My drake has become aggressive towards me

[MegBabler]

I have two ducks, a Drake and a hen and they are almost a year old. The male has recently started becoming aggressive towards me and I assume that’s because my hen started laying eggs a couple months ago. I have read that I need to show my dominance over him and gently pin him down when he does come at me. However, he only does that when I’m turned away from him, and if I turn back towards him, he runs. So I don’t know how to stop him from attacking the back of my legs if he flees when I get in a position to grab him. He is a runner duck so he is quick. He also doesn’t attempt this every time I turn my back, is fine if I’m facing him/around him, and he seems to only attempt this when I’m headed out of the duck run. Any advice? Is there a better way? I’m sorry if this is a silly question

 

[KathiQuacks]

Usually this behavior occurs because the drake thinks you’re part of the flock & starts seeing you as competition / as a potential partner.

There’s a lot of recommended ways to stop this behavior. Pinning is one. Picking up and carrying around is another. I could see how those would be hard if you can’t actually catch him, lol.
You could also try ignoring him - don’t interact with him, but don’t run away, either. Pretend he’s not even there. Walk “through” him.
Some methods will work with one drake, but not with another. Or, it may only work temporarily. You’ll have to test around and see what’s best for your boy.
Whatever you choose, be consistent, and don’t back down.

You may also want to get a few more hens so he can focus his attention elsewhere.

 

[MegBabler]

Usually this behavior occurs because the drake thinks you’re part of the flock & starts seeing you as competition / as a potential partner.

There’s a lot of recommended ways to stop this behavior. Pinning is one. Picking up and carrying around is another. I could see how those would be hard if you can’t actually catch him, lol.
You could also try ignoring him - don’t interact with him, but don’t run away, either. Pretend he’s not even there. Walk “through” him.
Some methods will work with one drake, but not with another. Or, it may only work temporarily. You’ll have to test around and see what’s best for your boy.
Whatever you choose, be consistent, and don’t back down.

You may also want to get a few more hens so he can focus his attention elsewhere.

Yeah, he definitely thinks he’s tough until I turn around since he runs off when he’s acting like that and I turn around, it has made me more nervous around him since I know he’s going to do it when I can’t see him. I am going to try out your third option! I’m sure he feels my nervous energy so ignoring him/walking through him may help! Thank you so much!

 

[ruthhope]

Yeah, he definitely thinks he’s tough until I turn around since he runs off when he’s acting like that and I turn around, it has made me more nervous around him since I know he’s going to do it when I can’t see him. I am going to try out your third option! I’m sure he feels my nervous energy so ignoring him/walking through him may help! Thank you so much!

I have a rescued muscovy drake who started attacking me from behind at the beginning of his second year. I read the advice and did the pinning down. it was awful and it did no good. My drake was stirred up by male hormone surges on top of his prior experience that left him near drowned as a little fluffy and needing rescuing. I hated the pinning down more than he apparently did, and so I tried picking him up and holding him until he had settled down. He hates being handled!! When I didn't have time to pick him up and wait for calm, I took him and dropped him in our wading pool. He hates water!! I used the picking up, and dropping him in water, during his third year, and less frequently in his fourth year. He is now in his fifth year and hasn't as yet attacked me once. He is like all my boys, he follows me round when I am in the back yard, telling me all about it. He comes when I call from the gate or patio door. He waits for me by the garden gate at bedtime. When I am cuddling my one cuddly drake, he is right there watching, just out of easy touching reach, telling me all about it.

I think he has over the years just grown out of attacking me. Carrying him until he calmed down, and dropping him in water made no difference to his behavior. I just felt better about carrying him than pinning him down. I definitely felt better about dropping him in water!!!!

So, I counsel against pinning down. You might carry a pool noodle to ward off attacks -- whacking with a pool noodle wont hurt him, but will stop an attack if waved right in front of his advancing face. Respond to him as you feel comfortable: picking up if you are able and have time, or dropping him in your wading pool. I have also picked up my boy and left him stood on top of a round concrete picnic table in the back yard. He was too shocked to know how to get down!!! And take heart from knowing that this behavior will taper off around August--sooner if you are lucky--as his hormones cool down.

I have a second drake that bites me every spring [this is his fifth spring]. I rescued him probably the day after he hatched -- he was found alone, running around a parking lot, in the dark, in a rainstorm, in danger of being washed down a storm drain. He came to me the next day almost dead. I hand raised him and I wasn't able to get other ducklings of appropriate size to keep him company until he was 6 weeks old. So, he is tightly bonded with me. He thinks he should live in the house and not in the coop with ducks!! He takes every and any opportunity to try and sneak in the house. And every spring he starts biting me. It's not an attack from behind. He will often flatten himself in front of me, and then come and bite me. He doesn't actually try and mate me. But he's demanding attention. I try to give him 5 minutes every day sitting down on a step with him at my side having a cuddle. He is blissfully happy with that. when I am busy, and it's not cuddle time, I have to walk with a stick to keep him from biting my shins and calves. He is NOT intimidated by a pool noodle. He likes being picked up, so that doesn't help, and he loves baths, so dropping him in the wading pool doesn't work as he just comes straight back and tries to bite me again. The only thing that works with that boy is a stout stick waved directly in front of his face!! I will not ever try pinning him down, but I suspect he would like it: at this time of year, he often flattens himself and shakes his tail feathers in front of me, prior to trying to bite me!! It's definitely his drake hormones giving him [and me] trouble. So as @KathiQuacks advised, there is no one way of managing drake biting. What works varies with the drake and with what the duck-mama/papa is comfortable with

 

[Zenmonkey]

I've never found pinning or carrying to deter chickens or ducks (or geese for that matter).

A squirt gun might work, if you're a pretty good shot. Carrying a 3 foot stick / dowel rod / net/ etc might work, as you can use it to stand them off or push them away. This seems to confuse them as opposed to challenging them.

In some cases I've found increased aggression to be an early symptom of a bird becoming soup. In your case, you've only got two ducks, and they sound like they're closer to pets than to livestock, so this probably isn't a great option.

Most likely in about 6 months as the light wanes he'll become more docile regardless of what you do.

 

[MegBabler]

I have a rescued muscovy drake who started attacking me from behind at the beginning of his second year. I read the advice and did the pinning down. it was awful and it did no good. My drake was stirred up by male hormone surges on top of his prior experience that left him near drowned as a little fluffy and needing rescuing. I hated the pinning down more than he apparently did, and so I tried picking him up and holding him until he had settled down. He hates being handled!! When I didn't have time to pick him up and wait for calm, I took him and dropped him in our wading pool. He hates water!! I used the picking up, and dropping him in water, during his third year, and less frequently in his fourth year. He is now in his fifth year and hasn't as yet attacked me once. He is like all my boys, he follows me round when I am in the back yard, telling me all about it. He comes when I call from the gate or patio door. He waits for me by the garden gate at bedtime. When I am cuddling my one cuddly drake, he is right there watching, just out of easy touching reach, telling me all about it.

I think he has over the years just grown out of attacking me. Carrying him until he calmed down, and dropping him in water made no difference to his behavior. I just felt better about carrying him than pinning him down. I definitely felt better about dropping him in water!!!!

So, I counsel against pinning down. You might carry a pool noodle to ward off attacks -- whacking with a pool noodle wont hurt him, but will stop an attack if waved right in front of his advancing face. Respond to him as you feel comfortable: picking up if you are able and have time, or dropping him in your wading pool. I have also picked up my boy and left him stood on top of a round concrete picnic table in the back yard. He was too shocked to know how to get down!!! And take heart from knowing that this behavior will taper off around August--sooner if you are lucky--as his hormones cool down.

I have a second drake that bites me every spring [this is his fifth spring]. I rescued him probably the day after he hatched -- he was found alone, running around a parking lot, in the dark, in a rainstorm, in danger of being washed down a storm drain. He came to me the next day almost dead. I hand raised him and I wasn't able to get other ducklings of appropriate size to keep him company until he was 6 weeks old. So, he is tightly bonded with me. He thinks he should live in the house and not in the coop with ducks!! He takes every and any opportunity to try and sneak in the house. And every spring he starts biting me. It's not an attack from behind. He will often flatten himself in front of me, and then come and bite me. He doesn't actually try and mate me. But he's demanding attention. I try to give him 5 minutes every day sitting down on a step with him at my side having a cuddle. He is blissfully happy with that. when I am busy, and it's not cuddle time, I have to walk with a stick to keep him from biting my shins and calves. He is NOT intimidated by a pool noodle. He likes being picked up, so that doesn't help, and he loves baths, so dropping him in the wading pool doesn't work as he just comes straight back and tries to bite me again. The only thing that works with that boy is a stout stick waved directly in front of his face!! I will not ever try pinning him down, but I suspect he would like it: at this time of year, he often flattens himself and shakes his tail feathers in front of me, prior to trying to bite me!! It's definitely his drake hormones giving him [and me] trouble. So as @KathiQuacks advised, there is no one way of managing drake biting. What works varies with the drake and with what the duck-mama/papa is comfortable with

Thank you for sharing your experiences I definitely think it will be trial and error with Splash. It’s confusing because if I am facing him/around him and he hasn’t attempted to attack from behind, he’s completely fine. If he does attempt it and I turn to face him, he bolts. Would I try chasing him down to pick him up? He also hates being picked up, so that will make it even more difficult when he’s already waddling away as fast as he can. I forgot to mention that he’s a runner duck so he’s already pretty quick. That was probably important to mention

 

[MegBabler]

I've never found pinning or carrying to deter chickens or ducks (or geese for that matter).

A squirt gun might work, if you're a pretty good shot. Carrying a 3 foot stick / dowel rod / net/ etc might work, as you can use it to stand them off or push them away. This seems to confuse them as opposed to challenging them.

In some cases I've found increased aggression to be an early symptom of a bird becoming soup. In your case, you've only got two ducks, and they sound like they're closer to pets than to livestock, so this probably isn't a great option.

Most likely in about 6 months as the light wanes he'll become more docile regardless of what you do.

With him being a runner duck, the squirt gun seems like a good option to try! He bolts when I turn around so that sounds like it may be effective. He’s completely fine any other time I’m around him. It seems to be only when I’m headed out of their run and it’s not every time even. He’s a confusing guy, but I’m determined to find something that works for us. I appreciate your suggestions