Need Duck advice ASAP!!!!

[Lamae]

Hi,
So we have 4 mallards that we got last Easter. They were just about 3-4 weeks old so we kept them close & warm until they were big enough to release to our neighborhood pond. We realized shortly after the release that we have 2 Drakes & 2 hens. They were thriving, eating well, swimming, surviving any wildlife that might be a threat. We started noticing one of the females feathers looking a little sparse & she was always on her own. Never in the water w/the others. We also started noticing one of the Drakes being very aggressive w/her. This aggressive behavior has gotten so bad that the male will not allow this female in the water at all! He's the reason she's loosing all her feathers. We thought they were mating because my kids ran home saying he was on top of her in the water trying to "drowned" her. We laughed & said no they are just making babies. Well tonight I witnessed what we thought was mating but the Drake was so violent towards her & held her under water for a few minutes. My kids were crying & screaming I finally went in after her (crazy I know!!) Anyway this is our first time having ducks but I've now brought the poor hen home until I figure out what to do.
We've really fallen in love with this particular hen & don't want anything to happen to her! Should we find a new home for that Drake or what? Please help!! Can't keep her in our backyard very long!

 

[QuackerJackFarms]

Could you get more hens? Otherwise I'd get rid of the Drake.

 

[QuackerJackFarms]

Oh and

!! I just noticed you're a new egg.

Is there any type of shelter at this pond for the ducks? Because if there's nothing for them to be locked up in, it's just a matter of time before something finds the "meal ticket".

 

[ChristineR]

If they're mallards, don't they migrate? Did they stay all year?

I, too, recommend getting more females. It might not be easy to rehome the drake if he can just fly back.

A good book for duck owners is Storey's Guide to Raising Ducks by Dave Holderread. Lots of good info in there.

http://www.amazon.com/Storeys-Guide...=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1328849903&sr=1-1

 

[EmAbTo48]

Sounds like a mating/territorial issue. Who knows what she could have done if she mated with another drake it could have set him off. Mallards are pretty violent during mating season just like my doemestic ducks my one drake will chase and chase 2 of my hens around till they are exhausted and give up

Not much we can do. Are these mallards clipped? They should migrate if not.

 

[jamband]

A few more hens or do something with one male..They need more than one girl.