Do hens fight for males

[LoveThemBirds]

My flock consist on 1 drake,5 hens.My hens (runner duck,pekin Khaki Campbell),are always beaking at eachother,or fully fight.Only happens when their quacking to my drake.My.runner hen is old,she is top lead hen.

Pekin and kahki always fight!What's going on?

 

[Amiga]

I don't have fighting in my flock, with 12 females and one drake.

We do have regular fussing, but no great shakes. There is more fussing in my flock when the water is low, the feed is low, they have been cooped up due to weather (like this month), it is mating season, or I have not spent much time with them during the day.

My flock, by the way, is its own little unit. Each flock is different. Some flocks have more conflict. Sometimes splitting the flock temporarily mixes up the social dynamic and things can calm down. It is all an experiment.

But if anyone is getting hurt, I would intervene to protect the ducks.

 

[buff goose guy]

some males only want strong females that can protect their young from predators so they could be doing that, but also there could be a pecking order problem.

I would get maybe 2 more drakes just for there to be a better ratio, they are not like chickens who have one male rule the flock , ducks are more into pairing off. or leaving in groups of 3

 

[LoveThemBirds]

My runner hen I suppose is the strongest.She hatched last year(well tried),and she even faught me.

Two more drakes will disturb the pecking order,(not that it is lekly already).as I will try....

 

[LoveThemBirds]

My ducks never pair off unless some are resting.The two khaki hens like to travel a ways,but not for long..

 

[buff goose guy]

when i say pair off i mean a male and a female a male keeps a heram or a partner of not many members , you have too many females and not enough males to have a balance with hormones. and everything.

 

[LoveThemBirds]

Ok....
But he stays with hens all the time...and he mates evevry single one...

He can kill two.more drakes...he is very large.

 

[needlessjunk]

I don't think adding more drakes would help, personally. I think you might separate the big trouble makers for a few days and see if that helps. Mine don't fight but do have a pecking order and they all know it.