Overmating

[Ssutor]

Hi everyone! So we had two indian runners, then realised ratio was not right and our female was being over mated, so got two more. Now have four and they get along great. The only thing is, every time our drake mates with our original girl, even if its just once, her eye is so badly injured it looks awful. So we have to seperate her for a whole week for it to heal. Then it happens again as soon as they mate. Since February when they started mating (they are one year old) we’ve had to separate around 6 times. Interestingly he is fine with the other two females and holds on to the back of their neck and not their eye. I imagine its how he balances on the female that keeps getting injured?
I feel exhausted with where to go next, it is so sad to always have to separate

 

[sourland]

Why not separate him and allow her a longer period to heal?

 

[ibarbidahl]

Unfortunately you are right. He's using that position to balance. So sad. Hope you can work it out.

 

[Ssutor]

Why not separate him and allow her a longer period to heal?

I always feel if I seperate him will he become more frustrated and the pounce on the females more once he’s with them? We do provide half an hour in the morning and an hour on the evening social time where they are monitored by me or my partner which helps

 

[HollowOfWisps]

You could try adding more females as 1 drake to 3 females is not enough females for even most drakes. However, if he is targeting a single female I would re-home or permanently separate if it was me. I had a runner drake who was absolutely brutal to the ladies. I keep my fully mature drakes separated from the females for the most part, but even when they are around the females they are nowhere near as rough as that Runner was. No amount of hens seemed to satisfy that one.

 

[Ssutor]

You could try adding more females as 1 drake to 3 females is not enough females for even most drakes. However, if he is targeting a single female I would re-home or permanently separate if it was me. I had a runner drake who was absolutely brutal to the ladies. I keep my fully mature drakes separated from the females for the most part, but even when they are around the females they are nowhere near as rough as that Runner was. No amount of hens seemed to satisfy that one.

It’s difficult because we actually have them as pets in a medium-large size garden so the thought of seperating them forever is heartbreaking. But I am noticing the other females resist him more because he’s only able to mate two of them and he is starting to catch around the one females eye. Because its his first mating season I am praying he will calm down each year. When does the mating decrease a little through the year?