Peking ducks with new strange behavior

[pekin mom]

I have had a bevy of Pekin ducks since they were very small and a couple of weeks old. In 2011 I lost onto a racoon and a year later one was found in her house dead but also with a big patch of feathers missing. I am now noticing that there seems to be one of them that is sitting on the back of another and either pruning it or picking on it. They are all females. Has anyone noticed this with your ducks?

 

[Mike Winters]

there having sex if one is on top of the other

 

[pekin mom]

These are all females, all of which have been egg layers for years. Are they mixed up or is this a way of showing who is dominant? The leader of there group was one of the 2 that died. Do you think they are establishing a new pecking order?

 

[The Howards]

We have 1 Pekin and 3 Rouens, all girls. They "surf" with each other all the time. Our 2 Muscovy females are starting to do the same thing. This is their first mating season/spring and it seems to be hitting the Pekin hard. She seems to be a ball of hormones, she runs out of her house every morning announcing to the world in her loudest voice that she is out and available....even though there is no males to hear her calls. It seems to be normal behavior, just watch for aggressiveness. Our Pekin had feathers on both sides of her neck ripped out by one of the Rouens and had to have ointment put on it. If that happens you may need to separate them for a while or keep the injured one apart till she heals.

 

[HollyDuckFarmer]

I observe females mounting females here-- I think it is a dominance thing.

 

[pekin mom]

These are the first pekin ducks I have had, always wanted ducks since I was a kid. They are so cute and entertaining. Whenever someone pulls into our driveway they all sound the alarm. I really enjoy them.
I think the pulling out of feathers is what happened to my last duck. She was in her house and I noticed all the others were in there with her. Eventually, they came out one by one until I saw her lying alone on the floor. We went out to find she was gone and she had a bald spot. She was fine earlier that day. I didn't realize ducks would be that way to each other.
My other duck in this group used to sit on the top of their house so I nick named her Snoopy.
Thanks for the tips.

 

[Karenpas]

I believe I have 2 males, and they are doing the same thing! They try pushing each other. Then one stands on the other while pulling feathers out of it's neck! They don't do it constant, but usually every morning after I let them out of their closed hutch.
I thought this was very strange!