New Agressive Behavior?

[Neysa]

I have a Pekin (Puddles) hen that is about 4 months old and a Black Runner drake that someone gave me a few days ago.
She is in a pen with 3 chickens and the drake. They all get along very well.

The Puddles has imprinted (is that the right term?) on me, I guess. I don't think she had never seen another duck until we got the drake. Someone gave her to their kid for Easter. Don't even get me started......
Anyway they gave her to me 2 months ago. She has always been very sweet and affectionate with me.
Today, when I was in her pen, she got really loud and bobbed her head up and down and then turned her head to the side. Then she sort of charged at me? Lolz
I was startled, to say the least.

Am I correct in assuming that her new behavior is drake related? Or does it mean she is about to start laying eggs? Is it a friendly gesture or is she trying to tell me to get away?
I'm new to the whole duck universe and completely baffled.
Your advice is appreciated.

 

[jdywntr]

I would say she is putting her big girl pants on.

I don't think it is necessarily related to the drake. You have had him such a short time I'm surprised that they are bonded.
Are you not spending as much time with her now? If you are not, she may be finally realizing she is a duck and she is developing normal behaviors.

Oh and

 

[Neysa]

Big girl pants?

Too funny!

But also kind of sad in a way.
She is growing away from me already? Aw
I guess that is better for her, though.

Don't tell me. Next thing I know, she'll move out and never write or call me?
They grow up so fast.

Thanks, jdywntr

 

[keyt1969]

Do you feed her snacks by hand? I have 18 (had 32 til recently) ducks and they all get fed stuff like cherry tomatoes, popcorn, etc by hand. Sometimes when I walk in there they will have that same behavior. They also do that at feeding time. But also as Jdywnter said, she's probably just growing up.

Don't be scared. I've had ducks most of my life and I've never had a duck attack me in a bad way. Nibble my toes if I'm wearing flip flops or my face if I'm holding one but nothing serious. The good news is if they do nibble it doesn't hurt. Ducks don't have teeth. They have tiny little grooves in the inside of their bills so they can chew food but it's no big deal

 

[Miss Lydia]

Big girl pants?

Too funny!

But also kind of sad in a way.
She is growing away from me already? Aw
I guess that is better for her, though.

Don't tell me. Next thing I know, she'll move out and never write or call me?
They grow up so fast.

Thanks, jdywntr

 

[Missy60]

We had a lone pekin also for almost a year. We got two mallards as babies and she didn't like them at all. We kept them separated from her in the same pen by wire for a few weeks because she would sort of flock them. When they got a little bigger we noticed she started letting them around her more outside. We kept putting them in her part of the pen until she was finally fine with them. She was definitely a pet you could pick her up at anytime and just followed us around all the time. She now hangs out with the ducks mostly she is a big mother hen...lol. One of our mallards hurt it leg and she went after my grand daughter when she was checking out her leg. My grand daughter has had her from birth and she is now over a year old and has never tried this before.

Don't allow her to start bad behavior no matter how cute it is. I told my grand daughter she is trying to reestablish pecking order and she wants to be her boss to...lol. It's is funny to watch and she didn't hurt my grand daughter, but I have seen bruises on people on this forum from pecking.