female runner ducks with sore heads!

[Cackerberry]

Hi. I have been keeping Indian Runner ducks for about 7 years now. I have 5 girls and 2 boys, one of which is very rampant! He picks mostly on the same 2 girls and their little heads are plucked bald and sore and bloody. I do try and separate them sometimes but it is not easy! I just wondered if anyone knew if there was anything in particular that I could treat their heads with. I clean them up and put Sudocream on which deters the boys for a bit! I wish I could come up with a design for mini crash hats they could wear! Duck love is brutal! Thank you in advance!

 

[chickens really]

Separate one Drake or take both out?... The drakes are competing over certain Hens....That sounds terrible for those Hens...

 

[Cackerberry]

Yes I am thinking of possibly rehoming the younger drake, we actually hatched him ourselves. The other drake is not really bothered at all with the girls and just seems to be the look out duck! he is 7 years old now. Its strange how he mostly goes for the same two girls all the time, he hardly bothers the others and one of them is never bothered at all! We did rehome our last boy, Jedi!, as he was possibly even worse! Its difficult to separate them as we only have one large run so I sometimes keep him in that when the others are out in the garden to give them a break. Just wanted to know of anything anyone knows of to treat the girls heads. To be fair they don't seem to effected by it and play up to him! Think I read somewhere that they do have extra strong skulls to protect them from over amorous Drakes but its just not nice to see.

 

[chickens really]

Get rid of the Drake wars and they do pick out certain Hens to over breed...Monkey see, Monkey do...drakes are horrid at times..One too many is a night mare......
Only time will heal them and away from them Drakes...

 

[Cackerberry]

Yes you are right. I only ever wanted one boy, and Dibley my oldest boy is lovely. One of our girls decided to sit on eggs and hatched 3, 3 years ago. She was a lovely mum which is unusual for runners. We had 2 girls and one boy, Milo, the naughty one. He is a handsome boy but I think you are right, its time for him to go. Such a shame as between September and April he is a sweetheart! Thank you for your advice

 

[chickens really]

I just swapped out my Breeding Hens and put with their mates for next year ....... My Hens are yelling their heads off and the Drakes are not really being aggressive at all...Always Drama....

 

[Miss Lydia]

Use something that doesn't have pain relief in it like Neosporin or triple antibiotic.

 

[Duckstruck]

I had a drake mate with a duck so much, she had a dislocated hip and broken leg and sadly had to be put down. We even had 5 females!
I had a vet give me some sort of thick honey paste for their scabbed heads (sorry I can't remember the details). I'm unsure if it helped or not, given the drake was still present just to ruin the process!
In the end, the drake was rehomed for practically murdering another duck. I thought 5 girls was enough, but not for that drake...

 

[Cackerberry]

Oh god thats awful! Poor girl. They really are brutal! I spend half my time out in the garden with them yelling "No Milo" and chasing him away! Don't know what the neighbours must think!! It used to be "Jedi" which was worse but he had to go for same reason! Yes the Sudocream I use is for bed sores and nappy rash and seems to put boys off for a bit and helps to heal their little heads. I am trying to find a new home for him now :/