Is This early aggression or promise of a Guard duck??

[Goat_Walker]

Ok well I have one drakelet out of my white scovie babies. His name is Rex. Becasue he is very ferocious.


Rex is the kind of guy that when one of the adults starts being a bully he will stretch out his neck and his and if the adult doesnt back off he attacks. Often chasing the adult away.

Th eonly adult who doesnt back off is my scovie female ( 4 months old)

So teh other day I was watching and Dark Knight ( adult scovie female) starts beign a bully. Well rex hisses and she pecks at his head. He stretches up and pecks at her face, attacking all the time. They go back and forth , swinging necks and such. FInally my adult girl turns and Rex decides to run her off. He grabs a mouth ful of tail feathers and she turns around and pins him to the ground. I shooed her off and gave him some lovin.


Now - If I keep him as my one drake should I be worried about this behavior? Or should I stick with the largest boy that I already picked out and has less personality???

I like Rex because he actually has personality but i dont want to keep him and him turn out to be aggressive to my other ducks - especially when Dark knight im hoping will be one of his future gals.

 

[Le Canard de Barbarie]

I select my drakes based on overall health, coloring, size and feed conversion ratios. Having an aggressive drake is not a plus in my opinion. My drakes only care about their own well being, and not the flocks.

It's your call. Obviously you are concerned over personality and likeability. It's a decision that only you can make.

 

[Goat_Walker]

Color is limited around here. These are all solid white, as thats all that was available. I was looking at size, and have picked out a male who seems like he will be a good hefty size, but Im also interested in personality as you said, I dont want a drake who just sits there when a hawk or buzzard flies over.

 

[Le Canard de Barbarie]

For my purposes, white is the best color because it will result in the best looking carcass.

Are you sure a muscovy drake will defend a female or duckling from a predator? A hen with ducklings will. My drakes all try to outrun each other in their effort to find safety.

 

[Goat_Walker]

Ive heard of scovie drakes doing so. Thats also what I was wondering with his attitude now, If he would be a good defender with this attitude or it means that he will be a mean bloke.

BTW - I have absoultly NO interest in ever eating any of my ducks. Their just too fluffy for that

 

[Le Canard de Barbarie]

I think you should contact goosedragon. From his writings, he was raised on a farm with a decent size flock of muscovies.

 

[keeperofthehearth]

Are you sure a muscovy drake will defend a female or duckling from a predator? A hen with ducklings will. My drakes all try to outrun each other in their effort to find safety.

I hate to admit it, G_W, but so far this has been my experience with my drakes also.

I was quiet dissapointed in finding my drakes actually trying to use the babies/ducklings and moms as THEIR safety net esp. when I was after them in particular.
My Scovies have their very own rooster now & they listen to him when he makes alarm calls though I doubt he will physically defend them. He is young yet so......

I'd like to hear what goosedragon has to say or anyone else for that matter if they've experienced a "guard" drake.​

 

[taraann81]

A muscovy guard drake??? My 'scovie drakes are always the first to flee at times of trouble but then again perhaps they are being the navigators!

My muscovy girls will protect their own young very well. My drakes never try to be protective and if given a chance most will kill the baby ducklings themselves.

Virgil had always been great with the ducklings(3rd year of being a daddy) until one day he went on a killing spree. He killed 3, I was wondering what happened and then he picked up another by the head. It was very strange, like a scene from jurassic park, he looked like he was trying to swallow the baby whole and head first. Very dinosaur like.

I had gotten complacent because he had never harmed any in the past. I now separate all drakes. You can't trust them with the very young babies.

 

[Le Canard de Barbarie]

Quote:
Virgil would be a drake that I would like. At 18 pounds you would think that he could produce some very fast growing and large offspring.

Funny about the dinosaur comment. We were discussing how nasty ducks really could be here.

 

[Goat_Walker]

So Should I just take this as early aggression? I mean it seemed to me like he was defending the other scovie ducklings from the adults. He is sweet to me and his fellow fuzzy butts.