Arrgh, having behavioral issues with my drakes!

[Snipes]

I don't know if it's the time of the year, but I have just having a great deal of trouble keeping the drakes in line. At night they come inside so I can see it up close. Two of them are picking a lot on the third, so much that they sometimes pull his diaper off at night, and the those two, and in particular the head honcho, missile after my feet like crazy. I keep giving them neck nips, and holding them down on the back and neck like I have been reading gives them the impression that I am the head duck, but it either just makes them more angry, or it only works a tiny bit and then they're back at it. Since when they come in for the night I keep them in a single room where I often walk, I am wondering if it is because I am just walking around them so much that it is activating their chasing instincts- they don't do it so much when they are outside. I am still new to ducks, so I'm not sure what to make of it, and what to do about it. Will it pass? Should I avoid walking past them? What can I do to make them stop missiling my feet and making them mad?

 

[shelleyd2008]

It's breeding season, they are 'lonely'. Looking for love in all the wrong places

 

[treldib]

As stated above, it is breeding season and their hormones are surging. They are trying to eliminate the competition so they have full access to the females. They think you are a Drake, so you have to go

Maybe getting a few hens (3 per drake or so) will solve the problem of the 2 more dominant drakes picking on the other.

Both my ducks are doing those false charges too, they also seem a bit ornery. I'm pretty sure they just want to breed and are all puffy about it (PMS-ish maybe?).
I need a drake

Edited to make it more clear.

 

[Snipes]

So I need a trio or two of mallard hen hunting decoys with screwy holes drilled in the rear end, got it!

Erm, so when is this supposed to end? Few months?

 

[duckking]

My Rouen drake, Victor, has 4 hens and he's has become very ornery with me as well all of a sudden. False charges, nipping at the back of my boots as I walk out the door. Normally he is very friendly, will eat out of my hand, let me scritch his crop, sit down next to me and I just pat his back and he wanders off. Now he's standing his ground and challenging me.....nothing too aggressive, but you can just tell he's trying to tell me that he's the top dog and watch it! He won't even eat out of my hand now. I hope it passes after breeding season is over.....

 

[emjay]

I am having the same issue with the one drake, the other one sometimes does the bluff charge, but the one, tsk tsk, he's a tad brazen. He gonna get himself in a time out pretty soon.

 

[treldib]

Quote:

 

[sourland]

Sexually frustrated drakes are a holy terror. Drake number three is lucky they can't get his diaper off. What they have in mind for him is unpleasant at best. They are simply expressing normal drake behavior which may continue through the mid summer. Sorry, just the reality of maintaining ducks in an unnatural situation. Oh my, I reread and saw that they are removing his diaper.

 

[Birdcrazy]

I'm having issues with my drake, if he cant mate the female, he's straight on to me.

 

[AdamD77]

We had this problem last year with our two drakes, and got 4 girls to hopefully calm them down and stop them biting. It passes naturally after the breeding season anyway and they went back to being nice again, but in the past few weeks they've started to be a little bit more aggressive. We're hoping this year the girls may be able to work their magic and keep the boys nice

You may just have to put up with it and wait for it to pass when the breeding season's over...