Duck too sexually attraccted to my chickens..

[firehog]

I took in two Mallard ducks from a young lady who probably got them because they were cute little ducklings but when they got to be a few weeks older didn't want to deal with the mess and extra attention etc. She told me they were both female according to a Vet but one is a male but not sure about the other. The male has a beautiful green colored neck and is now quite big (They are about 6 months old) The other one is about 40% less in size and has a very pale green around the neck and the coloring is more brown all over, so I thought it was a hen but I noticed it has the 3 feathers at the tail curling up and have been told that only male ducks have the up curled feathers.

Last week, the little one has been real sexually aggressive with both the Male duck, riding his back while swimming in the kiddie pool and constantly terrorizing my poor old hens, chasing and mounting them. So now I have to keep them in separate pens and roaming yards.

I know female animals like cattle will also display these symptoms but was curious if female ducks do this when they reach sexual maturity. No eggs yet and those uprcurled feathers sure point to it being a male, but the coloring is definitely not the markings of a male Mallard.

I did not want male ducks but they are both very affectionate and quack loudly when they see me outside and will follow me around like puppies, the little one likes being kissed on the head while in my lap. They love following me out on the lawn when I am watering the shrubs and really like being squirted with the water hose especially when it is in the upper 90's outside. They both just jut out their chests when I spray them like saying..."Bring it on...I'll take all you got.."

They just love tomatoes but don't seem to want soft bread like all the wild ducks down at the city park. They also love fresh or canned corn and was wondering if you know what other veggie treats ducks like? They will eat the lettuce I give the chickens each morning too.

Thanks for reading and any advice would be appreciated

 

[Miss Lydia]

I took in two Mallard ducks from a young lady who probably got them because they were cute little ducklings but when they got to be a few weeks older didn't want to deal with the mess and extra attention etc. She told me they were both female according to a Vet but one is a male but not sure about the other. The male has a beautiful green colored neck and is now quite big (They are about 6 months old) The other one is about 40% less in size and has a very pale green around the neck and the coloring is more brown all over, so I thought it was a hen but I noticed it has the 3 feathers at the tail curling up and have been told that only male ducks have the up curled feathers.

Last week, the little one has been real sexually aggressive with both the Male duck, riding his back while swimming in the kiddie pool and constantly terrorizing my poor old hens, chasing and mounting them. So now I have to keep them in separate pens and roaming yards.

I know female animals like cattle will also display these symptoms but was curious if female ducks do this when they reach sexual maturity. No eggs yet and those uprcurled feathers sure point to it being a male, but the coloring is definitely not the markings of a male Mallard.

I did not want male ducks but they are both very affectionate and quack loudly when they see me outside and will follow me around like puppies, the little one likes being kissed on the head while in my lap. They love following me out on the lawn when I am watering the shrubs and really like being squirted with the water hose especially when it is in the upper 90's outside. They both just jut out their chests when I spray them like saying..."Bring it on...I'll take all you got.."

They just love tomatoes but don't seem to want soft bread like all the wild ducks down at the city park. They also love fresh or canned corn and was wondering if you know what other veggie treats ducks like? They will eat the lettuce I give the chickens each morning too.

Thanks for reading and any advice would be appreciated

I'm not to sure about Mallards and coloring other than something about breeding plumage. But I can say that my ducks do mount each other even though we have drakes. They are quite a few here though that have mallards that can help so hold on. lol but you were very wise to separate them from your hens, drakes have been known to mate with hens and it is usually a death sentence for the hen. I'm glad they have worked out and your enjoying them, post some pics when you can we all love pics. https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/242460/the-ultimate-list-of-duck-treats-and-supplements and

duck thread

 

[HollyDuckFarmer]

Do check the link ML gave you for foods. It will tell you all you want to know.
Generally, a tail curl and or green head will mean you have a drake, likewise a loud quack will mean you have a duck. And by 6mos you should be able to tell. That being said, I don't know about true mallards, maybe some things are different with them? I think pics would help.
Now about the sexual attraction issue. I really don't think that is the right way to phrase it, but I know exactly what you're talking about. Once the drakes hit maturity, they are just doing what biology is telling them to do. Reproduce. So if you don't have enough female ducks around, but you have chickens, well- you know what happened. And you most certainly did the proper thing to separate them!! Like ML, I too have females that mount one another, and I guess (?) it's a dominance thing.

 

[firehog]

I can take some pictures and put them on the computer but how do I post them on this forum? The smaller duck (I call them Big Duck and Little Quackette), Little Quackette maybe is a different breed from a Mallard so the coloring, which is drab and muted like a female Mallard is throwing me off. Maybe "She" is "He" from a different breed. It is the 3 curled feathers at the tail that makes me think she is a He unless female Mallards have the curly feathers too.

If they are both males, I will have to give them away since I can't keep them segregated and they are bonded together and I doubt if any one would want to have 2 male ducks and I can't give them away for someones dinners since I am bonded to them too much for that to happen. Just like my chickens, when they get old and stop laying, they will not become "Stew Hens"...they will live their natural lives out with me.

 

[Miss Lydia]

I can take some pictures and put them on the computer but how do I post them on this forum? The smaller duck (I call them Big Duck and Little Quackette), Little Quackette maybe is a different breed from a Mallard so the coloring, which is drab and muted like a female Mallard is throwing me off. Maybe "She" is "He" from a different breed. It is the 3 curled feathers at the tail that makes me think she is a He unless female Mallards have the curly feathers too.

If they are both males, I will have to give them away since I can't keep them segregated and they are bonded together and I doubt if any one would want to have 2 male ducks and I can't give them away for someones dinners since I am bonded to them too much for that to happen. Just like my chickens, when they get old and stop laying, they will not become "Stew Hens"...they will live their natural lives out with me.

I'm the same way only my extra roos end up in the stew pot, and I don't like to have to do that. Only drakes have the curled feathers. Here is a link that gives info on uploading pic. https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/inserting-pics-in-on-the-new-byc

 

[OmAnNom]

They just love tomatoes but don't seem to want soft bread like all the wild ducks down at the city park. They also love fresh or canned corn and was wondering if you know what other veggie treats ducks like?

Our ducks love peas. In fact the chickens love them to and so does our scottish terrier. I tossed a piece of bread to the ducks a few days ago and they would pick it up, chew on it then spit it out.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Bread isn't something they should have much of, there are a lot of treats that are way healthier. Ducks fed bread at parks are generally not healthy and quite a few get angel wing from all the junk people feed them.