Drake Aggression - Hens laying in winter!

[LACavalier]

Bird keeping isn't all people think it is. It's a learning process and many changes before you figure out what works..

It really is! We didn't really plan on becoming duck owners...but here we are! This community is so helpful and I really appreciate all of the advice everyone shares!

 

[LACavalier]

Either way you slice it be it dominance or sexual. .other hens can sometimes be the culprit and we are usually quick blame the poor drakes.
It is most likely your drake doing it
@LACavalier
But hens do mount each other and bite and pick on each other for whatever reason. I would call it a pecking order myself. . but maybe that's the wrong terminology in reference to ducks. . . .
For example these two girls have taken turns picking on one another.

You know, when I got home this afternoon one of the hens was biting the Drake's ankles and being just as aggressive with him as he has been to my poor little "outcast" hen. I definitely think there is bullying all around.

 

[shawluvsbirds]

You know, when I got home this afternoon one of the hens was biting the Drake's ankles and being just as aggressive with him as he has been to my poor little "outcast" hen. I definitely think there is bullying all around.

I can't figure out their mood swings
One day they all love each other and the next they are head down chasing each other.
I have one Cayuga still laying eggs too that just started laying recently and we've been having having freezing weather as well.

 

[LACavalier]

I can't figure out their mood swings
One day they all love each other and the next they are head down chasing each other.
I have one Cayuga still laying eggs too that just started laying recently and we've been having having freezing weather as well.

I'm really relieved to know I'm not alone in dealing with this kind of duck drama!

 

[shawluvsbirds]

I'm really relieved to know I'm not alone in dealing with this kind of duck drama!

Omg. . it's like days of our lives in my back yard.

 

[Soon2BChixMom]

I have 1 muscovy drake and 3 hens. There was one who started laying in fall. She was/is ostericised but, she does well. There was never any blood, but feathers pulled. I don't see her eat and drink as much, but she is the most friendly of the hens and picks on my pant leg for a treat. I spoil her a bit more, so maybe the others take that into consideration?
I've thought of adding another hen to even it out, but have been told that it may or may not help. I guess sometimes it works like this. I'm almost wondering if your hens are meaner to her than your drake? I would observe to see who the real aggressor is - unless you already have. My drake tends to like this hen a bit more than the others, so I think that also plays into the aggression that I see from the other 2 hens towards her.
Good luck!

 

[LACavalier]

I have 1 muscovy drake and 3 hens. There was one who started laying in fall. She was/is ostericised but, she does well. There was never any blood, but feathers pulled. I don't see her eat and drink as much, but she is the most friendly of the hens and picks on my pant leg for a treat. I spoil her a bit more, so maybe the others take that into consideration?
I've thought of adding another hen to even it out, but have been told that it may or may not help. I guess sometimes it works like this. I'm almost wondering if your hens are meaner to her than your drake? I would observe to see who the real aggressor is - unless you already have. My drake tends to like this hen a bit more than the others, so I think that also plays into the aggression that I see from the other 2 hens towards her.
Good luck!

Thank you for sharing! I just let them out, and I think you're on to something with the girls being meaner! One of the hens started running her off right away. But then the drake put his head down and gave her a charge at one point as well.

I'd love to know if she's one of the girls laying or not! Two are laying, one is not! And we actually started with 4 hens, maybe adding another one would help. My husband wants to hatch some of the eggs, but it seems so hard!

 

[Soon2BChixMom]

Thank you for sharing! I just let them out, and I think you're on to something with the girls being meaner! One of the hens started running her off right away. But then the drake put his head down and gave her a charge at one point as well.

I'd love to know if she's one of the girls laying or not! Two are laying, one is not! And we actually started with 4 hens, maybe adding another one would help. My husband wants to hatch some of the eggs, but it seems so hard!

If you can watch them. You might see them "nesting" trying to lay an egg. I watched one day as my girl kept trying to get comfortable to lay. You can search on you tube to see what it looks like from ducks. Since mine have caruncles (red fleshy parts on the bill), hers changed colors while she was laying. But, I only got 4 eggs from her before she quit for winter.

 

[Miss Lydia]

I had an old Muscovy drake that had his own harem when he passed away in early 2016 he had one female Muscovy left who I had to integrate into another drakes harem it took about a year for her to be accepted the drake from this group and my old guy had to be kept separated so this female even though she has lived here all her life was like a new one being introduced . The girls would challenge her and the drake wouldn’t have anything to do with her unless she got close he’d run her off.Thankfully she held her own with them and became friends even to the point she could play the dominance game too. She is now going on 11 and I believe has some arthritis in her hip so she isn’t as active as she use to be but my drake and his girls have accepted her as one of their own. It might b not hurt to try adding another female and putting her in with the new one to bond first then as the weeks go by add another female to the group until all have been introduced but in her pen not theirs then after all have been together let them all out to forage together. I see ducks and their antics like school kids on the play ground if they see one who seems weaker and won’t stand up for himself that is the target for bullying but they can learn to live together with out too much picking. My Muscovys love a good cat fight though and seem to thrive on taking turns on seeing who can be boss for the day.

 

[LACavalier]

I had an old Muscovy drake that had his own harem when he passed away in early 2016 he had one female Muscovy left who I had to integrate into another drakes harem it took about a year for her to be accepted the drake from this group and my old guy had to be kept separated so this female even though she has lived here all her life was like a new one being introduced . The girls would challenge her and the drake wouldn’t have anything to do with her unless she got close he’d run her off.Thankfully she held her own with them and became friends even to the point she could play the dominance game too. She is now going on 11 and I believe has some arthritis in her hip so she isn’t as active as she use to be but my drake and his girls have accepted her as one of their own. It might b not hurt to try adding another female and putting her in with the new one to bond first then as the weeks go by add another female to the group until all have been introduced but in her pen not theirs then after all have been together let them all out to forage together. I see ducks and their antics like school kids on the play ground if they see one who seems weaker and won’t stand up for himself that is the target for bullying but they can learn to live together with out too much picking. My Muscovys love a good cat fight though and seem to thrive on taking turns on seeing who can be boss for the day.

Thank you so much!!! If they don't settle down I may think hard about getting another hen friend for my little "outcast". She's definitely the smallest of the three hens so her getting picked on the most makes sense! Right now we just have the one pen, so I need to think about expanding anyway.