Indian Runner Ducks mating

[ChuckieJoe]

I have 9 Indian Runner ducks. One of them is a few months older than the other 8. Recently she has been following some of my chickens, pointing her bill at the ground, and bobbing her head up and down, and making a strange quack.

I'm pretty sure that she's a female, because she quacks a lot, and I heard that male Indian Runners do not quack.

So why is she following my hens and acting that way?

And now some of the younger ducks are starting to act strange. :EEK:

 

[Miss Lydia]

My Runners were doing this at 4 months old they must sexually mature younger. My Muscovy's are always 9 months before I see any mating. She is doing the mating come on if she is turning her head to one side and doing this. They did to each other [girls] and to my geese and my Runner drake too. I have no idea why she is doing this to your hens. lol They can be goofy when coming into mating age.

 

[ChuckieJoe]

Runners are always goofy. That's why I have them.

They're standing outside my window now, staring at me.

 

[Miss Lydia]

If they could talk they would say "what's up"

 

[Ducktown]

They are goofy aren't they! They like to camp under the window here as well, checking for any movement and then they start quacking and calling.
My runners are now almost 4 months old and two drakes are acting increasingly sex driven.
They jump into the pond and start jumping and 'growling', occasionally trying to jump on one another (2 drakes) and they try to impress 3 ladies that are not yet interested. I don't know their age, but they must be there somewhere, because they were fully feathered up when I got them, and at that time, my two drakes were also feathering up. Duck ladies must be a bit slower than drakes, I guess, or perhaps it's just their diet.

Here they are... Sadly, I didn't get the larger drake to cooperate. He's magnificent and does much louder sound when he shows off like that (at around 00:51 sec).

 

[chickens really]

That behaviour is being Bossy....My Older Duck Hens do that to the younger Ducks or the ones bellow them...Sometimes they also do it as a greeting.....

 

[Ducktown]

When they go into the water, the two drakes start doing it. Usually after 3 or 4 times, they stop. The black one in the video makes much less noise and doesn't get as high as the 'wild mallard' looking drake, but usually still jumps around when the other drake starts preening his feathers. They sometimes swim in circles, the black one usually ends up behind and the larger drake wins the show
They are really interesting to watch!

 

[Ducktown]

And I have one question regarding the ducks that start showing signs of mating ritual. Do hens, when they start mating also start laying eggs? Which comes first, the mating or the first eggs, hidden in the thickest bush.

I have not seen any eggs and the ducks are around 4 months old. Drakes started sweet talking the ladies a while ago, but now I noticed one of the hens responded. Hen and a drake where head to head together and the female duck chatted quite a lot. strangely, she picked the smaller drake. It might have been just a conversation though, but I've never seen them doing that. It did not seem to be an aggressive behavior or a domination manifest of any kind. When I came closer, they just turned towards me, stopped chatting and start preening their feathers.

 

[chickens really]

They breed first ......

 

[Ducktown]

So I can expect them (or the one..) to start laying soon. I will go get them oyster shells as a calcium supplement then. I thought they will most likely skip the laying this season, because of all the autumn-ish weather we have and their young age. I'll see if they will show more signs and get them calcium. Thank you