Questions about Drake and Dominance

[3bird]

We have a small flock of silver Appleyards (5 ducks/1 drake), and we're having some issues with our drake (Angus). At the end of May, we lost our other drake (Piglet), and, as expected, that shook up the whole pecking order balance. This is our first full year with ducks, so we're not sure exactly what to expect as summer progresses, and we appreciate any thoughts or feedback you might have.

The biggest issue is between Angus and Lucy at the moment. Lucy is the same age as Angus and has grown up with him. This issue is new since we lost Piglet. Lucy is a healthy, stout girl, who Angus runs down, gets a mouthful of feathers, stands on her back, and then walks away. It isn't constant, but it happens regularly enough that we want to address it. Physically, Lucy seems fine, but increasingly she sort of hangs off to the side. When we are out with them, she'll often keep one of us between Angus and her. To be clear, he does not mate with her. He just stands on her a few moments and then walks away. Is this a dominance thing? If so, will it resolve itself, or should we be separating them? Should Angus' behaviour change as we move later into July?

When he runs her down and I'm there, I often intervene and hold him for a while (which he doesn't really mind). We have put Angus in ducky jail several times, which obviously works, but he hates it, and a couple of his other girls hate it. We also are not set-up for separating them overnight, but they all sleep next to each other without incident. Lucy gets along with everyone else.

 

[Table4Six]

Like you said, losing Piglet is creating problems now that a new pecking order must be established. So sorry for your loss

Was Lucy one of Piglet’s favorite hens? Did he breed her?
If so, Angus could be letting Lucy know that she is now his hen, by mounting, not breeding her, but showing his dominance. Also, was Piglet the dominant drake?

I would try separating Angus from the hens during the day, but where they can still see each other. This should help calm things down a bit.
Keep me posted if there is any progress.

 

[3bird]

Like you said, losing Piglet is creating problems now that a new pecking order must be established. So sorry for your loss

Was Lucy one of Piglet’s favorite hens? Did he breed her?
If so, Angus could be letting Lucy know that she is now his hen, by mounting, not breeding her, but showing his dominance. Also, was Piglet the dominant drake?

I would try separating Angus from the hens during the day, but where they can still see each other. This should help calm things down a bit.
Keep me posted if there is any progress.

Thanks so much! Lucy has always had a bit of an independent streak. She certainly was not Piglet's favorite, but he did breed her. Piglet and Angus kind of went back and forth with which one was dominant, but they were also buds.

Do you think separating Angus by himself, or should we try splitting the flock?

 

[Table4Six]

No problem
Separating Angus by himself shouldn’t be a problem unless he can’t see the other ducks. Since ducks are so social, if you decide to only separate Angus make sure that he and the hens can still see each other. Good luck and keep me posted.

 

[3bird]

No problem
Separating Angus by himself shouldn’t be a problem unless he can’t see the other ducks. Since ducks are so social, if you decide to only separate Angus make sure that he and the hens can still see each other. Good luck and keep me posted.

This morning he went to ducky jail (he was in the run, and everyone else was outside). Apparently he kept flying at the hardware cloth. They are all napping (in two groups of three) in the shade outside the run now. Thanks again!

 

[Conan]

I butchered a drake just two weeks ago for this sort of behavior, but intensified. I found one of my laying hens with a broken back from being stomped on constantly by the drake. She died, of course. I honestly kind of hate drakes and if I did not hatch out my own eggs every few years, I would never keep one. My dogs appreciated the fancy couple meals too!

 

[3bird]

I butchered a drake just two weeks ago for this sort of behavior, but intensified. I found one of my laying hens with a broken back from being stomped on constantly by the drake. She died, of course. I honestly kind of hate drakes and if I did not hatch out my own eggs every few years, I would never keep one. My dogs appreciated the fancy couple meals too!

When you say "intensified," can you give me an idea what exactly you mean? Did it escalate over time? What breed?

We can't imagine not having at least one drake for the flock.

 

[Conan]

I have(had) a group of 11 hens and two drakes. One is a Welsh Harlequin and the other half Cayuga, half Indian Runner. The girls never took to the mixed boy though he grew up with them. They never considered him "their" boy. It would start with standing on them, not mating, just standing as you are currently dealing with. Escalated to stomping on them and ripping the backs of their necks up (drawing blood on one hen), still no mating. Two girls with damaged legs, limping around for a few days. Then I found the almost dead hen who later died. She was completely healthy the day before. The Welsh always quickly mounts, mates and is off again.
I now have a zero tolerance policy for keeping any further males regardless of how many hens I have - 6 months and they will be butchered.
It's hard. I don't like killing but I won't watch my production birds die for a useless drake.

 

[3bird]

I have(had) a group of 11 hens and two drakes. One is a Welsh Harlequin and the other half Cayuga, half Indian Runner. The girls never took to the mixed boy though he grew up with them. They never considered him "their" boy. It would start with standing on them, not mating, just standing as you are currently dealing with. Escalated to stomping on them and ripping the backs of their necks up (drawing blood on one hen), still no mating. Two girls with damaged legs, limping around for a few days. Then I found the almost dead hen who later died. She was completely healthy the day before. The Welsh always quickly mounts, mates and is off again.
I now have a zero tolerance policy for keeping any further males regardless of how many hens I have - 6 months and they will be butchered.
It's hard. I don't like killing but I won't watch my production birds die for a useless drake.

You say they never "considered him 'their' boy"--do you mean all of them? Angus mates with others in the flock, and he sticks very close to one in particular. Much of the time, they all forage, sleep, etc. together without incident. Would your drake every co-exist pleasantly with the girls ever?

We're trying trying to get a read on our situation. It's been a little over a month since Piglet died, and this wasn't happening before. We're trying to figure out of this is a stage or a new normal.

 

[Miss Lydia]

I have a Muscovy drake and a Runner drake my Muscovy never ever looks at the Runner and Buff females but when my Runner drake turned 1 he sure noticed the Muscovy females and would run them down and mate with them often no injury just like to mate with them, then this year his 2nd year he now just goes after 1 of the Muscovy females he runs her down stands on her then gets off and walks away talking to himself and his girls like look what I just did. That's it of course Hope doesn't like for him to do this but she is the only one of my Muscovys that won't stand up to my Runner. The others will now fight back. When he use to go after all the scovy girls and I was out there I would push him off with my foot or scoop him up. Now that I know he isn't hurting her I just leave them alone. Duck dynamics is very strange but I don't interfere unless some one is getting hurt.