My duckis are fighting HELP!!!!!

[jak2002003]

Please can anyone help me with a problem I am having with my ducks. I had 3 ducks and 2 drakes for a few months living free range on a large pond. Everything was perfect. Lots of eggs to eat and no fightling.

I decided to let one duck hatch some eggs. She hatched 5 ducklings. Everything went great. Still no fighting. The babies grew up and are now young adults (not yet producing eggs).

One day the boss drake decided he hated the young guys. He really attacks them and drives them away. They spend all their time hiding away from the lake in some bushes. He goes looking for them by himself and attacks them. Now the other drake has decided this is fun and joins in. They are really rough with them and if then are in teh water I worry they will drown one when they both pile on top.

Will this eventually stop? I want them all to live as one large flock. All the new ones are females. They have become so shy now. They have even become afraid of my chickens and won't eat any food if they are there. Will they eventually get braver and stand up for themselves? Perhaps when they start to lay eggs they will want to be with the drakes?

Help please!

 

[Dances with Ducks]

Poor little girls! Could you pen the drakes for a while to see how the dynamics change? After the young ones regain some sense of safety let out the less dominant drake. You may in the end decide you don't want to have that aggressive drake.

 

[Wifezilla]

Some drakes are big jerks. You may want to eat him and find a NICER one. Seriously. So many people are trying to get rid of excess drakes. No need to keep a bully.

Now I could understand if the new ducks were males, but if he is bullying the females...I might consider the stew pot as his new home.

Separating him out to see if his attitude changes is worth a try though.

 

[kcardella]

I agree completely with Wifezilla

 

[Violet22]

Me too! I agree with Wifezilla. I just got rid of my bully drake, he was only beating up on my other drake, but he was very nasty about it and I was afraid my other drake would get seriously hurt or worse.
I have 4 females now and just one drake........wow........they are SO much more friendlier now with the bully gone, and they seem to be much happier. At feeding time, they wouldn't come near me or use their swimming pool with me around. Now, they come up to me, are swimming with me in there........I think the one drake was keeping them all away from me.
I felt really bad for the other drake, he was very stressed when I separated him, it was sad, since he was just being a duck, but he went to a really good home and I am hoping he will be happy. I didn't think anyone would want a drake and he would become stew, but fortunately he isn't!
I've had to get rid of a bully goat, and even a bully goldfish.........things are much nicer without bullies around..........for everyone, me and the critters!