Mating

[The Howards]

Just a quick question. (I looked for a thread about this and didn't find one) Apparently it is mating season and the ducks are getting in the mood. Unfortunately for our ducks they are all girls. This of course does not stop them from attempting the process. Today after changing the pool water they went at it. When it was over our Pekin (she was in the female position in the lovin) had two red spots on her skin with feathers missing on both sides of her neck where the "male" was pulling on her feathers. Is this a normal occurrence or was this session abnormally rough?
Please note the dark dots is where she was playing in the mud when I discovered the boo-boo. I brought her inside, cleaned it, and put antibiotic ointment on it. Her feathers cover it so I am not worried about one of the chickens seeing it and going after it.

 

[Amiga]

This is not entirely unusual. You may want to separate her for a day or two, just to give the wound time to heal without anyone picking on it.

My all-girl runner flock would play hop on top quite a bit in the spring, but we never have more than a few pinched feathers. Now we have a sub-flock of buffs, and there is a drake. He has been "surfing" a bit this past week, and we have no injuries so far. We have only had three of the buffs since last fall.

There are many, many stories of drakes being rough, but I hear very few about females being so rough.

 

[The Howards]

Thanks. They have been going at each other for a few months, since they started laying. But I have noticed odd behavior when I let them out, kinda like they are announcing to the world and any males around that they are out and available. There have been pulled feathers before but nothing like this.

 

[Rosepath Garden]

Ok this sounds a little crazy, but I have waited quietly in a shadow and when my girls try to do the surfing I toss a small bucket of water at them.
They learn their bad behavior has consequences. I have also sprayed with the hose just not actually hitting them.

 

[Going Bhonkers]

Ok this sounds a little crazy, but I have waited quietly in a shadow and when my girls try to do the surfing I toss a small bucket of water at them.
They learn their bad behavior has consequences. I have also sprayed with the hose just not actually hitting them.

I dont think you really need to curb their surfing since its not really "bad", its their instinct to mate, even if there isn't a male around. Sometimes they'll mate each other to establish dominance / hierarchy within their flock. But I do agree that if they do get too rough, to separate the injured duck to allow time for her to heal.