant male but my welsh harlequin drake became aggressive with one of my Cayuga hens. It wasn't a case of overbreeding, he would chase her out of the flock, incessantly. Until she would just linger outside the circle of the flock. I was worried about the stress it was causing her, as her 'voice' became raspy and she would walk around with her head tucked down and her feathers fluffed up. In the end, I rehomed the harlequin drake which restored the drake to duck ratio to a better level, too.
However, last week, and only the once, my Cayuga drake started the same behaviour with different hen. We 'corrected' him when we observed it and shortly after it started, he stopped, and allowed her to forage with the flock. Hasn't been a problem since, that we've noticed but it makes me wonder what's at the root of the behaviour. With the first, I wondered if it was because he was the lesser drake and needed an outlet for his dominance. Anyone else have experience with this behaviour?
However, last week, and only the once, my Cayuga drake started the same behaviour with different hen. We 'corrected' him when we observed it and shortly after it started, he stopped, and allowed her to forage with the flock. Hasn't been a problem since, that we've noticed but it makes me wonder what's at the root of the behaviour. With the first, I wondered if it was because he was the lesser drake and needed an outlet for his dominance. Anyone else have experience with this behaviour?
