Aggressive Ducks

[Annieb12345]

Two years ago when fifteen Ancona and Cayuga ducks moved from my neighbors pond to ours, I was delighted. It was such fun watching them swim and play on our little pond. The neighbor was fed up with them and said we could keep them, so we built a duck yard and house for them to winter in. We lost a few as we found out that the raccoons, eagles, foxes etc enjoyed duck for dinner too and began locking them in at night. We were down to about seven and then had nine eggs hatch. As spring started we had three females and thirteen males. The males have gotten so aggressive! The older pure Anconas are particularly mean. They attack all the youngsters even though they are adult ducks now too. We separated the females from the males but the boys attack each other now. Three at a time of the older 'bad boys' hold the young males under water. No drowning yet, but now I've got all these ducks with featherless necks! And the young ones are afraid to go out on the pond!

Earlier in the year, the youngsters were aggressive too, but now they've settled down and all of them are victims of the older 'bad boys' (as we call them). So, now the four bad boys are in one side of the pen and the 12 youngsters are on the other side. I let the youngsters out on the pond in the morning and some time in the late afternoon when they return to the duck house to nap, I let the older ducks out.

Is there any hope for having a friendly flock again? Since we don't want duck eggs and we don't have room for more ducks, we gave away our hens that were laying. Now we've only one female and she's one of the original Anconas. She hangs out with the younger ducks and is terrified of the boys from her original flock. Would it help if I gave her away so they were all males?

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I would have gotten rid of all the males personally. That's pretty normal male poultry behaviors. I would at this point rehomed the last hen, she must be miserable with so many males. After she is gone they may settle down and get along, but they may, or may not because boys are boys as the saying goes.

 

[Michelle 0831]

I would have gotten rid of most of the males and kept females. One poor hen with all those boys is a death sentence in a bad way. Protect her. Whittle down boy population. They are the aggressive ones.

 

[Annieb12345]

How do you get rid of ducks? Our farrier took the females we gave away but since then those females ran off and came home with eight babies each! Now she's got way too many ducks too.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

How do you get rid of ducks? Our farrier took the females we gave away but since then those females ran off and came home with eight babies each! Now she's got way too many ducks too.

Put them up for sale or butcher them.

 

[Annieb12345]

I would have gotten rid of most of the males and kept females. One poor hen with all those boys is a death sentence in a bad way. Protect her. Whittle down boy population. They are the aggressive ones.

I got rid of the females because our little pond just can't accommodate any more ducks. And those hens were laying daily. (I don't like duck eggs!) I probably should have given her away too, but the person who took the other females didn't want any thing but Cayugas, and she's an Ancona.

 

[Michelle 0831]

Get rid of eggs... dog food if u don't like duck eggs but they are great in baked goods. Your neighbor might like them? I never have trouble getting rid of eggs! People will pay...
Rehome or duck dinner those boys!

 

[Michelle 0831]

Try Craig's list. Put up a notice at local co-op or feed store. Advertise. ..

 

[Miss Lydia]

I got rid of the females because our little pond just can't accommodate any more ducks. And those hens were laying daily. (I don't like duck eggs!) I probably should have given her away too, but the person who took the other females didn't want any thing but Cayugas, and she's an Ancona.

The way to keep ducks or any poultry from hatching is to take up eggs daily.