Feathers pulled

[jennyman]

Hey all! One of my ducks keeping getting her feathers pulled when in the pond. It never happens elsewhere. It hasnt been so bad but now it looks like this. Not sure what to do. Pond is closing soon. Any advice would be appreciated.

 

[RainbowHen]

How many ducks do you have? Male to female ratio? Have you witnessed the attacks?

 

[jennyman]

All female. Yes in the pond. They look like they are play mating

 

[KaleIAm]

We have another member here who has a similar problem with her all female flock. I believe one duck in particular pulls the shoulder feathers of another particular duck when "mating." She has to separate them.

 

[CoriM]

I'm the one who has this female feather-pulling problem. My duck Tuppins pulls my other duck Penny's feathers in the exact same spot as your poor girl and she pulls feathers on my duck Puddles in the back between the shoulder blades - so weird that each duck has a distinct spot where she gets them. I didn't witness it for a few months and spent a lot of money/time with vets trying to figure out what's going on, so happily you don't have this hurdle. I think you're going to have to give them separate times at the pond or stand and supervise, because it won't get better. I have to be within a few feet of the pond when my ducks initially get in and are all excited - to break up any funny business. My ducks will even do this behavior in front of a bucket of fresh water though, and since I can't be in their run all the time I have to keep them on separate sides with a little fence in the middle. It's truly a hassle, but Tuppins is actually a really sweet duck and they all like each other, so I don't have the heart to get rid of her!!

 

[CoriM]

I would also add that in my case the ducks getting their feathers pulled are glad to oblige when Tuppins comes along, it's not as though they're being bullied - Penny will sit down real low on the ground and let her pull away, and Puddles usually gets pulled in the water, and she's flattening herself out as if she's ready to mate. Poor things are just so confused by their biological instincts that aren't being fulfilled. I've thought about getting a drake to see if that would help, but that could add even more problems for me.

 

[jennyman]

I would also add that in my case the ducks getting their feathers pulled are glad to oblige when Tuppins comes along, it's not as though they're being bullied - Penny will sit down real low on the ground and let her pull away, and Puddles usually gets pulled in the water, and she's flattening herself out as if she's ready to mate. Poor things are just so confused by their biological instincts that aren't being fulfilled. I've thought about getting a drake to see if that would help, but that could add even more problems for me.

I am glad I am not alone with this. We are keeping the injured duck penned away (in the run so not alone) to help her heal up.. We are in the same boat. The ducks love each other and we don't want to send anyone away. Hoping the winter will help a bit!

 

[KaleIAm]

I am glad I am not alone with this. We are keeping the injured duck penned away (in the run so not alone) to help her heal up.. We are in the same boat. The ducks love each other and we don't want to send anyone away. Hoping the winter will help a bit!

I also have an all female flock who mate each other, but they don't pull feathers. They do mate less in the fall/winter and MUCH less now that they are older. So I imagine there will be less feather pulling when your girls age and their drive naturally goes down.