Duck Biting

[MommaK6]

I have two male Cayuga ducks-Gary and Floyd. They are a year old and now Floyd will not stop biting. When he bites, Gary will actually nip at his feathers as if telling him to cut it out. I have tried picking him up and snuggling him, nudging him with my foot and just telling him to cut it out like he is a dog. Anything else to try??

 

[Peeko]

In order to walk freely about the yard when I go outside, I have to walk directly to our drake and crouch over him. I wait there until he walks a few steps away and acts like he's given up, but the challenge is not over yet. He has to "really" walk away which he'll wait a few seconds to do. This means he has accepted that I am the top male (silly duck thinks every human is a drake) because I stood my ground. Then he will behave just fine, until the next time I come outside. Then the game begins again.
Patience is a virtue with a snotty drake. But once ours gets over it, he is very sweet. He also only acts up when the female is around. He's just like a dog when she's on the nest, following me everywhere.
I tried holding him in various ways, chasing him, kicking him (gently!) away from my foot, all of it only had a temporary effect, and eventually just made him even angrier.
Have you considered trading a male for two females? Some folks have all drakes and get on fine, but it can mean their aggressive behaviors will be worse- it seems. Did you hand-rear your boys?

 

[MommaK6]

Yes, I got them when they were 2 days old. They lived in my bedroom for weeks, and spent all day, every day with me. This behavior is new, and its only Floyd that does it. When he grabs hold, I usually stay crouched or still and don't back down. Can't say the same for my toddler. Lol.

 

[cosbackyard]

In order to walk freely about the yard when I go outside, I have to walk directly to our drake and crouch over him. I wait there until he walks a few steps away and acts like he's given up, but the challenge is not over yet. He has to "really" walk away which he'll wait a few seconds to do. This means he has accepted that I am the top male (silly duck thinks every human is a drake) because I stood my ground. Then he will behave just fine, until the next time I come outside. Then the game begins again.
Patience is a virtue with a snotty drake. But once ours gets over it, he is very sweet. He also only acts up when the female is around. He's just like a dog when she's on the nest, following me everywhere.

Interesting. That's the best method I've heard of so far to deal with drakes who forget their place in the pecking order...

 

[Going Quackers]

I put them down, like pin down... if i have one challenge me which is rare... they practically trip over themselves to get away from me... i am TOP drake here... you have to be with drakes, not cruel by any means but for sure in charge, mine are big Muscovy boys, you don't want them stepping over boundaries.

 

[Peeko]

When he grabs hold, I usually stay crouched or still and don't back down. Can't say the same for my toddler. Lol.

lol well I've always thought it's never too early for kids to learn that animals bite, especially before they come across one that can do harm.

The only other suggestion I can make is to teach Floyd some words. Well, not so much the word, but the tone used. Our drake is familiar with "no", "come here", "go to the pool," and "go on". He responds to all of these, but he does get stubborn sometimes. "No", "hey", or any sharp sound always makes him immediately stop and look at me, at least for a few seconds, which is usually long enough for him to forget the bad thing he was doing. I try to throw in lots of "good boy" when he listens to me and "good job" like when he catches a bug.

I've noticed that when ours is about to bite, his head will shake slightly, like he's building up energy for it. Sometimes I can talk him out of it, but if he doesn't stop in a few seconds, I'll move toward him and he'll back off.