Drake picks on just one female

[auce99]

Hi, all!

I'll try to keep this short... after one of my older Runner girls passed last spring, we got three new female ducklings, which we raised separate from the remaining two (a female and a drake) Runners until they were old enough. (All three ducklings were supposed to be Runners, but one ended up being a Cayuga, who we love none the less). Anyway... everything was fine for awhile. The Drake (Desi) still loves his original girl (Coco), and has taken quite a liking to one of the new girls (Onyx), and he likes to mate the Cayuga (Mischief). But he does nothing but torment our little Sunny girl... is it normal for a Drake to pick a target to NOT like??

Sunny is the smallest of the group, so I worry, obviously. Desi and Sunny are both Fawn and White Runners, so they are the only two that look similar. But he'll chase her away from food or the pool, or chase her out of the duck house, or just generally lunge and/or nip at her. Is he trying to make sure his 'favored girls' get all the food they want? Or their own pool/house time? None of the other girls pick on her - just him. And really he doesn't pick on the other girls.

So I guess my question is, should I be concerned?? Should I do something to deter this behavior? Or is this typical behavior? Do I need to just watch to make sure she not being completely deprived of food and such (which she is not)? I just don't want something to happen to her, and there was something I could've or should've done.

TIA!

 

[Crazy Maizie]

This is normal behavior. As long as the one duck isn't getting too beat up (no blood or severe aggression) and has areas to get away from the drake, it should be fine. It's always a mystery why a drake doesn't like all of his girls.

 

[auce99]

This is normal behavior. As long as the one duck isn't getting too beat up (no blood or severe aggression) and has areas to get away from the drake, it should be fine. It's always a mystery why a drake doesn't like all of his girls.

I was hoping that would be the case. I just hope it doesn’t get worse as mating season approaches… she’s fast… plus, she seems smart enough to put one or more of the other girls between her and him when she is at the pool or eating/foraging. He’s always been a little ‘extra’ IMO. I still have problems walking across the yard, sometimes. LoL

 

[Crazy Maizie]

I was hoping that would be the case. I just hope it doesn’t get worse as mating season approaches… she’s fast… plus, she seems smart enough to put one or more of the other girls between her and him when she is at the pool or eating/foraging. He’s always been a little ‘extra’ IMO. I still have problems walking across the yard, sometimes. LoL

Maybe she doesn't fancy him and he's not too happy about it.