Duck is being aggressive toward Silkie hen

[mrskraynak2005]

Hi everyone! This is my first post on BYC forum, so if I'm putting my issue in the wrong place, I'm sorry. Actually, this is kind of an emergency. I have a silkie hen who was setting on eggs for 4 weeks so I took them out today. She came out into the yard with everyone else and of course she acts a little confused since her eggs are gone. I'm sure she isn't at her strongest just yet but she's not sickly either. Now...the problem. I have a pair of call ducks and the male has decided to become aggressive toward this silkie. I caught him several times grabbing at the back of her head, sort of like the roosters do when they mate. I would run him off of her and even picked her up and walked toward him (as he walked away) to show him that she is protected, however, when I put her down, he would come right back. She went into the hen house and when I left her, she was up on the shelves. The ducks don't usually go up there, they stay on the ground when they go into the hen house. Soooo, my question is...am I being overly concerned about this? Should I just leave them alone or could he kill her? And, does anyone have any idea why this is happening? I appreciate any input because I'm stumped here. I don't want to lose my silkie, she's a great mom and the only hen I have that gets broody.

 

[Chickiegirls2]

Protect your girl...
I am so sorry that this is happening...
confusing!
You're not over reacting... maybe take the duck or the hen away...
good luck!

oh and also...

 

[mrskraynak2005]

Thanks for replying. I spoke with a self professed bird expert who has a lot of experience and she told me that my worst fear is the reality. He's attacking her because she's weak. In the meantime, she has resigned herself to the chicken coop and comes out occasionally but stays close enough that she can make a run for safety. When she gets stronger, he may or may not stop. Only time will tell.