Drake bullying

[J99]

Ok guys here’s the deal
I have four ducks I got as babies and they all grew up together , two of them ended up being drakes . Now I’m aware the ratio is bad and that’s most likely why one of them has become Aggressive to a degree. He won’t let the other drake eat or drink . He chases him away and pecks at him. I put two food areas in the run and two things of water enough to dunk in on either side of my run. He chases him away from both of them.
im aware the perfect answer to this would be get rid of one of the drakes and or add several more females to my flock, but as of now I can’t do that. I can’t make myself get rid of him, he’s my daughters and we love him. And I don’t want ten ducks and honestly I already have three ducklings ( please be girls please be girls please oh please be girls)
So we locked him in isolation yesterday, that damn drake that wasn’t allowed to eat, along with the girls just stood at his cage wanting him back out .
I had one drake to one duck separated but that puts them just living in a tiny cage without a run
Any new ideas???

 

[Miss Lydia]

That's about all you can do other than going to Home depot or Lowes and buy plastic fencing and those fiber glass pointy end fence stake you just push into the ground and make two runs. I have a little over a half acre fenced and I'll have to split my 2 Runner drakes up with their females if fighting gets out of hand. I've had to do it with my Muscovy drake and Gander for many years or my drake beats the mud out of my gander. And it also keeps the flock stressed out.

 

[J99]

I just wish Beasley would be nice , he doesn’t beat him up he just gets in between him and the water and the food and the girls . I keep telling them they are brothers!!! Where’s the brotherly love? Hahaha

 

[Duckfarmer1]

I hate to say it but @Miss Lydia hit it right on the head..as always. I had 51 ducks at one point. 28 turned out to be drakes. I thought my farm would be different...everyone would love each other, etc. not the case. I now have one little runt duck with a permanent broken leg who will never be right, because he got bullied. I had to get rid of drakes. I still have one drake that I won’t part with, and I put him in a pen at night. So, there isn’t fighting between the two dominant ones. My ducks are in a barn. Good luck. Loving ducks can be hard at times, but it is sooo worth it. Just know, even isolation is doing what is right for the flock. You have to keep them safe.

 

[J99]

Ok so if I separate the run do I put the bully alone on one side and the drake and two ducks on the other? Or try one drake one duck on both sides?

 

[Miss Lydia]

It went out the window when the hormones began flowing. It's sad when they won't let them be part of the flock. They are such flock animals.

 

[J99]

And on a different note my three ducklings about three weeks old , anyway to tell if they are drakes ? I need to eliminate them now and switch them out before I love them to much

 

[Miss Lydia]

You can try each drake with one female it may work then again they may be over loving with the girls too and you don't want that. Next move would be to put females on one side drakes on the other. Just to give the females a time out. Maybe the 2 boys together would be okay just things you have to try to keep a simblance of peace. Mainly you don't want your females over mated. Or your boys beating the tar out of each other. This is just the beginning of the season remember?

 

[J99]

Yes and so far my girls seem fine they are flirting non stop and all feathers are good and intact
But yes dear Lord it’s the beginning of the season

 

[Miss Lydia]

And on a different note my three ducklings about three weeks old , anyway to tell if they are drakes ? I need to eliminate them now and switch them out before I love them to much

At younger than drake curl which they are too young for voice is about the best way to tell and you may begin to hear a few quacks along with the peeping Drakes whisper as you know females gotta a whole lot of quack