I got my Muscovy Ivan in June when he was several days old. I kept him with 4 silkies and polish chickens that were his exact same age. He was kind of like their big brother as they got older, since he was so much bigger. By late summer, they were free ranging with the general population of 15 chickens, plus 3 Pekins who showed no interest in him and vice versa. Ivan seemed kind of lonely, like he wanted to be around somebody that looked like him, though he continued to hang out with the silkies (both polishes died
) and roost with them. But then when he was around 2 1/2 months old, he started trying to mate some of my big chickens. He was just brutal, so I segregated Ivan from the chickens, alternating who got the pen and who got to free range. I got Ivan a beautiful muscovy hen friend, about a year old, to help satisfuly his lustful impulses, but though they stay in a pen together all day, he shows no interest in her. But as soon as I let him out of the pen, he is trying to mount the chickens, sending the roosters and everyone else into a total frenzy. When Ivan is not with the chickens, he quacks his whispering quack incessantly. He'll even follow me around and nib at my shoes or my pants leg. It doesn't strike me as particularly aggessive (I've been handling him every single day since he was a peep) but I don't know what it means. I'm not sure what to do, other than keeping him separated from the chickens for their safety. Is this behavior because of his age or maybe what he sees as breeding season? Is he miserable? Do I need to give him a harem of muscovy hens? I had a really hard time finding Muscovies old enough to sex and be mating this fall. If more hens are the answer, is it OK to get another breed? Also, I tried to put all the ducks together. The pekins were annoyed because they view it as their pen at night. But Ivan went hysterical, flapping and flailing around. I've never seen him like that. Any suggestions would be really appreciated. I love Ivan; he's a good duck. I hate to see him so frustrated.
