drake charging after my son **Update page 2**

[davekrista]

Quote:
I had thought maybe it was due to some eggs. I had tried to incubate some eggs that I thought were fertilized a couple weeks ago but they didn't end up being fertilized. There were 3 eggs in the coop this morning (1 from each of the girls) and I didn't collect them, I wanted to see what they would do and if they would go broody if i left them in there. Maybe he was trying to protect the eggs? Could they now be fertilized and he knows it?

 

[StevenW.]

I would just make soup out of him or sell him. It's breeding season and drakes are very aggressive trying to protect the hens.

 

[mhwc56]

is he a young drake? You know how teen boy hormones can be?
if he's going through his first breeding season DON'T eat the poor guy just b/c he 's confused and doesn't know how to act right...teach him some manners instead .Time outs always worked with my muscovies when i had them...that and some "hugs"to teach them who was boss and bigger than they were that is ...they always straightened up.

 

[davekrista]

Quote:
Ya, he is like 6 months and his 1st season. I don't have any intentions on eating him or selling him. I am concerned about my kids though, but he seemed to behave after his time out so hopefully we can re-direct his behavior.

 

[BAMABIRDS]

Seriously??? An agressive duck, that's a new one on me. I wouldn't go as far as selling or killing the duck though. And if I were you I wouldn't be too concerned about the duck hurting your kids. It's not like he's a rooster with spurs that can cause puncture wounds.

 

[sheila3935]

I have a drake that is about a year old. In the last 3 months or so he has started attacking our legs. I have tried picking him up, putting him on the ground holding his head down like he does the girls chasing him and swatting at him. Nothing works. It doesnt hurt really right now but come summer when we are in shorts I'm sure it will. He is also getting aggressive with the chickens. If things dont improve real soon I am thinking of rehoming him. I do not put up with an aggressive rooster so I am not going to put up with an aggressive drake. The only reason he is still around is the ducks are DH's, so I have told him to get Sammy under control or he is gone. I got rid of one of my roosters this spring for aggression, not towards us but with the other chickens and ducks and this drake is aggressive towards us. Its sad cause he is beautiful and makes beautiful babies
This is Sammy

and this is his babies all except the white one.

 

[mhwc56]

Honestly ducks really aren't aggressive (definitely not like roosters can be!) we've had a few instances with 1 or another chasing people but there was ALWAYS a good reason( at least from the drake's point of view...LOL) and it was easily corrected with one thing or another like acquiring a larger # of duck to Drake ratio or waiting for a drake to add some maturity to his age or giving him a "hug" or 2 so he knows to behave with us...simple solutions.

 

[davekrista]

Well, I went out this morning and one of the girls was sitting on 2 of the 3 eggs there were left in there, so would it be safe to assume that is why the change in his behavior? The kids weren't outside with me but he didn't show me any aggression.

Also, if they weren't fertile would she sit on them? Or would she only sit if they were fertile? The reason I ask is because I had them out free ranging for a few hours and she never did go back to sit on them. Before I came in the house I put them back in the barn so I will go out soon and see if she is back to sitting.

 

[mhwc56]

Quote:
yes the eggs could be why he's acting up.....Muscovies lay about 12-20 eggs before they're ready to start setting .This is so when they set the chicks will all be hatching at the same time pretty much . Leave the eggs alone,the duck will lay them where she wants them and set them when she's good and ready. Frequently(at least with mine) more than 1 duck would lay eggs in the same nest and they would share incubating them.
if you bother the nest they will desert it and go find somewhere else where it's harder for you and the kids to find . you could easily loose a duck to predators that way....

 

[Borncountry419]

Hmm. I've never had drakes caring about eggs... And in raising about a hundred ducks over the past few years, I've encountered one aggressive drake. He was normal until he turned about 3 years old. One day he suddenly came after me. We all found it slightly humorous, since he would litterally chase you a mile down the road without stopping. Lol. He continued on that way for about a year, then suddenly stopped. It was pretty odd.