Maine

[m.kitchengirl]

Very pretty roo.

Speaking of boys... I am having a problem with my Ancona drake.
I have two female ducks for him, and he has been VERY enthusiastically breeding with them for a few months now. (No eggs yet, sadly.)

Yesterday the ducks began to act very strange. Normally they stay in their yard all day, the chickens come there, forage in the duck house, and go about their chicken business, Everyone sort of ignores one another, but the chickens run the show.
But yesterday, as soon as I let them out of their enclosure, my drake led them all into the back garden. Where the chickens are.
Since they are such creatures of habit I was shocked & watched them for some time. It seemed they had simply discovered that the chickens have a lot of kitchen scraps & were enjoying some time to forage in the hen house for once.

Then, mid-afternoon, they were still back there, with the chickens & I saw it. My nice drake gave my hen "the look". Well, I quickly ushered his little behind back to his enclosure & hoped I was just being crazy. (My sons & the man of the house sure thought so.)

Well, today, same thing, I let them out, he B-lines for the back garden. I watched and he seemed innocent enough at first. They were having a blast making a giant mud puddle outside my back door. My chickens heard the back door & came running & then he did it, he tried to mate my EE hen! That little devil.

I was there, waiting for him to try it & I shooed him right back where he belongs with MUCH hoopla & foot stomping right behind him.
I went back to put the chickens in their enclosed yard & he came right back for more. He is now in his enclosure. Alone.

But I am not sure what to do. He has quite a while before I have more mature ducks for him & his appetite, and I don't want him trying to mate my chickens until then. Also, I am quite concerned that if he is kept in his yard with his girls he will over breed them & injure them without more females to "share the load" as it were.
I am not interested in re-homing him & just passing the problem along to other people, even with total disclosure.

Am I over-reacting to this issue? Or is this a cut & dry rotisserie solution?


Eta: Sorry for the length.

 

[joanie_maine]

A duck (processed &frozen) costs about $20.00 at Hannafords

 

[m.kitchengirl]

That is sort of my thinking on the subject, too.

 

[kinsey228]

My poor Golden Comet STILL hasn't passed that stupid egg ! (You can feel it) I think I'll have to put her out of her misery. It's been like 5 days, and she's not getting any better despite the warm soaks. I have another one that is starting to act like this also. I don't think I'll get this breed again.

 

[hoppy]

kinsey, try some warm mineral oil up her vent. hold her so it has time to work down, massage the area. this is like a last ditch effort, it may not work but lets hope it does.

ok on the duck issue, you wont' get mixed babies so i don't really see a problem but if you feel it is an issue, what about getting him a few more mature girls of his own??? you obviouosly kept him for a reason and if you kill him, you have to start over.

 

[m.kitchengirl]

Kinsey, have you gone to the old timers thread?
I think they have a long (and graphic) discussion there about removing eggs from egg bound hens.

 

[Puddleducks]

I have three male geese and my rooster always shoos them off and defends his girl's honor durring their breeding season. I've never had a problem with interspecies copulation.

on an unrelated note, is anyone in the southern Maine area looking to trade fertile eggs? I am going to buy some if I can't find anyone willing, I need some new blood and its more fun to get some one else's line than to get some thorough breds, to me anyway!

 

[m.kitchengirl]

I am only concerned because I have read that ducks can kill chickens by mating with them.
If it is for the good of my whole flock, I may have to remove him.
They are separated for now, but it limits the chickens ability to range as much as they did before... I am just not sure what to do.
I feel like I am stuck between a rock & a hard place right now. I hoped someone would say, "Oh, you're over reacting, he'll grow out of it," but so far, no one has said that.

I can't build the larger yard until the snow melts and the mud isn't so bad. I am also not sure I could even get a temporary fence constructed with the ground how it now - frozen solid in some places and muddy everywhere else.

I have asked a few friends who raise Anconas & keep only ducks if they need another drake. I am hoping that pans out somehow. He is a nice boy to the duck girls, but was quite rough with my EE, if I hadn't been standing right there I hate to think what would have happened to her. Poor lady.

 

[Puddleducks]

He should really only be a bother during breeding season, so maybe if you could just keep him in solitary confinement for the month or so? or do ducks breed all year round? I only keep geese : O

 

[m.kitchengirl]

I'm going to let them (ducks & chickens) have yard time at different times of day & hope he isn't too rough on his ducky gals.
Hopefully everyone can hang on until the bigger coop is built & they have separate yards.