Drake Issues

[corriemartin]

Could you put a fence down the middle of the coop? You could then put 4 ladies on each side both with a drake? I don't know if it would work, they might panic being apart, I don't know for sure, but then the boys would be separated.

I was thinking about that--what if I put one drake and 4 ladies in one place, and one drake and 4 ladies in another? Would it matter which ones went with which drake? Do they already have favorites? They probably do, but I can't really tell.

But it wouldn't be in the same coop--I'd put 5 in the old duck house & yard, and keep 5 in their current house and yard. But I really don't want to do that--too much trouble with duck tanks.

When we got 10 straight run ducks, we were planning on butchering the excess drakes, but two drakes doesn't seem like all that many--what if something happened to the one remaining one? (We lost both our roosters in a neighborhood dog attack.)

And the dominant one isn't being really vicious (at least not yet)--he's just chasing the other one away all the time.

And Isaac O, why get rid of the dominant one? Why not the other one? The dominant one has been the one who's been looking out for the others--who is always alert and active, who keeps an eye out for danger when everyone else has their heads buried in the grass snuffling for whatever it is they snuffle for, whereas the other one is always just one of the flock. (This is a real question--I honestly don't know.)

 

[HollowOfWisps]

I was thinking about that--what if I put one drake and 4 ladies in one place, and one drake and 4 ladies in another? Would it matter which ones went with which drake? Do they already have favorites? They probably do, but I can't really tell.

But it wouldn't be in the same coop--I'd put 5 in the old duck house & yard, and keep 5 in their current house and yard. But I really don't want to do that--too much trouble with duck tanks.

When we got 10 straight run ducks, we were planning on butchering the excess drakes, but two drakes doesn't seem like all that many--what if something happened to the one remaining one? (We lost both our roosters in a neighborhood dog attack.)

And the dominant one isn't being really vicious (at least not yet)--he's just chasing the other one away all the time.

And Isaac O, why get rid of the dominant one? Why not the other one? The dominant one has been the one who's been looking out for the others--who is always alert and active, who keeps an eye out for danger when everyone else has their heads buried in the grass snuffling for whatever it is they snuffle for, whereas the other one is always just one of the flock. (This is a real question--I honestly don't know.)

Most people recommend getting rid of young dominant Drake because if they are being hellions when they just barely hit sexual maturity in most cases it only gets worse. The dominant ones as they age can get aggressive even with hens and you end up with injured ducks.

 

[corriemartin]

Most people recommend getting rid of young dominant Drake because if they are being hellions when they just barely hit sexual maturity in most cases it only gets worse. The dominant ones as they age can get aggressive even with hens and you end up with injured ducks.

Fair enough.

I wouldn't call this drake a hellion, though. I've actually been very impressed with his gentlemanliness with the hens (lots of head bobbing on both sides). And today, he only chased the other one when they were in the coop in the evening.

But my other concern with getting rid of him instead of the submissive one, is that the submissive one is developing some off-breed coloring. They're Swedish blues, and he's coming in with some brownish feathers. So if I do end up with a broody duck and baby ducks, I'd rather they were bred from the one that's more true to type.

I dunno....I guess I'll see how this all plays out. And maybe I'll put a baffle up in the middle of their coop so the submissive one can be out of sight of the dominant one.

Here's a picture of the two boys this evening. Can you even tell from the picture which is the dominant one?

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Fair enough.

I wouldn't call this drake a hellion, though. I've actually been very impressed with his gentlemanliness with the hens (lots of head bobbing on both sides). And today, he only chased the other one when they were in the coop in the evening.

But my other concern with getting rid of him instead of the submissive one, is that the submissive one is developing some off-breed coloring. They're Swedish blues, and he's coming in with some brownish feathers. So if I do end up with a broody duck and baby ducks, I'd rather they were bred from the one that's more true to type.

I dunno....I guess I'll see how this all plays out. And maybe I'll put a baffle up in the middle of their coop so the submissive one can be out of sight of the dominant one.

Here's a picture of the two boys this evening. Can you even tell from the picture which is the dominant one?
View attachment 2318186

Imma go with the one in front

 

[corriemartin]

Imma go with the one in front

Yup. More upright, more alert, and bigger.....

 

[corriemartin]

I thought I'd give folks an update on the drakes. This was 2 1/2 months ago, and while the dominant drake did continue to peck at the off-drake, to move him away, the two were most often together, in the midst of all the hens. Everywhere they went, they'd be together, watching and rasping, and then every now and again, the dominant drake would give the other one a little chase. The dominant drake was doing ALL the mating.

Imagine my surprise, when a couple days ago, the off-drake started being aggressive. And not just the little chases, but absolutely going at it--relentlessly pursuing the other one, and not letting up, until the first one turns and fights back. This is WAY more aggressive! I'd actually call it fighting. And though the (formerly) dominant drake is still doing most of the mating (as far as I can tell), the (formerly) off-drake is getting some action too.

We'll see how it goes. So far it hasn't been continuous, and no one appears to be damaged. As long as that's the case, I'll let it go. But I do want them to make ducklings in the spring, and the newly aggressive one is not as true to type, so he may have to be culled.

 

[Gkundern]

This was interesting to read. I have two drakes and 5 hens. The pekin drake is the alpha clearly so far. He's been in the flock the longest and so far he does all the mating. The other is a Welsh Harlequin. I bought a Welsh Harlequin pair hoping to get some ducklings from them this spring. Not sure if that will work out unless he starts getting a bit more pushy.

 

[corriemartin]

This was interesting to read. I have two drakes and 5 hens. The pekin drake is the alpha clearly so far. He's been in the flock the longest and so far he does all the mating. The other is a Welsh Harlequin. I bought a Welsh Harlequin pair hoping to get some ducklings from them this spring. Not sure if that will work out unless he starts getting a bit more pushy.

It will no doubt be interesting. You might have to take the Pekin out if you're wanting the other one to do the mating.

Right now, after a week of that fighting, everything settled down, and they're back to neither one bothering the other one, but now they're BOTH mating the hens. I honestly don't think 8 hens are going to be enough for the two of them.

 

[Gkundern]

It will no doubt be interesting. You might have to take the Pekin out if you're wanting the other one to do the mating.

Right now, after a week of that fighting, everything settled down, and they're back to neither one bothering the other one, but now they're BOTH mating the hens. I honestly don't think 8 hens are going to be enough for the two of them.

I only have 5 hens...