Gender changes temperament?

[backyardflock1]

Eggs

for some reason I just don't see my boys being able to accomplish that. If we had the room everyone would be staying.

Lol, I don't see the drakes accomplishing any egg laying either. Just as I was decided on drakes, the doubt came in and I am now thinking about ducks. I am the type of person that over researches any animal I want to get. lol

 

[backyardflock1]

Any other people have any experiences with drakes and ducks that would sway me to get a certain gender? Or if you have had both drakes and ducks, which have you known to be friendlier?

 

[smonkeySK]

It's really up to you; circumstances will affect friendliness more than gender - this includes the amount of time spent with the birds, particularly while they are very small.
But on top of this the final living situation will impact how tame they stay - adding another less friendly duck later on can make the whole flock less friendly.

My drake is a little sweetheart - he will eat from my hand but prefers to stand next to the hand while he watches his girls eat!
He is less loving than my girls but he came fully grown from somewhere where he wasn't really handled.
My girls are very friendly; but also very noisy and when it comes down to it - more aggressive with each other!

 

[EggsnQuackers]

My drakes are great. My ducks are great. In his first year my Appleyard drake was a bit aggressive toward the other drakes but he's mellowed out now. I took him to a kid's birthday party once and he did fine...eating cucumber slices from the kids' hands. Now, my birds are not pets but a few weeks ago I was doing some chores and I was able to catch him and walk around with him for a bit. He didn't fuss at all. The Appleyard hens are pretty friendly too. They are a lot louder though. My cayugas are different... they are much more flighty despite the face they were raised with the Appleyards.

 

[lissygirl]

This might help you. I ended up with a single drake by accident and have been looking into getting him a companion, but in the meantime he's living inside the house with us. I hatched him and have raised him by hand. He is almost 4 months old. As a duckling he was extremely affectionate and friendly, and very imprinted on me. I did notice as he got older that he got a little more standoff-ish and while he still likes to be in my lap and will fall asleep there, he doesn't like when I touch him. He climbs in my lap but if I try to pet him he pecks at my hands. Also, he follows me around the house but if I try to grab him (for example, to put him back in his pen) he runs away from me. Now I know this isn't due to females being around because he is alone. However, he could be lonely even though I spend a lot of time with him. But I definitely noticed significant aggression as he got older and he is VERY defensive of his territory to the extent that I can't clean his pen with him anywhere near it because he pecks at my hands. Hope this helps!!! I still love the little guy like he's my baby!!

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[backyardflock1]

This might help you. I ended up with a single drake by accident and have been looking into getting him a companion, but in the meantime he's living inside the house with us. I hatched him and have raised him by hand. He is almost 4 months old. As a duckling he was extremely affectionate and friendly, and very imprinted on me. I did notice as he got older that he got a little more standoff-ish and while he still likes to be in my lap and will fall asleep there, he doesn't like when I touch him. He climbs in my lap but if I try to pet him he pecks at my hands. Also, he follows me around the house but if I try to grab him (for example, to put him back in his pen) he runs away from me. Now I know this isn't due to females being around because he is alone. However, he could be lonely even though I spend a lot of time with him. But I definitely noticed significant aggression as he got older and he is VERY defensive of his territory to the extent that I can't clean his pen with him anywhere near it because he pecks at my hands. Hope this helps!!! I still love the little guy like he's my baby!!

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Thanks for the reply! I hope his little bit of aggression wasn't because he was male, I think I want two drakes due to their less noisiness. Other people: Let me know any other experiences between the genders.

 

[smonkeySK]

This might help you. I ended up with a single drake by accident and have been looking into getting him a companion, but in the meantime he's living inside the house with us. I hatched him and have raised him by hand. He is almost 4 months old. As a duckling he was extremely affectionate and friendly, and very imprinted on me. I did notice as he got older that he got a little more standoff-ish and while he still likes to be in my lap and will fall asleep there, he doesn't like when I touch him. He climbs in my lap but if I try to pet him he pecks at my hands. Also, he follows me around the house but if I try to grab him (for example, to put him back in his pen) he runs away from me. Now I know this isn't due to females being around because he is alone. However, he could be lonely even though I spend a lot of time with him. But I definitely noticed significant aggression as he got older and he is VERY defensive of his territory to the extent that I can't clean his pen with him anywhere near it because he pecks at my hands. Hope this helps!!! I still love the little guy like he's my baby!!

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If it helps any, I had/have a similar situation with the female I raised as a lone duckling.
She slept on us and loved to be picked up, fussed and fretted over.
But as time went by she hit the awkward teen stage (at about 14weeks) - then wanted nothing to do with mum and dad; it was too embarassing to be seen with us apparently!
She got over this after a few weeks. It was horrible at first but ducks grow so fast that it was over before we knew it.

Things aren't the same as before though; she's an adult duck now, so she expects a little respect!
Holding is tolerated but she won't be happy about it when you put her down (huff is the best term ).
Stroking is ok if she has initiated by grooming me or by peeping at me almost like a duckling.
She still likes to follow me round and sit on my lap when she can too.

The aggression started in the teen phase too - so his age may well be your issue. It was mainly food possesive behaviour in my case - she was living outside with her new friends at that point tho; so she took the territorial disputes to them instead (2 campbells twice her size and a bunch of chickens!).
Be warned though; to this day there are times when my little princess kicks off at old daddy, and must she have her own way! The clue is in the statement there - my partner and I made a rod for our own backs by doting on her so much when she was younger; we created a little monster! She considers us her equal at best and all other fowl are her minions who must fear her and with whom she won't share the toys (except for her 2 daughters who get away with murder!)

So you probably have the equivalent of a spoiled little princess, that's right, a spoiled little brat

I don't know what to say, other than that there are times I could strangle my darling duck; but I wouldn't change her for the world all the same!
Good luck, tho I fear it's already too late for that

 

[backyardflock1]

If it helps any, I had/have a similar situation with the female I raised as a lone duckling.
She slept on us and loved to be picked up, fussed and fretted over.
But as time went by she hit the awkward teen stage (at about 14weeks) - then wanted nothing to do with mum and dad; it was too embarassing to be seen with us apparently!
She got over this after a few weeks. It was horrible at first but ducks grow so fast that it was over before we knew it.

Things aren't the same as before though; she's an adult duck now, so she expects a little respect!
Holding is tolerated but she won't be happy about it when you put her down (huff is the best term ).
Stroking is ok if she has initiated by grooming me or by peeping at me almost like a duckling.
She still likes to follow me round and sit on my lap when she can too.

The aggression started in the teen phase too - so his age may well be your issue. It was mainly food possesive behaviour in my case - she was living outside with her new friends at that point tho; so she took the territorial disputes to them instead (2 campbells twice her size and a bunch of chickens!).
Be warned though; to this day there are times when my little princess kicks off at old daddy, and must she have her own way! The clue is in the statement there - my partner and I made a rod for our own backs by doting on her so much when she was younger; we created a little monster! She considers us her equal at best and all other fowl are her minions who must fear her and with whom she won't share the toys (except for her 2 daughters who get away with murder!)

So you probably have the equivalent of a spoiled little princess, that's right, a spoiled little brat

I don't know what to say, other than that there are times I could strangle my darling duck; but I wouldn't change her for the world all the same!
Good luck, tho I fear it's already too late for that

Thanks for the reply! I guess I will wait for the bumps in the road at the teen stage when I get the ducks. I think I have decided on two Pekin drakes. I am not going to lie, I probably will spoil and hug them