Bachelor Pad Discord.... 2 against 1... could use some help

[RobertaD1]

A year ago we acquired 3 male call ducks. My husband had wanted ducks for a while and because I was hesitant to add them to my chickens, for Fathers Day 2021, I had our local FFA build us a Hoop Coop Duck house and run. A family whose children I have had in school, where looking to rehome 3 call duck males. They were former 4-H birds and as all the children were not out of showing ducks, they wanted to downsize their flock. Lucky us! These birds are older, about 6, and have been together for quite a while... several years. last summer, they came to us. They were upgraded from a 6x8 enclosure to a 10x8 run with an attached 3 x 8 house. All was good.........

Fast forward to this spring........

This spring, we have noticed some growing aggression from 2 of the birds towards the 3rd. They will snatch him by the back of the head, or run him into the house and keep him in the corner, or they will chase him into the corner of the run, beside their pool. This is totally out of their usual behavior. We have seperated, given timeouts to the aggressors..... we are just at a loss! The bad thing, the one being bullied isn't being allowed to swim. They will allow him to eat.... and drink.... but not swim. It's just sad!

SO... whats my next step? We are getting ready to move their house and run to fresh grass, and replace their pool, do we need more space? Another pool? another enclosure?

I know how to wrangle chicken..... these ducks have me confused.....

 

[sourland]

It is most likely misplaced mating aggression. From spring through summer drakes are testosterone driven sex maniacs. I'd separate the 'target' from the other two until autumn.

 

[RobertaD1]

It is most likely misplaced mating aggression. From spring through summer drakes are testosterone driven sex maniacs. I'd separate the 'target' from the other two until autumn.

Thank you for your reply!!!!
From what Ive been reading, I was afraid that's what it might be.... I guess Im going to have to add onto my enclosure. I'm just glad they are small... and their enclosure is fairly large. Just don't know why it's happened all of a sudden. They could be kept within eyeshot of each other? Couldn't they? I dont want to have to reintroduce.....

 

[ruthhope]

They could be kept within eyeshot of each other? Couldn't they? I dont want to have to reintroduce.....

I have all drakes. I have had aggression this spring -- pecking order enforced for access to the kiddie pool, and some wrestling and feathers lost. I had my 2 pekins sleeping in separate dog crates in the coop until I rescued 2 more juvenile pekin drakes. So that the new drakes could have separate dog crates in a coop with limited inside space, my original two pekin drakes had to share a larger dog crate at night -- these were two that had had to be separated earlier in the year, so things have improved in just 2 months! I have them free ranging during the day when bullying is less of a problem as there are plenty of places to hide in the bushes and several kiddie pools/tubs of water for the ducks.

So my suggestion is that you separate the one that is being bullied, into a separate compartment in the duck house or into a dog crate in the duck house at night. If you have problems during the day, then pen them separately. But yes, in response to your question, keep the ducks adjacent to each other as you want them to have a long term relationship.

My two recent rescues were in a dog exercise pen on my back patio for 4 weeks. After 3 weeks, I started letting one out free ranging but keeping the other in the pen. I swapped which was penned and which free ranged each day. A week ago, one of the recent rescues went to join my son's female flock and settled in there well. The other is now free ranging with my original drakes during the day but still sleeps in his own dog crate in the duck house at night. He has developed a good relationship with one of my other Pekins, although he is definitely lower in the peckign order than my original ducks

 

[RobertaD1]

Thank you for your reply! I will set up a crate in the pen and see how things go!