Drake Jail...need advice

[Stoney Meadow Maple]

Sir Winston has always been a good fella, of late he's being aggressive and just pain mean to the girls.. particularly the fawn and white runners, I don't know if the white runner just steers clear better or if she's considered a pekin by him. This morning he had one of the runners by the neck in the pool, she was trying hard to get away and her neck was quite bent in her efforts, I let a bellow out and he let go then "murp murp-ed" at me with runner feathers falling out of his bill. Later on he was pecking at a Rouen, chasing her away from treats and grabbing at feathers. then again he went after one of the runners, grabbing at her neck and chasing her away, thinking back to some advice I had read about dominance on here I grabbed him and held him from running away, even tried biting at some neck feathers...( while impressively soft they do not taste very good and I don't recommend this, my wife allowed it was one of the funniest things she has ever seen). I was getting ready to go to my folks for Easter supper and he had another runner by the neck, I went and got the pen out and set him up in it, he has water, food and soft shavings, it is also about 48 degrees so I don't think he will become overheated, but I am worried about him running around in circles and hurting himself, he's got to be 12 lbs. I figured I would try letting him go back to sleep with the girls tonight, my only other option is a dog crate in the basement. He has no other drake competition and this is a new thing, presumably hormones running wild? will it pass? should I make the jail more permanent? days? weeks? any advice appreciated. I have 7 hens, one drake, he has never had any other drakes around so he really shouldn't be feeling too threatened.

please advise

 

[sourland]

How old is he? He sounds sexually frustrated. Has he been able to successfully mate the hens? You really bit the feathers on his neck?

 

[Stoney Meadow Maple]

How old is he? He sounds sexually frustrated. Has he been able to successfully mate the hens? You really bit the feathers on his neck?

he is a year, honestly I am not sure, I think he has with the pekins, he certainly has a go at it daily and occasionally you see the apparatus out for the world to see. i would have to open an egg or 2 up to be sure, and i always forget to check when i am cooking with them.

yes, I really bit his feathers... ick

 

[sourland]

They do like to show off the goods. Your wife should taken pictures of the neck biting.

 

[fatty and friends]

is he bored? i hear lots of people saying their drakes are mean to the hens but i always keep toys and things out for my ducks and they are perfectly fine (i have two “flocks”, my older two boys kept with just each other who never fight each other, and then my khaki drake with two girls)

 

[Stoney Meadow Maple]

They do like to show off the goods. Your wife should taken pictures of the neck biting.

he keeps it up she might get a chance again
I warned him if he doesn't straighten out I am going to try out my rotisserie for big fat duck.

 

[Stoney Meadow Maple]

is he bored? i hear lots of people saying their drakes are mean to the hens but i always keep toys and things out for my ducks and they are perfectly fine (i have two “flocks”, my older two boys kept with just each other who never fight each other, and then my khaki drake with two girls)

he has a large enclosure, (330' of fence) a sunning area, 2 pools, a water bucket, feed, open access to his house.. I suppose he doesn't have toys, I could try something. But what? they are on a slope, so stuff tends to end up at the bottom unless it doesn't roll.

 

[fatty and friends]

he has a large enclosure, (330' of fence) a sunning area, 2 pools, a water bucket, feed, open access to his house.. I suppose he doesn't have toys, I could try something. But what? they are on a slope, so stuff tends to end up at the bottom unless it doesn't roll.

mine have hanging bird toys, balls, treat squares (filled with lettuce), bird safe bells, stuffed animals, and burrow toys. most of these won’t roll lol

 

[cheezenkwackers]

I have one drake with five hens in a large garden with 4 pools and he still picks on my two lowest pecking order ducks. I think Drakes are just pretty bullies. Mine is currently spending morning until afternoon in drake jail and evenings and night with the girls. If his behavior doesn’t improve or worsens, he will be in jail until September. During the day my jail is their coop/pen. If he needs nighttime jail he is put in the dog cage in the coop/pen. My drake is almost 5 years old and has gotten worse, not better, over the years. I hope this helps give you ideas.

 

[AprilsZoo]

he has a large enclosure, (330' of fence) a sunning area, 2 pools, a water bucket, feed, open access to his house.. I suppose he doesn't have toys, I could try something. But what? they are on a slope, so stuff tends to end up at the bottom unless it doesn't roll.

Do the hens have lots of places they can hide? Ideally, they should have plenty of bushes, trees, and assorted objects (plywood at an angle, a couple 3-4‘ lengths of 3‘ tall fencing or something similar. A water barrel on its side can be a tunnel... or they make tunnels for dogs’ agility training.

{Not that it’s relevant to your specific drake problem... but have you ever considered “terracing” any of your slope? Basically, think of a giant set of steps (with a normal set(s) for you to get from level to level) ... depending on the angle of your hill, you can do a few “steps“ or many.
We did 3, spanning a 25 ft (measured as if level, |———| ) 55-60° slope. From one end to the other it was ~100 feet. We had one set of steps down the whole slope at one end, and individual smaller sets at different spots along the space. It was nice to be able to walk on level ground on each of the levels. I wish I had pictures still, I’m sure they’re archived someplace... but after we moved, I haven’t needed them much.}