Drake bullying duck

[nholzer]

Hey I'm wondering if anyone can offer any advice - I got two hen ducks for my mallard drake Albert, and he has really taken to one of them but is bullying the other and excluding her. When first introduced on neutral territory the crested bantam hen was hen pecking the miniature runner hen into picking on Albert, and he seemed quite frightened of them however over time he got used to them and has established himself as the dominant. He adores the runner girl and is always mating her, and when I pick her up he attacks me as he's very possessive and protective however when I pick the crested girl up he gets a little agitated but has pecked her face; I've seen him mate her too but only a few times and most of the time he just pecks at her and chases her away whenever she comes near. It really saddens me as I worry she feels lonely and excluded, and I certainly don't want her being unhappy. I got him two females as I didn't want him harassing just one during mating season, and I love my crested so really don't want to rehome her...is there anything I could try at all to alleviate the bullying? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

 

[sourland]

In my experience mallards tend to form pair bonds with one duck. They will mate others, but regard one as their 'mate'.

 

[nholzer]

Ah ok, is there anything I can do to stop the bullying of my other girl?

 

[sourland]

Provide enough space so that she can get away when necessary. I think that it is to a certain degree a throwback to when a drake would chase other ducks away from his territory to assure adequate forage for his mate and young. In other words to a certain degree he may be genetically programmed to chase 'strangers' away from his territory.

 

[nholzer]

I see, they have the whole back garden to roam about and I always ensure the grass is long enough and scatter treat foods. He's just really brutal to her and I feel awful for it. I've tried presenting lettuce whenever she comes near him to try and build a positive association but that hasn't worked and it seems to have gotten worse lately as it approaches mating season as expected.

 

[starbird]

My drake most years kicks one duck out of the group. It starts in the spring and usually winds down after a few months. He may calm down.

 

[nholzer]

Oh really? I'm hoping that's what's going on and will calm down soon!