Help please! Drakes first mating season - fighting and seperation

[biscotti]

Its my first spring (getting close to 1 year mark having my ducks) and I have 4 sibling runner drakes. They've done well together all year (they'll be 1 year in march or may) but now its gotten warmer in one day and they all switched up and are fighting hard together.

The most submissive one got picked on by the other three before I checked on them this morning, and has a lot of feathers pulled from the back of his neck and wing tips. I managed to seperate him immediately. I'm keeping him inside their coop, but I need to seperate the biggest one from the other 2 to stop their infighting. I know this is fairly normal and can be handled, but having to figure this out by myself is really hard... I love them so much and I'm in a bit of a panic trying to figure out how to split their tiny coop into sections for the night time until I can properly sort out outside fencing seperation tomorrow.

I dont think I can trust them together overnight, but the way my coop is set up, there's 2 sides: one is their bed area, and the other is their food and watering area.

I'm not sure how to make it work for 3 sections and give them all they'll need seperate.

Advice I read on here reccomended making sure they can all see each other through chickenwire or the like. If they only have a small space to move around inside for night will they be okay? Its going to get cold again in the next few days too...

They're not used to being handled and I was slowly getting them more comfortable with touch over time, but now thats all gone to hell and I don't want this to ruin the groups relationship with each other or me.

Any advice or tips would be super helpful.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Do you happen to have dog crates? when I have to separate I use dog crates for overnight. If you can separate them into small spaces inside they only need to be able to lay down to sleep they don't need food and water overnight.
Are they 4 drakes?
I am keeping 2 young Runner drakes away from my others by using some leftover lattice I have a coop with 2 rooms so in the biggest room All but the 2 young Runners go into in the evening then I put up the lattice and let the 2 young ones 8 months old into the smaller room with their surrogate mama my Goose. If you can use dog crates switch them out so one will be able to be out of the crate for sleeping and then just switch them around every evening.

 

[biscotti]

Do you happen to have dog crates? when I have to separate I use dog crates for overnight. If you can separate them into small spaces inside they only need to be able to lay down to sleep they don't need food and water overnight.
Are they 4 drakes?
I am keeping 2 young Runner drakes away from my others by using some leftover lattice I have a coop with 2 rooms so in the biggest room All but the 2 young Runners go into in the evening then I put up the lattice and let the 2 young ones 8 months old into the smaller room with their surrogate mama my Goose. If you can use dog crates switch them out so one will be able to be out of the crate for sleeping and then just switch them around every evening.

Thanks for the reply! I have a foldable wire puppy pen I tried to utilize in their coop for the night, but it looks like they can still get their heads through the gaps and nip each other at least the fence stops them from going too crazy... I'll have more time tomorrow to work on stuff (luckily its going to be a nice day). I might need to get a crate as well it seems.

They're just 4 drakes. The most submissive one that I kept in the coop during the day was pretty scared and tried lashing out a bit at me when I got close. I'm a little worried about him, but hoping I can try grouping him with the other 2 in the morning and see how the dynamic is. I think as much as he didn't like the 3 on 1 bullying, he needs some ducks with him to feel more comfortable too.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Many who have an all drake flock have to keep them separated in the worst of hormone season sometimes they can be put 2 and 2 but many times they have to be completely separated. We have to come up ways to protect the one or more that is getting the raw end of the deal.
You might be able to cover the puppy pen with fencing that they can't stick their heads into. I did an all metal crate and covered it with hardware cloth using tie wraps to keep the hardware cloth in place.

 

[Jenbirdee]

Many who have an all drake flock have to keep them separated in the worst of hormone season sometimes they can be put 2 and 2 but many times they have to be completely separated. We have to come up ways to protect the one or more that is getting the raw end of the deal.
You might be able to cover the puppy pen with fencing that they can't stick their heads into. I did an all metal crate and covered it with hardware cloth using tie wraps to keep the hardware cloth in place.

tie wraps - aka zip ties?

 

[Miss Lydia]

tie wraps - aka zip ties?

yep

 

[Jenbirdee]

yep

my kids call me the zip tie queen lol

 

[Miss Lydia]

I love them.

 

[biscotti]

Okay, little update for the next day:

I figured out a seperation system with chicken wire for their outdoor area for during the day. I have 2 isolated in their own sections, and the other 2 together for now. They're still managing to fight through the fencing a bit which is annoying, but not as extreme at least. Although just a litle while ago while I went in to get some water, I came out and they had all gathered by a center post and managed to pin one of them down regardless. I saw a streak of blood on one if their beaks for the first time. I tried to see where it came from, but unfortunately (or fortunately, because that means it's likely not a big injury) I couldn't see the cause. 2 of them have darker feathers, so it makes it a little harder.

Also constructed a sliding chicken wire "screen door" for the inner coop, so I can safely keep one or 2 of them in their fully enclosed section overnight, and the rest seperated in the other half thats surrounded by hardware cloth and plastic from winter.

They're used to food and water in their coop and I'm a little nervous taking it out for them because I cant get up super early to let them out most days. So thats another issue I need to work on.

Overall, it was at least better than yesterday, and the boy that got bullied the most had a good break and is now having a pre bed time bath by himself.

I need to make some small shelters for their outside areas so they can all have a place to hide while they're separated during the day, so that's my next goal to work on tomorrow. I wish the ground was thawed!!

Thanks for the couple replies from yesterday! I really appreciated it and I'd be happy to hear any more.

 

[Jenbirdee]

Okay, little update for the next day:

I figured out a seperation system with chicken wire for their outdoor area for during the day. I have 2 isolated in their own sections, and the other 2 together for now. They're still managing to fight through the fencing a bit which is annoying, but not as extreme at least. Although just a litle while ago while I went in to get some water, I came out and they had all gathered by a center post and managed to pin one of them down regardless. I saw a streak of blood on one if their beaks for the first time. I tried to see where it came from, but unfortunately (or fortunately, because that means it's likely not a big injury) I couldn't see the cause. 2 of them have darker feathers, so it makes it a little harder.

Also constructed a sliding chicken wire "screen door" for the inner coop, so I can safely keep one or 2 of them in their fully enclosed section overnight, and the rest seperated in the other half thats surrounded by hardware cloth and plastic from winter.

They're used to food and water in their coop and I'm a little nervous taking it out for them because I cant get up super early to let them out most days. So thats another issue I need to work on.

Overall, it was at least better than yesterday, and the boy that got bullied the most had a good break and is now having a pre bed time bath by himself.

I need to make some small shelters for their outside areas so they can all have a place to hide while they're separated during the day, so that's my next goal to work on tomorrow. I wish the ground was thawed!!

Thanks for the couple replies from yesterday! I really appreciated it and I'd be happy to hear any more.

you are doing a great job! not everyone wants to work so hard to care for drakes. But after this crazy hormonal time is over, they will be your wonderful boys again <3