Help needed! Hen is bleeding from the back of neck

[ManawaGirl]

Hello-I am needing immediate help/advice about a duck problem. I have 3 drakes who just turned two, and one hen. Because my hen gets a bit too much attention from my three boys, two weekends ago I purchased 2 more adult hens the same size as my other 4. One of the new hens was easily accepted and already is a part of the flock. The problem is that the three boys are overly agressive with 'Anita', one of th new hens. At first I thought they were trying to mate with her, but after watching them for hours yesterday it's almost like poor Anita is being bullied. So much that as of yesterday she was openly bleeding from the back of her head. Anita will run and hide and almost quiver with fear from the boys. And they keep grabbing the back of her head and ripping off her scabs. I now have her isolated in a dog crate in the pen so she can try to heal, but even in there the boys are quacking at her, and biting at the dog crate, circling it constantly. So is my problem agressive mating? And will it end after spring fever? Or are they bullying her to kill her? The drakes'behavior with the already existing hen is unchanged, and the flock already accepted the other new hen. Help!! Advice needed! I don't want Anita to die.

 

[Gray Farms]

Are you 100% positive Anita is in fact a female?

 

[ManawaGirl]

Yes. When I bought her it was from an animal auction and she had laid an egg in her cage. She has laid two more for me since I've had her. I don't know what breed she is, my guess is a mixed. She is black and white splotchy, but her white feathers are stained from her blood. I am really at a loss here.

 

[Gray Farms]

Ok, eggs are a good indicator of a female lol. Not all birds get a long, just as not all people get a long. I would make her a separate pen next to the males. So that they can not get to all sides of her. She needs space that she can feel safe but the can still interact with each other. If they can still surround her its just making her more nervous and scared of them. And in time they will get used to each other. Also I would consider getting rid of one of the drakes or even two of them. Three drakes to three hens is a little excessive and will cause over mating. One drake will easily cover three hens if your looking to hatch eggs.

 

[Ashleymarie529]

Ok, eggs are a good indicator of a female lol. Not all birds get a long, just as not all people get a long. I would make her a separate pen next to the males. So that they can not get to all sides of her. She needs space that she can feel safe but the can still interact with each other. If they can still surround her its just making her more nervous and scared of them. And in time they will get used to each other. Also I would consider getting rid of one of the drakes or even two of them. Three drakes to three hens is a little excessive and will cause over mating. One drake will easily cover three hens if your looking to hatch eggs.

Rehoming two boys is the best advice I could think of too. That or get more girls again, but idk how much space you have and all that. I'd just get the 2 boys rehomed.

 

[ManawaGirl]

I think I might make her a little pen within the pen. That way she can have a bit of safe space until they get used to her? To make a long story short, our three boys are from the bargain bin at Tractor Supply and we bought them the day a family member passed to cheer us up (we have had chickens for years). So our three drakes are pretty loved and I'm almost consider rehoming Anita before I split up the boys. Has anyone heard that drakes will get exceedingly amorous in the spring? I read that about wild mallards but wasn't sure if it applies to domestic ducks. It was just so odd to me that everyone accepted 'Truvy' the other new duck, but the drakes seem to hate poor Anita. And, side note, Truvy and Anita were sold separately by different sellers. The boys and Peanut (our original girl)immediately bonded with Truvy, but Anita has been being constantly bullied/raped by tho boys.

 

[Miss Lydia]

I think I might make her a little pen within the pen. That way she can have a bit of safe space until they get used to her? To make a long story short, our three boys are from the bargain bin at Tractor Supply and we bought them the day a family member passed to cheer us up (we have had chickens for years). So our three drakes are pretty loved and I'm almost consider rehoming Anita before I split up the boys. Has anyone heard that drakes will get exceedingly amorous in the spring? I read that about wild mallards but wasn't sure if it applies to domestic ducks. It was just so odd to me that everyone accepted 'Truvy' the other new duck, but the drakes seem to hate poor Anita. And, side note, Truvy and Anita were sold separately by different sellers. The boys and Peanut (our original girl)immediately bonded with Truvy, but Anita has been being constantly bullied/raped by tho boys.

You could make 2 pens one for the girls so Anita has companionship and one for those drakes who will be breeding your other 2 constantly too. Exceedingly amorous is putting it mildly they are sex manics come breeding season only thing is it can last a long time.