Drake behaviour question

[julia305]

Hi all

My drake likes to follow me round sometimes in the garden and when i sit with him he does it too - he starts "beaking" me all over my legs. you know like they do when they are rooting round in the grass for food. Its definitely not aggressive I love it and it tickles when he does my feet lol. I was just wondering what kind of behaviour he is exhibiting or maybe he's just searching me for treats

 

[MissionBantam]

Hmm.. Im not a professional but i do own a drake, and let me just say are you lucky! neither of my ducks will come any where near me, lol.

anyway, onto answering the question, i'd say your ussumption would be the most likely, if you hand feed him and what not- I don't know if i'd suggest letting him do it a lot though, as he might take that as a sign its Ay-ok to do it and do it harder, to the point of it hurting. I recommend just making sure you don't give him treats while he does it, as he might do it a lot just to get treats, and if he starts doing it harder to gently push him off your lap, after doing that for a while he'll very likely stop.

Enjoy your Drake!

 

[julia305]

I did have two brothers and one of them wouldnt let me even close either - i lost Reggie 2 weeks ago to a fox. But Ronnie was always the slightly tamer one. He has only just started letting me touch him. And only on his beak a bit and his chest for about 2 seconds. Cant even get close to stroke his back. Generally he just likes to stand there, side on looking at me and having a shout at me but he's just started nibbling at me. I did used to lure him with mealworms but i'll give that a miss from now on lol. Yes - I do handfeed him treats. I have a couple of chickens that i'm trying to tame but they are only interested in food.

Thanks for your input though how old are yours?

 

[MissionBantam]

Mine are about a year, were hoping for ducklings soon!

my chickens only interested in food aswell, but at least their tame to something i guess, lol.

have an awesome day, and enjoy your gorgeous chickens!

 

[jducour]

Do you have any female ducks? He may be making a pass at you - if you know what I mean. If that is the case, he may start to be more aggressive, and may start nipping and biting. On the other hand, he may be just lonely with his brother gone. Are you planning on getting him a new friend? Ducks are very social animals, and if he is alone, he may be needing more attention from a duck

 

[julia305]

OMG really? He used to try to mate with Stella who is a big white chicken. They are kind of paired up right now they follow each other round the garden. I am definitely going to get him another mate but found out today that ducks are very very noisy and i have already had a few remarks from the neighbours !! I live in a maisonette with a very small garden so i was actually going to post a question could I introduce another drake into the mix or would they fight? what about a couple more white chickens to keep him company?

As for his loneliness he seems fine when Stella is around he doesnt shout he makes his quieter noises but when she goes into the coop at dusk he starts shouting so I always go and sit with him until he's ready for bed. I lost half my flock - one drake and two chickens its heartbreaking to be honest.

 

[needlessjunk]

OMG really?   He used to  try to mate with Stella who is a big white chicken.  They are kind of paired up right now they follow each other round the garden.  I am definitely going to get him another mate but found out today that ducks are very very noisy and i have already had a few remarks from the neighbours !!  I live in a maisonette with a very small garden so i was actually going to post a question could I introduce another drake into the mix or would they fight?   what about a couple more white chickens to keep him company? 

As for his loneliness he seems fine when Stella is around he doesnt shout he makes his quieter noises but when she goes into the coop at dusk he starts shouting so I always go and sit with him until he's ready for bed. I lost half my flock - one drake and two chickens its heartbreaking to be honest. 

If you are getting complains about your chicken then I don't think it would be wise to add female duck. They can be quite loud and my chickens are very quite in comparison. Also another thing you need to watch out for is males ducks mating female chickens is a HUGE problem. They can really injure a hen, to the point of death. Chickens are not anatomically made to be mated with male ducks. Ducks penetrate while roosters do not. Adding drakes to a chicken flock usually a big no, no. I'm sorry to have to be the barer of bad news.

 

[julia305]

If you are getting complains about your chicken then I don't think it would be wise to add female duck. They can be quite loud and my chickens are very quite in comparison. Also another thing you need to watch out for is males ducks mating female chickens is a HUGE problem. They can really injure a hen, to the point of death. Chickens are not anatomically made to be mated with male ducks. Ducks penetrate while roosters do not. Adding drakes to a chicken flock usually a big no, no. I'm sorry to have to be the barer of bad news.

Hiya - no its the drakes i was getting complaints about - sorry - i was a bit obscure there. They do start up as soon as they hear me cough as the coop is about 6 feet from my bedroom window that's how small my garden is lol.

I dont know what to do. I cant give him up. He's already been through a fox attack and survived and lost his brother i cant uproot him from his home. Would he be able to settle with a new drake or would he fight it?

 

[jducour]

OMG really? He used to try to mate with Stella who is a big white chicken. They are kind of paired up right now they follow each other round the garden. I am definitely going to get him another mate but found out today that ducks are very very noisy and i have already had a few remarks from the neighbours !! I live in a maisonette with a very small garden so i was actually going to post a question could I introduce another drake into the mix or would they fight? what about a couple more white chickens to keep him company?

As for his loneliness he seems fine when Stella is around he doesnt shout he makes his quieter noises but when she goes into the coop at dusk he starts shouting so I always go and sit with him until he's ready for bed. I lost half my flock - one drake and two chickens its heartbreaking to be honest.

You can definitely add another drake, especially if that is what he is used to. Female ducks can be very noisy, it depends on the duck. My Welsh Harlequin hardly make a peep, but my Pekins can be heard from a block away! You might need to separate the drakes for a while if you can find one, and try to get an adult drake from an all drake flock. And keep an eye on the chicken/duck pair. Chickens have been killed by a friendly drake trying to mate. If he is able to catch and mount her, it could be deadly. I don't know if you know this, but a drake penis is about 7" long, and is corkscrew shaped. It can really hurt a chicken.

 

[julia305]

yes i had to prise him off her a couple of times he doesnt do it now. Unless it was actually Reggie trying to mount Stella. After that episode I was thinking of rehoming the pair of them but then sadly lost one. Both massive Aylesburys. Due to what happened with the fox I never leave them to free range unless I am in the kitchen and i am pretty much outside with them in the garden all weekend so if he got frisky I'd be able to step in. Im glad i would be able to introduce a drake. Would he have to be another Aylesbury or could I get a slightly smaller drake? I do worry about space for them when they are in their coop and run.

I did realise this about drakes penises. I cant even imagine what kind of damage that could do to a chicken. I googled it when I saw Stella crouching down for the duck and him trying to grab her feathers. She is a little minx she crouches in front of him but he ignores it now.