Male duck being a bully!

[KentuckyDuckMomma]

I’ve had two runner ducks since they’re were babies in April. I was worried about him overbreeding her and creating stress so I ended up getting getting two Cayuga females (they’re a year and a half). He was picking at them both when I first brought them in but now, he’s ONLY doing the bigger one (white on her wings), he’s taken the other one in. He is constantly coming at her and picking at her with his bill.. she won’t even get in the pool now because he “attacks” her. It’s been since September/beginning of October and he just doesn’t quit so now I’m super worried about her. There’s no feathers pulled out or anything like that but it’s just the fact that he does it only to her and I’m not sure why or what to do for her. I have three small ducklings in the house right now that’ll go out in the spring so I’m slightly concerned how he’s going to be towards them too

 

[Miss Lydia]

Have you tried separating him with just this duck and see how he acts toward her? My Runner drake was bad to pick on My Fawn and White Runner which didn't hatch with him and his females she actually came 3 yrs later to the flock. He would put his head down and chase her away or pop her if she got too close. She would just keep her distance from him. He still doesn't really care that much for her but at least now she is allowed to hang out with the rest. I just wonder if you can put just these 2 together and see how it goes maybe he would begin to accept her. Do they have time during the day to forage or are they in a pen continuously? I don't think it would have worked for me to have had mine penned up they have a little over half acre fenced so my Fawn and While had plenty of room to stay away.

 

[artbykarenehaley]

How many square feet of space do they have?
Can you provide a second pool? Do you have multiple feed stations? Some animals resource guard if they perceive that there's only so much to go around.

There are pecking orders in every flock, and it sounds like unfortunately this hen is at the bottom.

I would not be surprised if he actually changes his tune once breeding season rolls around. A male would in theory want to have all the ladies in his harem.

Someone else may know the duck square foot requirements but I don't.

Hoping you can find a solution for your flock! The Cayuga he is picking on is so pretty it's a shame he's being a bit rude to her.

 

[KentuckyDuckMomma]

How many square feet of space do they have?
Can you provide a second pool? Do you have multiple feed stations? Some animals resource guard if they perceive that there's only so much to go around.

There are pecking orders in every flock, and it sounds like unfortunately this hen is at the bottom.

I would not be surprised if he actually changes his tune once breeding season rolls around. A male would in theory want to have all the ladies in his harem.

Someone else may know the duck square foot requirements but I don't.

Hoping you can find a solution for your flock! The Cayuga he is picking on is so pretty it's a shame he's being a bit rude to her.

I have them in a 10x10 dog kennel but I just bought two more panels to extend it to place another pool in it. They never slowly met. My brother in law threw the two new ones in with the two I raised and said they’ll do just fine but he’s just only going after the one.

I also have three more ducklings right now and I’m not sure how I’m going to get them to live together. I let them all free range in my yard yesterday and my male and the female he doesn’t like both tried to go after them! I don’t have two duck houses, they all share one so I’m not sure how I could separate them

 

[ruthhope]

Put the drake in drake jail -- separate from the females. He should sleep separately [perhaps in a dog crate] and have a separate area to forage in during the day, preferably where he can see but not touch the females. Leave the pool in the area that the females have so that it is their pool. He needs long enough separate from the pool and the females for the females to establish ownership. Maybe a month. If he has been separate and unable to see the females in drake jail, he needs to be reintroduced slowly with see no touch initially. Then put the dog crate in the females area and use it for time out. If the drake starts to bully or attack a female. Pick him up and put him straight into the dogcrate for 5 minutes. Be prepared to keep putting him in the dog crate until he stops the bullying.

What sex are the ducklings? Beware of introducing male ducklings. When you introduce the ducklings in the spring, do it slowly with see no touch initially. Keep them separate at night [may be in a dog crate in the coop] for longer than they are separate during the day. Only when you are happy with their acceptance intot he flock, let them sleep with the ohter ducks at night