How much should we manage duck mating?

[cflory]

I have raised small groups of ducks for a few years and am always disturbed by how drakes mate. I have one drake with four hens that is on the smaller side and not as aggressive as other drakes I’ve had. Sometimes I wonder though, when he chases them, and they sometimes don’t want to mate, if being forced is a big deal to them. They act like it is, but I also understand that we as humans tend to view it the same way we view human consent which is way different. It is in the mallard species’ favor that males have aggressive traits, and nature does not have moral laws, but as caregivers of these animals, how much should we be responsible for? I intentionally only have one drake with the hens, and I try to keep the ratio evened out, but there’s still going to be times when one of the hens does not want to mate and the drake does. As we all know, similar situations with chickens happen all the time. I’m just curious what other people have to say about this because it’s something I can’t wrap my head around, and drakes are just so mean!

 

[Jenbirdee]

It helps a little if you have more females right now I have one Drake with 13 girls. And I also have four more girls, but those are 11 years old and I keep them separate because they really really don’t like the Drake lol
Until recently, I had two drakes and I love them both, but the older one was less aggressive so I rehomed the younger one because they were ganging up on one of my duck hens - which can be dangerous, especially in the pool, sometimes the girls get drowned.
When I first got Ducks about 12 years ago, My daughter still lived at home and was a teenager. She would run out in the yard, screaming and yelling at the Drake every time she saw him trying to hold a girl down, especially under the water.
If I’m out there and see activity that looks unwanted, I will usually spray them with the hose if I have it available to break them up but most of the time I’m not there so., they do what they do. I just feel more comfortable now only having one Drake , with a lot of girls.

 

[cflory]

It helps a little if you have more females right now I have one Drake with 13 girls. And I also have four more girls, but those are 11 years old and I keep them separate because they really really don’t like the Drake lol
Until recently, I had two drakes and I love them both, but the older one was less aggressive so I rehomed the younger one because they were ganging up on one of my duck hens - which can be dangerous, especially in the pool, sometimes the girls get drowned.
When I first got Ducks about 12 years ago, My daughter still lived at home and was a teenager. She would run out in the yard, screaming and yelling at the Drake every time she saw him trying to hold a girl down, especially under the water.
If I’m out there and see activity that looks unwanted, I will usually spray them with the hose if I have it available to break them up but most of the time I’m not there so., they do what they do. I just feel more comfortable now only having one Drake , with a lot of girls.

Thanks for your response. I think that’s a good idea to just have a lot of hens. I’m likely going to get more because I’ve realized how much more practical they are than chickens in the winter and what great layers they are. Seriously, besides the drake issues, ducks are very underrated

 

[Vicker]

We used to have 30 ducks, 2 being drakes. They'd both get on one female in the middle of the stock tank where I couldn't do a thing to save her. I was afraid they'd drown her. Now with just chickens, I don't like to see my one rooster start chasing hens as soon as their feet hit the ground in the morning. They're clearly not receptive. I think it's stressful to them. He's still young, so I'm hoping he cools his jets over time.