Drakes too hard on my poor ducks

[firehog]

I have 2 drakes and 6 ducks but all the ducks have their feathers ripped out at the back of their neck. One poor duck was cowering behind the fence tonight at suppertime and I saw her neck was actually bleeding.

Can I buy some foul smelling bitter tasting ointment to put on the back of their necks so the drakes will not grab them there? Thanks, Ray...Duck lover....drakes...not so much

 

[Amiga]

The boys need to be in time out. The females depend upon you to protect them.

Females get killed by aggressive drakes. Please take this, and your role as flock guardian, seriously.

 

[duck-horselover]

Hello,
I have one drake I am getting him a female and then I will get some more female. We used to have one duck and my drake he was never really aggressive towards the duck. Could this change?

 

[Amiga]

Yes, it is kinda sad, but a drake can be just fine and then change his behavior. It's hormones, mostly, I think, but who knows what the whole picture is? From my many hours of observing the flock, there are some very subtle and sophisticated relationships going on there.

I have to keep Beanie and his two ducks separate from the rest of the flock because he obsesses over Romy. And that not only upsets her, but the rest of the flock....sigh.

Drakes. I love Beanie boy, I do. He makes me crazy sometimes.

 

[Quackalackin]

Ugh... DRAKES!.... grrr, I'm in the same boat. I don't really know what to do either. I've been acquiring new ducks and my two drakes persistently go after the newest ducks and don't look back at the older ones. It's frustrating and maddening. I've been secluding my two drakes from my nine hens for the last week with occasional group gatherings, but each time I let them out they almost immediately attack the newest ducks again. I chase them off every time they chase a new group member, but they always slink back around. If I try leaving them alone for even a couple minutes I come back to the both of them attacking one duck. One will be mounting while the other bites the head or worse her butt area, which really upsets me because the duck cries out at that and I'm sure it really hurts her. So my drakes are almost permanently separated except under my supervision where I chase them off and make it unpleasant to attack my new ducks.

I think I'm going to get rid of one of my drakes if this situation doesn't get better soon. I think part of the issue is male drakes battling each other to be dominant duck. One of them is definitely worse than the other, and the last couple days my "not so bad one" is getting worse too.

Putting something on the back of the ducks necks sounds like a decent idea, but I'm not sure what to use that'd be safe or pleasant to the duck while being unpleasant to the drake :/

 

[drumstick diva]

I think it is displays of dominance not really a matter of mating. If you just put the new girls in without gradual integration, they are just showing their displeasure. That is why they also gets bitten. If you don't need fertile eggs,I would suggest rehoming both drakes. Do your older female ducks attack the new ones? If you feel you need a drake - get a new one after the girls get to settle down without one. Then the new bird will be the drake - and the hens will show him some manners.

 

[firehog]

Well, no help here so going on my own...I am just slathering on heavy coat of vaseline on the neck and back of head of the one poor ;little duckie with the bleeding neck (which has scabbed over now). I will see if the local farmstore supply employees might have a suggestion. I am keeping the boys outside during most of the day to at least give the poor girls a time to relax.

 

[Quackalackin]

I'm sorry for the lack of help. I think ultimately most of us are battling drake issues and don't know what to do either besides separation. We want ducks and eggs and get some ducks but aren't really prepared for those drakes... Farmer people will cull their drakes and that's just fine as well, but others are in different situations were they don't want to or can't cull. So we have to attempt putting up with the drakes or ridding ourselves of them which might as well end up to culling anyway.

Honestly, I'm having great frustrations myself regarding the drake issue as well, and all I've come up with is permanent separation of hens and drakes except for supervised encounters. On those encounters I've been chasing off the drakes whenever the gang up on one duck or a new duck and they are slowy learning, however tonight I left the vacinity for a couple minutes and came back to a limp hen. I was probably a bit irrationally angry, but I think I've decided to rehome my drakes.

I honestly think the options are permanent separation or getting rid of the drakes. Please let me know if you end up finding a solution or decent advice

 

[Amiga]

It's not just the necks that can be getting damaged. There can be internal injury and sometimes broken bones. The ducks' (females) lives and well-being depend upon their humans' managing the flock.

 

[nolamimi504]

Well, no help here so going on my own...I am just slathering on heavy coat of vaseline on the neck and back of head of the one poor ;little duckie with the bleeding neck (which has scabbed over now). I will see if the local farmstore supply employees might have a suggestion. I am keeping the boys outside during most of the day to at least give the poor girls a time to relax.

I know this was some time ago but did the Vaseline ultimately work, or did you find anything to use on the back of the neck. I have 3 drakes and 1 female but we have 5 more hens that are being integrated in with the other ducks. One drakes has become an inside duck since he’s just way to horny and gets my other two drakes wound up, squawking into my original hens face; she will occasionally go and hide behind the wheelbarrow in the morning, as the 2 drakes who remain outside with her know not to bother her. My husband is adding an expansion to our duck house to separate the hens and drakes; it’s already separated and 2 of my drakes stay in one side and the other drake and Goldie in the other side but since I only have a kiddie pool on one side, hubby is doing an expansion. Chocolate (my inside, jailhouse duck during the day only) comes out in the afternoon around 3-3:30 when Goldie goes in her side of the house by herself with her door closed to enjoy pool and relaxation time till it’s time to go inside for the night. Chocolate has begun grabbing Half-pint (the drakes that he houses with at night) and I’m assuming trying to have sex with him. My husband & I have seen Chocolate’s corkscrew penis out a few times while he’s inside, we leave the back door open since we have an all glass storm door. My other drake, Midnight that lives with Goldie at night, won’t force himself on Goldie, he will bob his head and wait for her to lay flat and when she doesn’t, he leaves her alone. Granted I’m concerned when I remove him from her and put him with the other drakes and Goldie with the other hens (who aren’t old enough to mate yet-they’re 2.5-3 months old) what will happen. Midnight has become her protector more or less LOL...she sometimes comes out her cage at night and will sit on the sidewalk and he lays right next to her, going back and forth so the other drakes stop squawking. Half-pint has scabs and missing hair on the back of his neck now from Chocolate. Midnight shows no interest in any of the other hens when they’re out, except when they first come out honking, then he will sometimes grab one of their wings but stops when he’s told to stop, and won’t go near them again. Now, half-pint chases them around the yard or darts at them, no idea what that means yet lol. I’ll post to a new thread also just in case you’re no longer on here.