Grouchy Duck?

[animallover94]

Okay so heres the deal. Lately one of my ducks (an 8 month old drake) has been acting very oddly. Every time I go to refill his water or food or do almost anything he tries to "nip" me and almost chases me around. He used to be the sweetest duck and would let me pet him and play with him but now all of the sudden he has turned into a very grouchy little guy. I just can't figure it out.

Any help would be GREATLY appreciated -- I want my sweet duck back!

 

[Miss Lydia]

sounds like adulthood to me, their personality can change alot, does he have girl ducks with him?

 

[DuckyMom]

Ah... I assume he is a human imprint? It sounds like he is groing up and has decided your his new mate. lucky you...

There are a few ways to handel this. Some people actually allow them to "mate" with them. Others Assert dominance by putting you hand on their back and gently pushing himdown flat when he behaves this way. It all has to do with how much your willing to put up with. I would also recomend geting him a few ladie friends. (if you dont have any already) This will let him have a more appropreate mate, and take care of those ducky hormones.

 

[AdamD77]

This is exactly the problem we had

We had two boys on their own raised by us from 5 days old and then they both started biting and holding on and shuffling on the floor trying to mate with me. We tried telling them off, tapping them on the beak, squirting them with a water mister but they weren't having any of it, so we got 4 girls

Not that I minded that solution one bit

 

[animallover94]

Thank you all for your input! DuckyMom, yes, you are right, he is a human imprint. As of now he doesn't have any female ducks in with him but it sounds like this will be the best and easiest solution.

Thanks again, everyone!

 

[animallover94]

Okay, so as it turns out we're not going to be able to get my grouchy duck any girl ducks for a while for various reasons. Any suggestions of what to do in the mean time? He is really starting to bug me, and when he bites me he hangs on until I finally pull away. It leaves a red welt or a blood blister every time. It really hurts! What should I do?

 

[AdamD77]

I just had to put up with it until we could get some girls

Basically the only thing you can do (and it's hard, I know) is to not allow him to get near you. It really does hurt doesn't it! One of my boys managed to get my lip once!

The good thing about putting up with it and getting girls in the spring (around April is good) is that the boys should have calmed down by then, and then you can raise the females to adulthood and start the process of integrating them before they get like that again

 

[Baybrio]

animallover94, My indoor disabled duck Daffy just started this recently. This has been working (sort of) for me, when he starts to bite I put my other hand on his head, I don't pull or squeeze, just lightly hold on until he lets go. I often have to do this several times if he is really intent on biting but he does stop and usually the next time I hold him he is not so bad. But hormones prevail and I need to hold his head again in a few days. I think the hand on the head and top of the neck is similar to what other ducks do to show dominance.

The other thing that works really well is wearing gloves, I don't mean huge leather gloves, but anything that is not your hand will put him off. Those thin latex exam gloves, dishwashing gloves, and my favorite the ultra cheap stretchy fuzzy gloves. He hates them all. I usually hold him while I'm catching up on BackYardChickens and I can work the mouse with any of the above mentioned gloves.

You might even try some yucky tasting hand lotion or something else non toxic - I haven't tried that yet but I have threatened him. None of these have "cured" him but aside from neutering him I'm not sure anything will. Good luck and let me know if any of these things work.

 

[sourland]

Push him firmly but gently to the ground. Hold him there until he stops resisting. When you let him up if he bites again, flip him on his back and hold him firmly to the ground. If you do not prove to him that you are dominant, his behavior will escalate. He is not "bad". He is just a frustrated male duck that is growing up. He is after all, a duck.

 

[animallover94]

Thank you all so much for your advice! Babybrio, I will definitely try your technique of putting my hand on his head and the gloves as well. If that doesn't work, it sounds like I will have to resort to firmly pressing down on his back like a few others have said. Hopefully these things will be able to hold me off until spring.

Thanks again everybody! I'll be back if I have any more questions