Drake only "servicing" one female?

[QuackerJackFarms]

OMG I just looked out to check on the kids and a HAWK flew up to the fence then flew on top of the duck cage THEN did a fly by on the ducks in their pool. Will this drama never end? (Actually I love Ducky Drama, it's the best kind.)

It was a young hawk because it was very small.
(small for a hawk anyway.)

 

[GrannyCarol]

Good luck with the ducks and their drama!

A note about Appleyard drakes - in my rather limited experience my Appleyard drakes were not very active and not fertile until they were a good year old and even somewhat late into the spring, so be patient. Once they figured it out, everything was fine and we got fertile eggs.

 

[QuackerJackFarms]

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Good advice thanks. I have a tendency to get impatient.

 

[Kev]

Ducks get very excited when they get fresh clean water in their bath. If you don't change the pond every day, would suggest first separating Bella(completely out of sight and sound is best- her vocal distress might be off- putting to either the drake or Rosalee), let things calm a bit then do a complete change of the pond water. Hopefully both will get excited enough to mate right then.

 

[QuackerJackFarms]

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I have noticed the like to conduct their "business" first thing in the morning. So that's a great idea!

 

[QuackerJackFarms]

Hey peeps, I have some very exciting news. (exciting to me anyway!) The 2 eggs I put in the bator 4 days or so ago are both veining nicely! This means that the 2nd hen is definantly getting some action under the table. I am SURE that these 2 eggs are one from each hen because I took all the eggs out and the next morning had 2 new eggs in the nest. I'm excited about this!
I really wonder though when they are "sealing the deal" though, because I swear I've been watching them like a hawk.

And speaking of hawks, I was outside putting the ducks up around dinner time so... 5 or 6, and the ducks did this weird quack and run thing. Just then a hawk swoops down withing 3 feet of my ducks and within 5 feet of me!!! It caught me off guard so naturally I said, "Ahhhhhh!" This thing wasn't that big, it's the same one that's been giving me trouble. And by not that big I mean only 2 feet wingspan. I can tell it's young.

That was a crazy experience for me!! This thing was not scared of me AT ALL!!

 

[mandelyn]

Hawks can be pretty brave! I had the same thing happen a couple years ago, hawk came down not 10 ft from me, but I saw his shadow and I scared the chickens to scatter them. So he missed, and sat up in a tree and watched so I locked everyone up.

Yesterday though, I had the birds out, all of a sudden there was a spray of Doves that came winging through the yard, low to the ground and then they scattered into the air... cause a young Red Tail was after them! He followed them through the yard about 3 seconds later. I knew something didn't look right in how they were flying! He missed them, landed in a tree for a minute then took off again. He must have wanted Dove for breakfast and not Chicken or Duck.

 

[QuackerJackFarms]

We have a LOT of Dove around here, so I wish this Hawk would lay off my ducks! He's not even big enough to carry it off! I've heard people talk about crows and blue jays... and attracting them. I'm thinking about doing that. (Although blue jays aren't much better.. ) But at least they wouldn't try to eat my Edward!

 

[zzGypsy]

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crows, however, will steal and eat your eggs.
I've seen them fly off with an egg in their beak.
I've watched mockingbirds run off hawks (full sized red tails) and crows both. so if you can invite jays and mockingbirds, that'd be a plan...

 

[QuackerJackFarms]

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crows, however, will steal and eat your eggs.
I've seen them fly off with an egg in their beak.
I've watched mockingbirds run off hawks (full sized red tails) and crows both. so if you can invite jays and mockingbirds, that'd be a plan...

That's what I've heard about the crows. I've never heard about mockingbirds though. I'll research ways to attract them. Unless you know of any? And the blue jays are mean to the swallows and other little birds, so I don't know about that. But this hawk is NOT LEAVING!!