Need some insight on my runners & mating!

[BlessedChaosHomestead]

Ok have 1 drake & hen Runner duck.
Backstory:
We did have 2 other males (a Rouen & Mallard). But they were dispatched before Thanksgiving.
Prior to that our runner had been alpha but then the dynamics changed & the mallard decided he was alpha. We removed him after a bit because of how he was treating our male runner. The Rouen at that point stayed loyal to whoever was in charge. lol
Well somewhere in there the Rouen took charge. Our runner became the beta. lol
So both the mallard & rouen were placed in our "tractor" with the crazed rooster.

Since then our hen doesn't care at all for our runner. She rarely will ever do the mating head bob thing with him. He will start & she will move away.
I know ducks dont mate for life but what gives; is she mourning her man? lol The eggs are rarely fertile so he's definitely not mating her like he wants.
Is it because he's just dumb? Or is she refusing to see him as alpha bc the Rouen was alpha before we removed him?

Both will be a year old in a few months.
Hubby does make him submit because he's started getting very aggressive because of his spring hormones. lol Hence why they both are now separated from the chickens because he was trying to mate a chicken & we weren't having that.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Yep mating chickens is a sure death sentence for them.

I have 1 Runner drake to 9 females and they def see him as the lead man. Maybe you should think of getting a few more females so he has a good chance of bonding with them all. Since you dispatched the other 2 drakes before Thanksgiving I wouldn't think your female would be mourning still. I'm thinking she needs some girl friends to hang out with.

 

[BlessedChaosHomestead]

Yep mating chickens is a sure death sentence for them.

I have 1 Runner drake to 9 females and they def see him as the lead man. Maybe you should think of getting a few more females so he has a good chance of bonding with them all. Since you dispatched the other 2 drakes before Thanksgiving I wouldn't think your female would be mourning still. I'm thinking she needs some girl friends to hang out with.

That's our plans but they won't be old enough for many months to join them. So sadly it will be a bit for her to have more. lol

 

[Miss Lydia]

Have you thought about finding mature ducks? Young but not ducklings?

 

[BlessedChaosHomestead]

Have you thought about finding mature ducks? Young but not ducklings?

Yes but finances atm aren't probably going to allow it price wise. (Also have not seen many people around us with runners. They're usually the other type ducks being offered.)