Do I need to separate my drakes from the girls??

[5paceDandy]

I have 4 boys and 11 girls. I got them in 3 batches with the youngest being about 2 months old (all girls) and all the boys are all 3-4 months old. The 2 oldest have just started (2 days ago) "surfing" on some of the girls backs. My question is, should I separate the boys from the girls until the youngest become slightly older? Also, when I first witnessed it, it kind of shocked me, how brutal the boys were being (this is my first flock, so I am not really sure what IS normal), is this normal??

 

[sourland]

Sometimes drakes start competitively gang breeding the hens, and this can result in injury. If they have swimming water, there is always the possibility that multiple drakes breeding a hen in the water can inadvertently result in her being drowned. I'd consider rehoming two of the drakes.

 

[Miss Lydia]

The girls are also not old enough to be mated they need to be closer to laying age which can be 4.5-5 months old.

 

[5paceDandy]

Thank you both for your responses! I have started keeping the boys in what I had planned on being my goose house, as my goslings came a week late and as such are still barely a week old. Speaking of, meet Tristan and Isolde! My little goslings! They're a little tuckered out from a little play time!

 

[Miss Lydia]

They are adorable.