Drake jail - what is your set up, experience, pros/cons, advice

[Apolinne]

Hello friends,

Do you have a drake jail ? What is your experience ? Why did you decide to build a drake jail ? What is your set up ? What are its pros and cons ? Are all your drakes together ? Yes ? No ? Why ? Have you ever had a drake jail ? Why not anymore ? Do you rotate your drakes to be with the ladies ? When ? How ? Do you keep one of the drakes with the ladies always ? Who has or doesn't have access to your pond (if you have one) and when ? What are the biggest mistakes one can make when setting up a drake jail ? Does the set up influence the ducks behaviour ? How ? ...
Really anything drake jail related you do or don't do, what you learned works or doesn't work, what to look out for what to avoid... Please share your stories and knowledge with me and other newbies. Any and all information on the topic is welcome and appreciated.

 

[Jenbirdee]

i had one. when I had a very annoying Drake, who was being mean to my elderly & handicap ducks. I just used fencing and made a small area and put in upside down tote for shelter… A Rubbermaid crate that I cut a little door into it in there and a little table with his food and water under it. but all he did was pace back-and-forth the fence line, and the girls that liked him gathered at his fence. Until I rehomed him. but yeah at night, I put him in with the ladies in a dog crate but then I rehomed him.. now I have one very sweet young drake and it’s working out great he was born here and he has 14 girlfriends except six of them are old so he hangs out with the other eight which is perfect for him. He spoiled.

 

[Quatie]

I believe drake jails are very beneficial. I have used mine as a multipurpose area. I use it as an infirmary area, an place to safely start integrating ducks, or let ducklings safely play outside. And honestly, I have wanted to build a second one to have another multipurpose area. So if you do build one, I would personally consider how you can utilize the area when the drake(s) are not in there.

My drake jail has a small separate coop attached to it. Having a coop is especially beneficial. if you only separate them during the day, the drakes will just pounce on the females at night in the coop. The run shares a fence with the main duck run. I have a small tub for swimming in.

I have both muscovy and mallard derived breeds. I have never used the drake jail for separating out my muscovy drakes. My muscovy drakes don't over breed the females. I primarily use it as a drake jail for the my mallard derived breeds. All of my drakes get along well and I have never had fighting issues when separated from the females. However, that may not be the case for all drakes.

Depending on how ramped up my drakes are on hormones, I will either remove all of my drakes from the flock or cycle a couple out. I pay attention to their behavior During the off season all the drakes can be out with my females. Cycling them out allows you to see who the more problematic drake are. I found one of my drakes to instigate bad behavior from another one. Separately, the instigator still harassed the females, while the other drake had little issue. So we were able to decide to cull the instigator.

Being able to cycle or separate out the drakes also you to have more without adding extra stress to your females.

 

[Papaye]

Hello.

I don't think my experiences would be of help, but still... if ever the mistakes I did can be avoided... :

Do you have a drake jail ?

Yes.

I do have a drake jail, but... to be specific, what I call my "drake jail" is, in fact : a coop connected to a run + half of my current vegetable garden.

What is your experience ?

Pretty mixed, actually...?

I am happy enough with this "drake jail" : indeed, I can let the drakes roam freely in a big enough space, and so, run as much they like...

...But : the drakes can still see the girls; and so, letting them roam in (half) the vegetable garden means taking the risk of them flying away to go to their girls...
(And two of them actually already did...!)

Besides : if I keep the drakes together when hormones are out of control (because of mating season), then some of them might fight with each others until I separate them OR put girls with them...

Nevertheless : if done right, then the "drake jail" is a good solution to protect the girls from overmating...!

Why did you decide to build a drake jail ?

I did not build a "drake jail", specifically : I am just using what I already have, which is a space where I can separate the ducks if needed - for whatever reasons (like : bringing home and carefully introducing new ducks to the older ones - for example)...

Are all your drakes together ?

Apart from mating season, my drakes are always together.

Some are so bonded I can not even separate them, because they prefer to be with each other than to mate - even during mating season.

Do you rotate your drakes to be with the ladies ?

Until now, yes - given I wanted to avoid any risk of inbreeding...

Otherwise : only when hormones are so out of control I can not put the boys together without some of them ending up fighting.

Do you keep one of the drakes with the ladies always ?

No.

Because I want the girls to be able to breath without worrying about the boys hurting them...
(My ratio male-females is pretty bad.)

So : I let the boys fertilize the first eggs of the season until my first (chicken) hens are broody... then I put the drakes in drake jail.
And I manage from there - meaning if a drake is much too agressive with the other boys, I put him with the girls again for some days or weeks.

Who has or doesn't have access to your pond (if you have one) and when ?

I don't have a pond.

Instead : my ducks have an unlimited access to a 400 liters pool - among other things...

But when I put the drakes in drake jail, they don't have access to this pool anymore...!
So : I put mortar troughs and dish basins - filled with water and cleaned everyday - in their part of the vegetable garden.

What are the biggest mistakes one can make when setting up a drake jail ?

If the drakes are still roaming free in a part of the yard, then :
• letting them see and/or hear the girls;
• not using a high enough mean of separation (enclosure).

Does the set up influence the ducks behaviour ? How ?

Yes.

If the drakes see and/or hear the girls, and if the enclosure is not high enough, then some of them will eventually try to fly over it in order to go mate with the hens... and they probably will even succeed.

(I own two Indian Runner drakes that have learned to fly, and when kept separated from the girls during mating season, they fly away from their "jail" in order to go to them... once a day...!)

Really anything drake jail related you do or don't do, what you learned works or doesn't work, what to look out for what to avoid... Please share your stories and knowledge with me and other newbies.

I clearly need a better drake jail...?
(In fact, I need several drake jails...)

But first : I need to get more hens for my drakes, or at least get rid of some boys...
Maybe then a drake jail would not even be necessary anymore?

Any and all information on the topic is welcome and appreciated.

Drakes that are separated from their girls during mating season are soooo ready to learn to fly to go mate with them...
(One of mines literally did specifically to be able to mate, and I then had to go catch him almost everyday to keep him away from the girls...!!)

 

[Apolinne]

I believe drake jails are very beneficial. I have used mine as a multipurpose area. I use it as an infirmary area, an place to safely start integrating ducks, or let ducklings safely play outside. And honestly, I have wanted to build a second one to have another multipurpose area. So if you do build one, I would personally consider how you can utilize the area when the drake(s) are not in there.

My drake jail has a small separate coop attached to it. Having a coop is especially beneficial. if you only separate them during the day, the drakes will just pounce on the females at night in the coop. The run shares a fence with the main duck run. I have a small tub for swimming in.

I have both muscovy and mallard derived breeds. I have never used the drake jail for separating out my muscovy drakes. My muscovy drakes don't over breed the females. I primarily use it as a drake jail for the my mallard derived breeds. All of my drakes get along well and I have never had fighting issues when separated from the females. However, that may not be the case for all drakes.

Depending on how ramped up my drakes are on hormones, I will either remove all of my drakes from the flock or cycle a couple out. I pay attention to their behavior During the off season all the drakes can be out with my females. Cycling them out allows you to see who the more problematic drake are. I found one of my drakes to instigate bad behavior from another one. Separately, the instigator still harassed the females, while the other drake had little issue. So we were able to decide to cull the instigator.

Being able to cycle or separate out the drakes also you to have more without adding extra stress to your females.

Thanks! These are some great points. I wondered exactly wether I should build the boys a coop of their own and using it as a quarantine or infirmary is a great idea.
What I worry about most is wether or not the drakes will get along( I have one drake who is super small compared to the others, he's smaller then even some of the girls, and I really don't want him to get hurt or mated) and wether or not they will freak out when they won't see the girls. They all free range and I worry the boys will not like being locked up while the girls are free. I figured since they spend most of their time in the pond and around the pond anyway I'll place the drake jail somewhere close to it so they are together but separated.

 

[Apolinne]

Hello.

I don't think my experiences would be of help, but still... if ever the mistakes I did can be avoided... :

This is very helpful, thank you for taking the time to write this. It's super organised whenever you write anything, and the auDHD part of me is always chuffed.

Because I want the girls to be able to breath without worrying about the boys hurting them...
(My ratio male-females is pretty bad.)

My ratio is also bad. I have 5 boys and 5 girls. I can get maybe 3 - 4 more girls but that is the absolute limit.
I have a question: when it's mating season don't the girls also want to mate ? Apart from visible signs of over mating, like missing feathers, or injuries, or letting drakes gang up on a hen, how do I know if the ladies need a break from the drake ? break from the drake Put that on a t-shirt

If the drakes are still roaming free in a part of the yard, then :
• letting them see and/or hear the girls;
• not using a high enough mean of separation (enclosure).

So you're saying not to let the boys see the ladies when in jail ?
That's interesting because all of the articles I read suggest the drakes are more content when they can see the females as opposed to when they can't see them at all.

 

[Papaye]

Hi.

This is very helpful, thank you for taking the time to write this.

You are welcome.

It's super organised whenever you write anything, and the auDHD part of me is always chuffed.

Thank you.
I write as I do partly so people can (hopefully) easily understand me.

My ratio is also bad. I have 5 boys and 5 girls. I can get maybe 3 - 4 more girls but that is the absolute limit.

I started raising ducks with 2 drakes and 2 hens.

Apart for a short time during their first mating season when I had to separate the boys from the girls, it worked splendily.
(The fact they were raised together helped - especially considering these drakes are so bonded they prefer to stay close, together, when I separate them than to mate with their respective girls...!)

Depending on the ducks, a ratio male-female can be considered bad and still works.

...You do what you can with what you have.

I have a question: when it's mating season don't the girls also want to mate ?

Ooooooh yes : they do.
Actually, domestic ducks - including the hens - generally want to mate all year round.

But what they want is different from what they need; and sadly, duck hens don't always know what is good for them : indeed, they still tend to seduce the drakes to mate with them even though they (the girls) are hurt, wounded because of overmating...

Apart from visible signs of over mating, like missing feathers, or injuries, or letting drakes gang up on a hen, how do I know if the ladies need a break from the drake ?

When I understood I had to separate my two oldest duck hens, it was not because they were wounded (since they were not), but because they were crying : indeed, they were being so much overmated they had become extremely vocal during mating - more than usual, at least... actually, so much so even their voice sounded then broken...

It was really painful to hear them like that, and that's when I had understood I had to separate them from the boys...

So : if your girls are crying when they are being mated by a drake AND you feel they are in pain, that means it's time for them to be separated by gender.

break from the drake Put that on a t-shirt

Ah, ah, ah!

So you're saying not to let the boys see the ladies when in jail ?
That's interesting because all of the articles I read suggest the drakes are more content when they can see the females as opposed to when they can't see them at all.

A drake isolated alone should be able to interact with other ducks, so he does not end up being depressed...
("Interacting" meaning here : "see and communicate, but NOT touch".)

But ideally : (apart from the bonded ones,) several drakes being isolated together in "drake jail" should not be allowed to see or hear the girls.
They should not even know the girls are close to them, so to reduce as much as possible the risk of them fighting (for the girls)...

(...Nevertheless, even then, without knowing their hens are close, some drakes will still fight with the other boys...
Thus : owning several drakes should mean other drake jails have to be planned - just in case...)

(You need to be able to use the infirmary all year round, so I really don't recommend to use it as a drake jail.)

 

[Quatie]

Thanks! These are some great points. I wondered exactly wether I should build the boys a coop of their own and using it as a quarantine or infirmary is a great idea.
What I worry about most is wether or not the drakes will get along( I have one drake who is super small compared to the others, he's smaller then even some of the girls, and I really don't want him to get hurt or mated) and wether or not they will freak out when they won't see the girls. They all free range and I worry the boys will not like being locked up while the girls are free. I figured since they spend most of their time in the pond and around the pond anyway I'll place the drake jail somewhere close to it so they are together but separated.

I can understand that. If they get a long in your coop now with the ladies, they should be fine in a drake jail. My big Saxony boys did fine with my little call duck drake. They were all more focused on their ladies strutting by than each other. To be fair, my Saxony drakes are also cowards

 

[Apolinne]

Depending on the ducks, a ratio male-female can be considered bad and still works.

I'm sort of counting on this, hoping the boys won't fight too much during the mating season because they hatched together.

Ooooooh yes : they do.
Actually, domestic ducks - including the hens - generally want to mate all year round.

But what they want is different from what they need; and sadly, duck hens don't always know what is good for them : indeed, they still tend to seduce the drakes to mate with them even though they (the girls) are hurt, wounded because of overmating...

Nooo! Omg. Not the girls. Ducks are brutal creatures. They look so cute and small and then you find out things like this. What the hell.

When I understood I had to separate my two oldest duck hens, it was not because they were wounded (since they were not), but because they were crying : indeed, they were being so much overmated they had become extremely vocal during mating - more than usual, at least... actually, so much so even their voice sounded then broken...

I hope I never have to experience that. Now I'm gonna be extra paranoid about the quacking.

A drake isolated alone should be able to interact with other ducks, so he does not end up being depressed...
("Interacting" meaning here : "see and communicate, but NOT touch".)

But ideally : (apart from the bonded ones,) several drakes being isolated together in "drake jail" should not be allowed to see or hear the girls.
They should not even know the girls are close to them, so to reduce as much as possible the risk of them fighting (for the girls)...

Right. Ok I see how that works now. Thank you, I'm not sure how I'll make it so that the boys can't hear the girls, but I can put them out of sight. And even make more drake jails in time if need be. How do I go about letting them see the ladies ? Or is that trial and error kind of thing ?

(You need to be able to use the infirmary all year round, so I really don't recommend to use it as a drake jail.)

Right. That makes sense. I need to set up a special place for sick and injured duckies. Or at least think about where that would be if I need it.

 

[Papaye]

Hi.

I'm sort of counting on this, hoping the boys won't fight too much during the mating season because they hatched together.

Honestly, I would then not worry about them.

(But then again : I only know what I am personally experiencing OR what I am told...)

Nooo! Omg. Not the girls. Ducks are brutal creatures. They look so cute and small and then you find out things like this. What the hell.

Ah, ah, ah!

I hope I never have to experience that. Now I'm gonna be extra paranoid about the quacking.

Oooooooh... don't worry too much : you really don't need to be "paranoid" about your girls...
Indeed : if ever one of your hens is overmated and is vocal about that (and she will), you will recognize it as soon as you hear her!

How do I go about letting them see the ladies ? Or is that trial and error kind of thing ?

Hmmmm... depends on you AND your ducks, in fact!

If the drakes are not fighting AND you don't want ducklings, then you could want to keep them totally separated by gender during mating season - so to to prevent your girls being hurt - or killed - by your drakes.

But really : you will (just) have to try and see what is working best for you...

...As far as you know, you may not even need to separate your boys from your girls anyway - or, if you do, it could then even be at the end of the mating season only...!

Right. That makes sense. I need to set up a special place for sick and injured duckies. Or at least think about where that would be if I need it.

A small run - with shelter preferably - would be sufficient... as long as you can then protect your sick or injured ducks from rain, snow, wind, or strong heat...!

...Good luck!!