Do I need to send my drake to freezer camp?

[FenDruadin]

I have this gorgeous blue drake--very upright, very uniform, dark blue color. But he hates everyone except the geese & female ducks he was raised with. Earlier this year, once he was mature, he drove off the other drake he was raised with (I knew they were fighting, but didn't realize how severe it was until the other drake disappeared one day). Then, once that was done, he drove off my favorite duck, the only one who was left from an earlier flock (this time, I thought he was merely over-mating her, and didn't realize how severe it was until she disappeared--I'm a slow learner--

).

As upsetting as that was, I didn't worry much because all the female ducks, and the geese, that he was raised with, are fine, and as much as I watched them, he never showed aggression toward any of them. But now I'm adding new ducks and I hoped that with a little maturity, he would get over his aggression and get along okay with new additions, especially if they happen to be female.

But today I had the almost-3-week ducklings out in the yard while tending to the mature flock, and the first thing that dratted drake did was attack the ducklings. Of course, they were right on top of my feet so he wasn't able to do any harm, but he did grab one and push it to the ground. Then he stood at a distance and waited for them to wander off and as soon as he thought they were far enough away for him to get at them, he did it again. I chased him down and held him to the ground after his first few attempts, trying to tell him, Hey look, I'm the flock master around here and you won't terrorize my other ducks.

But will it do any good? Is he destined to drive off any new ducks that join the flock? I have no qualms about freezer camp for him (although I actually know someone who will take him off my hands and add him to her much larger flock, so I'd probably do that instead), but he is gorgeous and my only drake at present. I will most likely have more drakes before the year is out though, and I am getting five blue runners from Holderread next year and most likely at least one will be a drake, and probably a better quality (my current drake is from McMurray, and just a fluke that he's so gorgeous).

Does aggression carry in the genes? Will drakes hatched from his fertilized eggs be the same way?

Thanks!

 

[ChickenToes]

No, I don't think any of his ducklings will act the same way. Especially if you socialize them and play with them. They will be much more friendly.

I would give him a bit longer to see if he gets used to the new ducklings. If the behavior continues, sell him. I can't stand a mean drake or rooster, I either sent mine to freezer camp or sold them. But the choice is yours, do whatever you feel comfortable doing.

 

[Ducklove334]

are you sure nothing got the ducks he "drove" off?, even if they're free-ranges, or unless they could fly, the ducks wouldn't disapear without looking for somewhere else to go.

especially if they can't fly, they'd be...ahem..sitting ducks for predators, I recently lost 4 young ducks that free ranged, over night, we figured something had spooked them and they took off, however only one of the 3 could fly, but not very well, the two smaller ducks (call duck/mallard mixes) we left unharmed, we are surrounded by properties that have ponds(makes me jealious), but the nearest one would be easily a 3 or 4 day walk for the ducks, even if they knew where they were going.

and in terms of ducklings, drakes are just like that, they, like alot of male animals, (mice,cats,ect.) want to make sure ALL babies are fathered by THEM, and they'll try to kill ducklings they think are not.

I say try adding a few more well over breeding age hens, no drakes and see how he does, he'll go crazy over them, it may LOOK like he's being mean, but he just wants to get his ducky groove on.

my two young ducks I mentioned above, (call/mallards) are hens who still free range until the bigger pen gets done, they both arn't quite old enough to breed yet, but they want with the other ducks so badly, and trust me, a few of the drakes are obsessed with them LOL. but I am waiting so they don't get mobbed by 5 hormone crazed drakes all at once!.

 

[FenDruadin]

Ducklove--I'm pretty sure he drove them off. There is a slightly larger lake not far from here (I can walk there easily), and they have been seen over there. I have never found them there myself, but my neighbor who cares for them when we're out of town has. Before the other drake disappeared, he and my current drake both had patches of feathers missing from their fighting. The female who disappeared had feathers missing from the back of her neck and had stopped spending time with the rest of the flock. I would walk out to the lake (they free range during the day), and she would be off separate, hiding somewhere. When she came to see me, that drake would separate from "his" flock and come after her until she went back into hiding. For a while, she would still come up for food in the evenings (and be shut in the pen--I would try to separate her but the makeshift panels I used wouldn't keep the drake out for long). After a while, she stopped coming up at night and a few days later she had disappeared, only to (apparently) show up on another lake with the other drake.

I have gone over there and looked for them, but it's a private lake and I can't access all of it. I don't see how I could get them back over here even if I could find them. So I've just sort of wished them well and hope they stay safe. Both could fly, especially the duck hen, whom I had seen fly VERY well--through trees, around the lake--when she wanted to. I'm not sure how well the drake could fly, but the pattern was the same for them.

Even if they didn't make it over to the other lake, it was quite clear that my drake was working hard to drive them off, and had succeeded in separating the duck from the rest of the flock. I just kept hoping once Spring was over he would leave her alone (since I thought it was overmating and not pure aggression), but I never got a chance to find out.

I have had other ducks disappear occasionally, and usually I find evidence of predation, but even when I don't I haven't suspected the drake, because there is no fighting in the flock now that he has what he wants (only his female brood mates).

Harold, our drake, was handled a lot as a duckling. He's not people-aggressive AT ALL. Just other fowl he finds threatening.

It does make sense that he would want to fight off ducklings that he doesn't think are his (which is funny because these are in fact his ducklings--but of course there's no way he could know that). I'll wait till they're more mature. And maybe if I get a good couple drakes from Holderread and they're less aggressive, I'll trade him out.

I do want to have at least one more drake, and I'm hoping to keep them in a community flock with trios pulled out for mating. I only want to keep a single breeding pen for now, so it's important that all my ducks get along at least reasonably well.

 

[FenDruadin]

Oh, I forgot to say thank you. Thank you!!

I really do appreciate the input. It helps to keep my mental wheels turning, and give me new ideas and ways of looking at everything. Thanks!

 

[DiVon80]

I just dealt with this situtation w my ducks. I had one older boy(Swedish) got 4 new babies 2-cayuga and 2-magpies, as they were growing I would put them in a pen in the yard where he the older guy could see them be around them, you would think he would of got along with them watching them grow up and all. Well when they were old enough to be left loose in the yard he singled out 1, he kept this one seperated from the group would not let him eat ect...What I did was, catch the older guy and caged him up let the young ones get some experience and gro up. After about 2 or 3 weeks I left him out and he was now the low man on the totum pole. He had to fit in the pack. Now they are all fine. As they grew the one he singled out happened to be the only female. Yes, I have 4 boys now. OOOH MY!