Hormones Racing in the Duckyard.

[rainplace]

All my ducks but the youngest hen started acting so strangely. They all started doing the bobbing, and making the come hither noises, but they also got puffy. I mean real puffy, so puffy I could see their oil glands. Is that usual? And then they would drink from the water buckets and it was like they were tipping over forwards and they would land on their chests and sit, till the next drink. All of them, all puffy like, tipping forward after a drink. Finally my new silky drake, Mario, mounted a female. But now he won't stop panting. I watched him for a good 20 minutes afterwards... let me go check... okay he's stopped now, but it was worrying the heck outa me.

So is that all normal behavior? It was certainly awesome to watch all the activity going on, but this newb here has never seen anything like it.

 

[1duckychick]

How old are they? Mine have been doing the puffy thing more each day but none of the other stuff. 1 of the males is getting slightly more aggressive too. Mine are just over 3 months and my rouen drake is a little over 1/2 way through his molt into male colors.

I'm interested to see if this is what I have to look forward too in the next month or so!

 

[Wifezilla]

That puffy display/chest bump thing is a total riot. It is normal but I was pretty freaked out the first time I saw it...