I’m so worried.... what do I do???

[Abriana]

It really isn’t a good idea to have one duck to one drake. He will overmate her and can kill her-and he will certainly try to mate the chickens. Is there a cheap way to partition off the ducks from chickens? Building a run for inside the pen of chickens for the ducks can be inexpensive.
Or you could ask someone to keep your ducks with their ducks until you have something figured out.
Sometimes we have to make sacrifices in order to care for our animals. If it is best for the chickens, you could consider selling either ducks or chickens-or allowing some one else to keep them for a while (neighbor, friend,etc) and you could see them every once in a while.
I hope everything works out and that you find a way to keep all your animals!

 

[DuckMochi]

@Mylied ViolinPlayer is right, it’s a space issue. And even if I have money, which I do, I can’t just buy stuff and out it wherever I want to in my parents house/backyard

 

[Mylied]

Ok. I don't understand the advice you wanted? You won't rehome, can't separate, can't get new ducks. So maybe find an avian vet who will castrate him. Otherwise, best wishes.

 

[WVduckchick]

I also believe they will be ok, but maybe giving Billy a spot where only she can fit, and teaching her its a safe spot? Like a box with a hole that she can go in and out of, but the pekin can't fit thru? Might take some work, but you seem to be looking for off the wall ideas, so that's mine.

 

[CayugaJana]

I’ll give you the advice another BYC’r gave me this week (and I needed it). You might have to put your big girl pants on and make a decision that you don’t like.

From what I can see your choices are:
-Somehow keeping them separated for a good portion of the time if Sunni gets out of hand.

-Keeping a close eye on them and making sure Billy is doing ok.

-Adding more girlfriends for Sunni which seems unlikely

-Seeing if someone local could swap a female for Sunni which is less than ideal since he is your pet now.

I sure feel for you. Making hard choices stink!

 

[DuckMochi]

I really appreciate all the responses I’ve gotten for this. I’ll most likely just keep an eye on them at the beginning and if I notice sunni getting too crazy then I will separate them. I’ll make sure Billy is not harmed by him, even if he has to stay away from her for months. I love sunni but he’ll have to learn some manners!

 

[CayugaJana]

I really appreciate all the responses I’ve gotten for this. I’ll most likely just keep an eye on them at the beginning and if I notice sunni getting too crazy then I will separate them. I’ll make sure Billy is not harmed by him, even if he has to stay away from her for months. I love sunni but he’ll have to learn some manners!

 

[enoryz]

Do you have a pond or a kiddie pool for them to swim in? I've read that ducks only mate in water and never seen mine try it on the land.. I had a pair of Pekins and the male was quite larger than the female and no damage was done. He did however attack my rooster and try to mate with him. I eventually got rid of the ducks but having a water source may help.

 

[lena_]

I really appreciate all the responses I’ve gotten for this. I’ll most likely just keep an eye on them at the beginning and if I notice sunni getting too crazy then I will separate them. I’ll make sure Billy is not harmed by him, even if he has to stay away from her for months. I love sunni but he’ll have to learn some manners!

I have a very small female mallard, that my mom rescued from the wild as a duckling. She was infested with parasites and multiple hungry gulls were trying to kill her. Anyway we raised her to maturity, and then decided to get her a mate. We bought a beautiful green headed mallard drake. The pair soon became inseparable, they raised two batches of gorgeous ducklings (with some human assistance, may I add) however Mr. Mallard was killed by a car, when he was walking up the road to beach in summer (We live in a rural area, with a gravel road, very close to the beach. And oh my, does it get busy in summer) Anyway on mr mallard's leg bands we had our phone number and address, so the people dropped off his body in a bag and said their apologies. Anyway now the female mallard fell into a kind of duck depression. She threw the eggs she was sitting on out of her nest. She wouldn't eat or drink for days. And because her mate was dead, no one was there to stop the other, much larger cauga, appleyard, pekin, and muscovy drakes from mating with her. My ducks live in a very large colony, so keeping them all contained to a single area isn't an option. No harm came from her being mated by larger breeds.

I completely understand how attached you get to ducks and chickens, even if your parents don't give a darn. As an introvert, and someone who suffers from anxiety I love the ducks and chickens so much. If you live close to an avian vet, you could enquire about castration. However I doubt he still won't try to mate with your duck, castration is only if your to concerned about ducklings. I've never had a drake try mate with chickens, but that might be because they've got a plenty of ducks. All in all, I doubt your drake will cause any harm to the duck, but keep an eye out for possible nesting behavior.

 

[DuckMochi]

@enoryz we don’t have a kiddie pool but a few smaller tubs that we spread around the yard. Not deep enough to swim in though. Just deep enough for them to stand in and bathe in

@Feather Hearts thank you for the response! I’m really glad someone else truly understands how I feel. I suffer from major depression and anxiety and the ducks (even the chickens) help me SO much with it. Just sitting out there with them makes me feel better and my ducks are like my therapy pets. They make me so happy! But I’ll definitely keep an eye on both of them. If I see Billy becoming unhealthy because sunni is being too rough on her then I’ll separate them and make sure Billy gets everything she needs to be ok