Outcast Pekin Duck

[VickyH]

HELP! I have six pekins, 2 male, 3 female. 19 weeks old. I have one female who the males chase and pull feathers. (and ofcourse mates-most of the time.). One male chases her with his head down. She stays away from the "pack". She finds her own place on the pond and will not swim, forage or lay on the grass with the other 5. The only time the "pack" seems to accept her is if there is danger or if it is time to go into the pen and it is dark out. I am new at raising ducks and need to know if this is normal. THANK YOU FOR YOUR HELP!

 

[The Howards]

Hi and welcome to BYC!
From what I have read it is normal for a male to have a favorite girl to mate with. As to the harassing behavior. Ducks have a hierarchy just like chickens do. The female may be on the bottom of the pecking order. For a while our littlest girl was run off and chased around and picked on.It may improve with time, like our girls did. Based on what you wrote it does sound like normal behavior. I wish I had some advice on how to make them accept her. Maybe someone else can chime in and offer some better advice.