ruthhope
Free Ranging
My son's pekin drake has been very mean to my son's muscovy female. The drake was very happy with his two pekin females. We introduced the muscovy at the end of December, with see not touch for 4 days. The drake immediately started shooing her away when she was allowed to mingle with the pekins. So he went into drake jail for a couple of says, in a large dog crate. We partitioned off a quarter of the coop for the drake and the females were all big pals within a week. The drake still shooed away the muscovy when they were out in the yard. We took to letting the girls out for an hour of girl time before letting the drake out. And when he was seen to be very mean, he went into time out in his section of the coop for 10 minutes.
In the coop, the muscovy was doing her part to win over the drake -- she was up close to the barrier, and taking food that had dropped from the drake's food bowl onto the barrier so her bill was very close to the drakes. She was also flattening her back and cocking up her tail in the wading pool -- she was clearly willing, but not the drake. He would mount her but then peck her head very hard .
Then I modified the roof of my son's duck coop -- which had been flat, made from sheets of corrugate iron and corrugated plastic. The design flaw was that the rain pooled on the plastic and Florida sun made the plastic very brittle. So I made the roof curved and covered with a tarp. It's lighter than the old roof and definitely stronger. Unfortunately, the drake can now get over the barrier between his compartment and the girls' compartment as he has enough flight and jump to clear the barrier now he has headroom from the domed roof. When I got there 2 days ago, I really thought the drake was killing the muscovy, and I think the muscovy thought so too. I had her out and in my arms immediately and after she had bathed in the wading pool, carried her around for the morning. My son and I decided that we would have to rehome his drake to my flock of all drakes.
I really don't understand why my son's drake and Sprout_Garden's drakes are behaving the way they are. My son's drake is really nice with the pekin females, and is very mellow with me. I have no trouble lifting him into his compartment in the coop every night, and although he isn't a cuddly duck he is cool about being stroked after he has been lifted into his compartment.
I have the drake at my house now -- in the see no touch period with my drakes. As it is very cold weather and he cannot go into the coop, he is sleeping in a large dog crate in my Florida room. He was shouting all last evening, most of today and again this evening for his girls. My drakes all stayed with him outside during the day -- they recognized him as one of their own and didn't go off on their ducky adventures, but hung around his crate. But he still called out for his girls. It's heartbreaking listening to him, but it was very upsetting when he was trying to kill he sweet little muscovy.
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From my experience Sprout_Garden, I think you will have to rehome your drake. It wouldn't be kind to keep him separate in jake jail for months. He needs company just not the ducks he is attacking.
In the coop, the muscovy was doing her part to win over the drake -- she was up close to the barrier, and taking food that had dropped from the drake's food bowl onto the barrier so her bill was very close to the drakes. She was also flattening her back and cocking up her tail in the wading pool -- she was clearly willing, but not the drake. He would mount her but then peck her head very hard .
Then I modified the roof of my son's duck coop -- which had been flat, made from sheets of corrugate iron and corrugated plastic. The design flaw was that the rain pooled on the plastic and Florida sun made the plastic very brittle. So I made the roof curved and covered with a tarp. It's lighter than the old roof and definitely stronger. Unfortunately, the drake can now get over the barrier between his compartment and the girls' compartment as he has enough flight and jump to clear the barrier now he has headroom from the domed roof. When I got there 2 days ago, I really thought the drake was killing the muscovy, and I think the muscovy thought so too. I had her out and in my arms immediately and after she had bathed in the wading pool, carried her around for the morning. My son and I decided that we would have to rehome his drake to my flock of all drakes.
I really don't understand why my son's drake and Sprout_Garden's drakes are behaving the way they are. My son's drake is really nice with the pekin females, and is very mellow with me. I have no trouble lifting him into his compartment in the coop every night, and although he isn't a cuddly duck he is cool about being stroked after he has been lifted into his compartment.
I have the drake at my house now -- in the see no touch period with my drakes. As it is very cold weather and he cannot go into the coop, he is sleeping in a large dog crate in my Florida room. He was shouting all last evening, most of today and again this evening for his girls. My drakes all stayed with him outside during the day -- they recognized him as one of their own and didn't go off on their ducky adventures, but hung around his crate. But he still called out for his girls. It's heartbreaking listening to him, but it was very upsetting when he was trying to kill he sweet little muscovy.
.
From my experience Sprout_Garden, I think you will have to rehome your drake. It wouldn't be kind to keep him separate in jake jail for months. He needs company just not the ducks he is attacking.
