Duck question

[ChickenFan]

Hi All,

I have a problem with my ducks and I'm hoping someone with a better understanding of duck breeding behavior can help.

I have a khaki girl who is constantly under attack by my drakes. Gang rape big time. This started roughly two weeks ago.

We are heading into fall here so I'm thinking they should be toning their ardour down a bit. And it is just this one duck they go after.

They are breeding the other girls too but not like this.
This poor thing is under constant attack. After a few days of it with no sign that they were going to stop I pulled her and isolated her in a crate for a week + hoping that whatever was going on would tone itself down. All the drakes did was stand outside the crate and watch her.

She was bruised and had the feathers on her neck missing when I put her in the crate. I think they would evenutally have killed her just through the pummelling she gets when these gang attacks occur.

This morning after a week I let her out again and they immediately ran for her, left their breakfast to all breed her one after the other.

She wants to be out and clearly it is not fair for her to live her life in a dog crate but the poor thing was running and hiding under the chickens nesting boxes within 5 minutes of my letting her out this morning,

Thoughts anyone? What is it about this one girl that brings this on?

 

[DuckLady]

THey just have their favorite. One reason might be that if the others are molting and not laying and your khaki is, the drakes sense that and want to make sure she is the one that they are fertilizing. (I know, way too psychological for a duck. It is just instinct)
What is your drake to duck ratio? One drake can take care of 5 to 8 ducks. My ratio is 1 to 1, so I have my ducks in their own pen.
You need to separate that poor girl. I had a duck killed by overmating last spring. Domestic drakes mate year round. They are not seasonal like wild breeds.
So ideally, if you can separate the drakes in a separate pen, your ducks will get a rest and the khaki won't be isolated.

 

[ChickenFan]

Hi,

Thanks. The others are laying so that is not it. She must just be the favorite.

My ratio is about 50/50 which I know is high on the drake side. They seemed OK till now though. I will split them up.

 

[rufus]

What can I say, she is a hottie. Seriously, you need to pick your best drake and keep him. Eat the rest of them.

Rufus