Drakes fight to the death?

[chris330r]

"Devil's Advocate"

The drake that was killed may have been ill and the other duck killed him out of a kind of compassion I have seen among Muscovy hens.

I had two girls who adored each other, but when one of them got (deathly) sick the sister attacked her , there was something about seeing her suffer that she found intolerable.

The "killer" is likely in mourning, I have seen several birds mourn the loss of a fellow.

That may be a possibility, but for quite some time before the incident i've noticed how the king drake would let the other drakes know that he was the boss. He never actively chased after them around but when they would come close he would show through his body language that they need to keep a distance and they would keep back out of fear. I tried to feed them all though but I think that only made the King duck jealous when he saw them getting food.

When I would feed the killer duck and king duck would come, the killer duck would scurry away in fear of him so there was quite a lot of domination and drama going on between the drakes.

I think the killer duck just about had enough of being submissive and just decided to eliminate the king so he could become the new one. And I watched the whole fight....King duck fought that killer good, but after a while he tried many times to swim away by rowing his wings like oars in the water really fast but that killer duck just kept at him. I doubt he was sick because he put up quite a good fight until killer purposely drowned him. He made the poor king so tired from fighting that once his head was under water, he had no strength to come up for air and they were too far out for me to go out there to help. And with gators in there, I wasn't getting close to the water line anyway.

I could just tell that killer duck hated him for a while. He thankfully doesn't come around anymore because I would shoo him away every time he came afterwards. He's a reminder to me of what happened and I just don't want to see him anymore. I really loved that King duck too.

I think he just wanted to become the new boss of the lake but he wound up being the boss of nothing. I know this is just nature and all but I wish I hadn't seen any of it. I think i'd prefer to be ignorant and just believe the king duck ran off somewhere rather than be a witness to it.

 

[Mother-Hen-Michele]

That may be a possibility, but for quite some time before the incident i've noticed how the king drake would let the other drakes know that he was the boss. He never actively chased after them around but when they would come close he would show through his body language that they need to keep a distance and they would keep back out of fear. I tried to feed them all though but I think that only made the King duck jealous when he saw them getting food.

When I would feed the killer duck and king duck would come, the killer duck would scurry away in fear of him so there was quite a lot of domination and drama going on between the drakes.

I think the killer duck just about had enough of being submissive and just decided to eliminate the king so he could become the new one. And I watched the whole fight....King duck fought that killer good, but after a while he tried many times to swim away by rowing his wings like oars in the water really fast but that killer duck just kept at him. I doubt he was sick because he put up quite a good fight until killer purposely drowned him. He made the poor king so tired from fighting that once his head was under water, he had no strength to come up for air and they were too far out for me to go out there to help. And with gators in there, I wasn't getting close to the water line anyway.

I could just tell that killer duck hated him for a while. He thankfully doesn't come around anymore because I would shoo him away every time he came afterwards. He's a reminder to me of what happened and I just don't want to see him anymore. I really loved that King duck too.

I think he just wanted to become the new boss of the lake but he wound up being the boss of nothing. I know this is just nature and all but I wish I hadn't seen any of it. I think i'd prefer to be ignorant and just believe the king duck ran off somewhere rather than be a witness to it.

It is sad to lose a loved one... even when they are wild, we give them a place in our hearts.

Don't forget the King duck was once a Prince and someone else was King, he likely killed his predecessor too.

In order to breed, to leave a legacy, they need to be the top duck... each one has a lifetime and then is replaced.

Your King was your baby, but now someone else has his kingdom... he moved on to whatever awaits us all.

Your loved ones will mourn you someday, and just as you have put aside those you have lost as best you could in order to take care of those left behind, they will have to make peace with the burden of grief.

I hope you will learn to appreciate this new King duck...

I had a hard time learning to love the ducklings after my previous duck died unexpectedly. The babies were just a few weeks old when she died, and needed me, but I grieved my baby.

Now those babies (who are now a year and a half) curl into my arms when I pick them up. They don't understand mortality, just "momma loves me and protects me". (Also snacks, they understand snacks )

I still love those I have lost, but mortality is the price we pay for life, and grief is the price of love. It is unfair to blame that little duck for the unfairness of life ... he acted on the rules, as his instincts have taught him to do.

We have decided those rules are painful. He may feel the loss too. Now he is the marked man, the King the other ducks will attack until he is replaced by his killer.

Love those left behind... that's all we have.