my pekin duck behavior

[CoriM]

One of my pekins does that as well. She gets right up by the door and as soon as I open it she wants to be pet and she flattens out her back and her tail goes up. If another duck comes up and gets attention she steps closer to me. She's sweet. Sometimes I wonder if I should get a drake so they could have their biological needs met, but I know that possibly creates its own set of problems, and they're all pretty happy right now.

 

[DuckMama 323]

One of my pekins does that as well. She gets right up by the door and as soon as I open it she wants to be pet and she flattens out her back and her tail goes up. If another duck comes up and gets attention she steps closer to me. She's sweet. Sometimes I wonder if I should get a drake so they could have their biological needs met, but I know that possibly creates its own set of problems, and they're all pretty happy right now.

Mating season is horrible most times.... my girls have bare necks, some boys never lose the hormonal drive and some can be violent and I know of a few who have killed the female, I usually seperate my males to protect the girls during mating season

 

[CoriM]

Mating season is horrible most times.... my girls have bare necks, some boys never lose the hormonal drive and some can be violent and I know of a few who have killed the female, I usually seperate my males to protect the girls during mating season

That would be hard for me to take - wish it wasn't that way.

 

[myah_jones11]

I'm curious if you have other female ducks?

i don’t. she’s the only one right now. her siblings passed when they were babies due to a upper respiratory infection i was unaware of. i’m hoping for another one soon this month but it’s really not the season

 

[DuckMama 323]

That would be hard for me to take - wish it wasn't that way.

I have been rescuing them for over 22 years and it is hard for me too, they are amazing to them when the hormones aren't raging

 

[KaleIAm]

i don’t. she’s the only one right now. her siblings passed when they were babies due to a upper respiratory infection i was unaware of. i’m hoping for another one soon this month but it’s really not the season

I'm sorry to hear about her siblings.

You might consider getting her a female friend instead of a boyfriend. It does sound to me like she's asking to be mated - that's what my girls do, too. But like Cori and DuckMama are saying, there can be complications from adding drakes. I've heard stories on here of male/female pairs where the male is described as the perfect gentleman. More often you hear stories where the females are being harassed, or worse.

My own pekin was rescued from a situation where she was being overmated by little mallards. Her neck was plucked and, her wing and tail feathers were all broken and bloody. 5 years later she still has medical issues from the excessive mating requiring surgery under anesthesia yearly.

I don't keep drakes because I need to protect my ducks and myself from those kinds of experiences. My females "mate" with each other and I think they are satisfied with each other's company.

You should do whatever you think is right for you and your duck. That might be getting her a boyfriend. That might be getting her a female friend.

 

[CoriM]

I think Kale's suggestion is a good one. A flock of girls provides great companionship and less trouble. If you end up getting a drake you also need to add several more females to keep a good ratio.