Any ideas on this new behavior?

Date sort Score sort
BickeringToast

BickeringToast

In the Brooder
7 Years
Dec 14, 2012
95
2
43
Jersey, GA
Of the 9-week old 4-pack Daphne & Niles are the most friendly AND outgoing. I am positive Daphne is male and I think Niles is also male.

When I am out in their pen sitting on the garden stool and tossing them peas, all of them except Mose will eat from my hand. If I hold out my hand empty, both Daphne & Niles will nibble it like crazy hoping for more peas. It is never hard bites, just a food search.

Today Niles started something new and did it several times each of the 3 times I have been out there today. I am sitting there holding out my empty hand and Daphne and Niles have both searched it for any remnants of peas. Niles will look at me and it looks like his neck trembles just barely, and then he runs the bottom of his bill and his whole neck up my arm really fast and then runs off a few feet and comes right back. Daphne tried it once the last time I was out there but looked bored with the results and waddled away.

Out in Duckatraz it looks like Niles is the head-felon of the cell block. So is he trying to be dominant with me, molesting me or just being friendly???

This is probably a dumb question that I should know the answer to, but I am clueless. I tried researching it and am now an expert on both what it means when 1. my dog rubs his face on me 2. google searches people must be conducting like crazy on a question much like mine but a million times more pornographic.

Hope someone can help!!!
 
Anyone know what this might be?
idunno.gif
 
I'm not sure about why he might be doing it, but my guess is that he is being friendly. We have a mixed flock of ducklings of different ages, but my oldest two are about 4 weeks old. Cinnamon (the Campbell) is super skittish and is terrified of everything but Soleil (the Welsh Harlequin) is very friendly. She does this same thing to be, only it's usually when I am holding her and she nuzzles up my neck like that. It's SO cute. She doesn't seem like she is doing it in a dominating way, so maybe your duck is just also being friendly.

On a side note, HOW ON EARTH did you get your ducks to eat out of your hand? My chickens did it from like day one, but I cannot get my ducks to come eat from my hand no matter what I try. Though, I haven't fed them peas yet. Maybe that is the trick. Haha!
 
my ducks like peas..but they don't LOVE peas. They all eat from my hand, in fact they come up to my back door and knock at it when they're hungry and quack at me if i am late going out to feed them. I raised them from the egg..and I just have always fed them that way..i just hold the bowl of food up and as they come over i grab a hand ful and hold my hand down and they eat it...and after a few hand fulls i put the bowl down..sometimes there are meal worms in it...
 
HouseMouseHens said:
I'm not sure about why he might be doing it, but my guess is that he is being friendly. We have a mixed flock of ducklings of different ages, but my oldest two are about 4 weeks old. Cinnamon (the Campbell) is super skittish and is terrified of everything but Soleil (the Welsh Harlequin) is very friendly. She does this same thing to be, only it's usually when I am holding her and she nuzzles up my neck like that. It's SO cute. She doesn't seem like she is doing it in a dominating way, so maybe your duck is just also being friendly.

On a side note, HOW ON EARTH did you get your ducks to eat out of your hand? My chickens did it from like day one, but I cannot get my ducks to come eat from my hand no matter what I try. Though, I haven't fed them peas yet. Maybe that is the trick. Haha!
Click to expand...

I am hoping the bossy little criminal is just being friendly!! lol

I got the 4-pack when they were 3 or 4 days old. I have a Cayuga, WH, KC and a Runner. I think I started feeding them peas (kida mashed up) when they were just a couple weeks old. I just held out my hand with peas while they were in the tub one day and they have eaten from my hand and been pea addicts ever since. I only do a few peas from my hand here and there. It is only recently that Mose (the Cayuga) seems a little worried about eating from my hand. The WH has been the most outgoing from the beginning and my KC has been the bossiest.

They have shunned every treat other than peas so far. Well they love the dried mealworms but not if I toss them out to them....I scatter them out at night after the 4-pack is in their house, and then they 'forage' for them in the morning.
 
shicks0211 said:
my ducks like peas..but they don't LOVE peas. They all eat from my hand, in fact they come up to my back door and knock at it when they're hungry and quack at me if i am late going out to feed them. I raised them from the egg..and I just have always fed them that way..i just hold the bowl of food up and as they come over i grab a hand ful and hold my hand down and they eat it...and after a few hand fulls i put the bowl down..sometimes there are meal worms in it...
Click to expand...
The smell of those dried meal worms is horrendous! I couldn't touch them if I was paid!

I've never fed them their regular food from my hand, just treats (aka peas).

The 4-pack puts themselves to bed every night now and I just go out within a few minutes and close up their house door. If I wait too long to go out they are all jabbering like mad and Doc (Runner) will have just his head out the door watching for me.
 
I believe that's an inquisitive, friendly "checking you out" behavior. Ducks bill EVERYTHING as they don't have hands. I always thought it was cute when they tug at my clothes.

My first drake (I have Cayugas) started to get really possessive of me and would give me love bites. When they started to hurt, because he would hold on, I had to train him not to do that. I would hold his bill shut after pulling it off my arm, tell him "No!" and then hold him down (gently) for a couple of minutes. He learned. He will still nibble me, but now he has lady ducks so I am no longer his love interest.
;)
 
I started my ducks eating from my hand as ducklings I would chop up strawberries and blueberries into tiny itty bitty pieces to get them to taste them. They LOVE blueberries!
 
BickeringToast said:
Anyone know what this might be?
idunno.gif
Click to expand...
You have only drakes right? I am thinking he is wooing you, I have a drake that we raised from a day old because his mama didn't want him, so he became my baby, well until he was around 4-5 months old then he became impossible, when I would turn my back he would jump on me or if I was even sitting down with him he would jump me, I was beside myself on what to do none of my other drakes had ever acted like this, some even said I should kill him, But I couldn't do that but I did have to get tough with him and discourage his behavior with me, It took a couple of months of me picking him up and holding him on his back or laying him flat out on the ground like another drake would do to him when being dominant. we even went and got him 3 ducks of his own but he still wanted me as part of his harem. But I am happy to say he is now almost 2 yrs old and just the greatest drake still likes to hang out and be petted, but doesn't try his head shaking sneaking up on me stuff anymore. He still likes to eat out of my hand too. Spoiled rotten brat. lol
 
Last edited:

Similar threads

Launchpad
    • Sad
Duck killed inside pen at night- what killed her?
5 6 7
Replies
62
Views
6K
Launchpad
Launchpad
M
    • Sad
    • Like
Pekin Behavior
2
Replies
10
Views
545
ruthhope
ruthhope
Launchpad
Red spots on Pekin duck feet
Replies
6
Views
1K
Launchpad
Launchpad
motherduckling
    • Like
behavior's explained.
Replies
2
Views
670
motherduckling
motherduckling
Launchpad
When to get females to fix Male : Female ratio/behavioral between flocks
2
Replies
12
Views
1K
Luv Ducks
L

New posts New threads Active threads

Back
Top Bottom