potentially aggressive drakes??

[lweyatt78]

i have two drakes, a mallard/rouen and a khaki campbell and they get along pretty well besides fighting over the pool (nothing too serious they just bite eacother a bit) they sometimes bite eachother outside the pool. they are about 4 or 5 months old. i also have a dog in my yard which they have become bonded to as well i think. i think they've bonded too well to her. they won't eat the feed that i give them, they want whatever shes eating, they even tried to eat her dog food one time. they also follow her around. I usually let them roam the yard but should i seperate them? I know it sounds silly but im worried that this could potentially become a problem. shes one of the giant dog breeds (great pyrenees/st bernard mix) and she gets along pretty well with them which is good for a livestock guardian i think. shes super gentle and i haven't experienced any loss involving her, and she doesn't bother them.

 

[sourland]

With you are describing with the dog and in the pool is the beginning of mating behavior. Drakes are extremely hormonal and become a bit sex crazed as teenagers. Water seems to inspire mating behavior, and they are most likely trying to mount one another in the pool. The biting of the dog may very well be an attempt at mounting her. Your boys are love struck.

 

[LT71689]

Your boys are essentially teenagers experiencing their sex-drive for the first time - everything riles them up, every chance to display dominance will be taken, they're going to be nightmares this year and possibly also the coming spring/ their first "mating season". They'll eventually get over that hurdle though, and should mellow out (at least a bit). Even the sweetest of dogs have breaking points where they just dont want to put up with any more crap, and they dont always realize how big/strong they are. She may have hurt them unintentionally or something else could have gotten them or they might have hurt each other. I'd not leave them with the dog unattended for a little while more just to be safe (and to give her a break - just because she's not ripping their heads off doesnt mean she *likes* what they're doing to her. Best not to over-extend her patience)

If they're getting a bit too pushy with each other in the pool you could fence off a small area around it (doesnt have to be anything super secure or fancy, some garden stakes and chickenwire is fine) so that each one can have a little alone time in it without being fully separated from the other (so they dont freak out). Once they've each had their turn either take the pool away for the rest of the day, or take away the barricade and let them have it out with each other if thats what they choose (if they've already had a good swim they might opt to stay out of the pool if getting back in means confrontation)

 

[lweyatt78]

i have two drakes, a mallard/rouen and a khaki campbell and they get along pretty well besides fighting over the pool (nothing too serious they just bite eacother a bit) they sometimes bite eachother outside the pool. they are about 4 or 5 months old. i also have a dog in my yard which they have become bonded to as well i think. i think they've bonded too well to her. they won't eat the feed that i give them, they want whatever shes eating, they even tried to eat her dog food one time. they also follow her around. I usually let them roam the yard but should i seperate them? I know it sounds silly but im worried that this could potentially become a problem. shes one of the giant dog breeds (great pyrenees/st bernard mix) and she gets along pretty well with them which is good for a livestock guardian i think. shes super gentle and i haven't experienced any loss involving her, and she doesn't bother them.

actually i don't think she would let them hurt her-

 

[Duck mommy 2019]

they follow her around? they may be imprinted on her. the only thing i would worry about then would be, them seeing her as a mate. if that’s the case they may try to mate with her, would she hirt them if she saw it as aggression?

 

[lweyatt78]

they follow her around? they may be imprinted on her. the only thing i would worry about then would be, them seeing her as a mate. if that’s the case they may try to mate with her, would she hirt them if she saw it as aggression?

thats what i was worried about-
i plan on putting them in their own pen soon though idk if that would help. I dont think they're mature enough for that yet.. they sometimes bob their heads though.

 

[Daisy Minotaur]

Not sure about most of this, but as far as the dog food goes some ducks (mine included) will go after dog or cat food, I read somewhere on here that perhaps they are after they oils in certain kinds. Or perhaps it’s corn lots of dog and cat foods use corn as a filler. So the eating dog food might just be they like the taste of it. Mine have eaten dog and cat food on and off with no ill effects.

 

[Flockincrazy]

i have two drakes, a mallard/rouen and a khaki campbell and they get along pretty well besides fighting over the pool (nothing too serious they just bite eacother a bit) they sometimes bite eachother outside the pool. they are about 4 or 5 months old. i also have a dog in my yard which they have become bonded to as well i think. i think they've bonded too well to her. they won't eat the feed that i give them, they want whatever shes eating, they even tried to eat her dog food one time. they also follow her around. I usually let them roam the yard but should i seperate them? I know it sounds silly but im worried that this could potentially become a problem. shes one of the giant dog breeds (great pyrenees/st bernard mix) and she gets along pretty well with them which is good for a livestock guardian i think. shes super gentle and i haven't experienced any loss involving her, and she doesn't bother them.

I would not see why you have to separate them

 

[Duck mommy 2019]

thats what i was worried about-
i plan on putting them in their own pen soon though idk if that would help. I dont think they're mature enough for that yet.. they sometimes bob their heads though.

if the dog is super chill, she may be fine with them climbing on her and being close to her. if that’s the case it’s fine to keep them together. if she will bite or hurt them in anyway, seperate.

 

[lweyatt78]

if the dog is super chill, she may be fine with them climbing on her and being close to her. if that’s the case it’s fine to keep them together. if she will bite or hurt them in anyway, seperate.

shes totally fine with being with them, one of them even came up to her and bit her under her tail and on her head and she seemed completely unbothered by it, she even kind of nipped back gently. im still worried that they may see her as a mate and cause problems. is the biting behavior normal for ducks?