Aggressive drake? is he just asking for 'the pot'?

[ohiofarmgirl]

this morning our this-spring's drake not only FLEW at me - he has done that before and i excused it that he just wanted the feed i had....but this time he landed on my shoulders. it was a good thing i had a hat and a big sweatshirt on! he's a big as a small collie and i was glad i didnt get scratched by those sharp claws

i've noticed that he is wanting to breed with the females - even so late in the season. and i have one sitting momma that i stand over when i let her out in the morning. he keeps trying to chase her and she doesnt want any of that mess. so i keep him away from her and walk her back and lock her in her brooder coop when she is done. i'm guessing he thinks i'm the Boss Drake???

but flying and landing on me??

i had my working dogs chase him off.....but i'm not interested in being dive bombed every time i go out there. i think this guy is just asking to be roasted with potatoes.

any thoughts? any hints on what to do???

its very sad b/c we lost our main "Mr Duck" this summer and we really miss him. this new drake is just not filling his shoes.
:-(

 

[lauralou]

Flying at you and trying to land on your shoulder? EEK! From your description, is he a muscovy?

My muscovy drakes tend to be even friendlier than the hens. I bet he thinks he's being affectionate! I hope none of mine ever try to be that friendly.

If he is trying to mate your broody female, and she isn't aggressive enough to fend him off, you may have a real problem when she hatches her babies. Is it possible for you to fence in a separate pen for her and her brood? I have 2 separate duckhouses and pens. My problem is the opposite of yours. My alpha female is crazy-aggressive to the other girls when she is broody, so they are penned separately for their own protection.

You could always eat him. I'm sure he would be delicious. Or you could try to rehome him. Craigslist has worked well for me in the past. Or figure out some way to get him under control until he matures and calms down. I've never had a mature muscovy drake who flew much. So I would think that once he puts on his adult weight, the flying to your shoulder thing would end. (Hopefully!) Also, muscovies are very intelligent (assuming you have a muscovy!) so you could train him not to fly at you anymore. Bat him right out of the air! A couple of times might just cure him of the idea that he's a parrot.

At any rate, good luck with your problem drake.

 

[Le Canard de Barbarie]

Was he a pet at one time? Was he ever treated as a peer? By confusing a drake by making him believe he is either human or that you are another duck, he can see you as an alpha that must be conquered.

 

[rainplace]

you can clip his wings. I agree with lauralou too. You may want to separate out your broody female. It's not that difficult to make a place just for her inside your existing coop. make two frames from scrap wood and stretch chicken wire or hardware cloth around them. use them to box her in. if you clip his wings, then she can fly over it but he can't. if your coop is big enough you can do the same thing with two bales of hay.

or you can eat or rehome him.

 

[ohiofarmgirl]

thanks for the thoughts!

sorry i should have said - yep he's a muscovy. a BIG one...but good thought that he might knock off the flying when he bulks up, but seriously, he's huge right now! he and two lady 'scovies are from this spring's hatch. they are full grown and only show up for some snacks, they spend most of the time down at the pond.

we keep our broodies and our mommas with babies away from the other flocks. the first time our former Mr Duck tried to snatch one of the babies we gave him the boot and kept the little ones safe. in fact, i'm building a 'duck garage' right now to make way for the new hatchlings when they arrive.

i'm just kinda confused why all of a sudden he's so interested in me. we have never 'snuggled the livestock' - in fact, some of the folks we've sold ducklings to have said they wished their new little ones were more personable. so why he's all over me is a mystery. he should only view me as the feed bag - but we dont hand feed or anything. the babies have always run from us (geez isnt the meeping sound they make the cutest!?!?!?) and this little momma, Dash, has only recently figured out that if she stays near me i'll keep the hens and this crazy drake away from her. she is locked in a broody coop alone.

the only thing i can think of is that i've been keeping him off her and now he thinks i'm a challenge.

well heck. first my demon gander and now this loco duck. come to think of it my tom turk is a pistol too. golly its a dilly. well its like i've always said, talk loudly and carry a huge stick and a loaded dog.
;-)

 

[Le Canard de Barbarie]

Quote:
Same here. Doesn't sound like a challenge or attack.