Topic of the Week - Drakes and Drake Behaviour

[Nero70002]

IF I had 2 call drakes to 3 normal females do you think I’d be able to keep them together? Or would I have to keep the hens separate or would have to do 1 or 2 hens per drake?

 

[TJAnonymous]

As others have said, the higher hen to drake ratio, the better... However I still find that certain hens tend to get mounted (willingly or otherwise) more than others. I have 3 drakes and 10 duck hens. Sometimes the boys all want to pile on whatever poor hen that one of them cornered or managed to catch ahold of... So I have to keep a close watch on the girls during mating season. Last year I ended up separating the boys into their own pen for a while just to give the girls a break.

 

[Nero70002]

I have one adult hen right now and I ordered 4 babies coming Monday-Wednesday. 2 are females and 2 are unsexed call ducks, so hopefully I only get one or no boys

 

[Jenbirdee]

I have one adult hen right now and I ordered 4 babies coming Monday-Wednesday. 2 are females and 2 are unsexed call ducks, so hopefully I only get one or no boys

maybe youlll end up with all girls!! Yayyyy . (Im not too fond of drakes, can you tell?)

 

[Nero70002]

maybe youlll end up with all girls!! Yayyyy . (Im not too fond of drakes, can you tell?)

lol kinda hoping for just one because he’ll probably be nice since he’s a call

 

[Fallenone05]

I've had ducks for only a year or so. Started with Cayuga (a drake and two hens), then added silver appleyard hens and a mallard hen. My Cayuga are all related, so I ended up switching drakes with a blue Swedish to keep the inbreeding down.

None of my ducks have been people aggressive. My Cayuga would mouth me at feeding time and waddle up to the bowl I was filling while 'quacking' at me, but he's never billed or bit me.

The Cayuga hens are sneaky. If I wear sandals I have to watch one of the hens who sneak up behind me to try and get at my toes. I run her off and she quacks loud at me like she's laughing

My mallard is odd. She hates the chickens using the nest boxes. She'll bill them out of the nest but hasn't started laying yet. She squeaks a lot. She quacks too but mostly squeaks.

The Appleyards are big, beautiful ladies. I love them! They've taken a break over winter and haven't laid, which is fine. I love how chubby their 'cheeks' are - it makes their eyes look so soft.

The new Swedish is settling in with his five ladies. He's only just getting his boy curl so he's young, but he's already very attentive. The girls really warmed up to him and follow him *everywhere.* the Appleyards bob at him all the time but he isn't sure about it yet. Still too young I imagine.

 

[Psychofeatherlover]

We have a runner drake, and he is the horniest thing I've ever seen. He should be in a jason Voorhees movie at camp crystal lake. He would be the first one jason would get, and he'd be with all the women he could get. he really likes the muscovy hens, well he likes all the hens, but he seems to enjoy the chase with the muscovies. Our muscovy drake is not happy about this, and hisses and bobs his head at him, but the runner doesn't pay any attention. The runner is named Johnny Cash, but I'm thinking Conway Twitty would've been more appropriate. After the chase, all the muscovies get together and have a meeting, all standing in a circle, with the hens trilling away, and the drake hissing, and everyone is head bobbing. Sometimes I think they are plotting a murder. either way, Johnny keeps raping any hen he gets close to. we have 2 muscovy drakes that are grown, and out of the litter of 9, they are preteens now, there are way more drakes than hens. I am not sure what to do about this, so any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I have to rehome them, but I don't really want them to be killed and eaten, I'd rather them be pets. We also have 11 babies that are about 1 week old. All muscovies. 20 muscovies.....20....that's not including the adults. The younger grown drake, seems to have been outcast from the group because of the 1st full grown drake we had, but I can't say I blame him. The oldest, mr.scovy, was challenged by his son, bo Duke, and now Mr. Scovy has regained control of the situation. I swear it's a soap opera. So, I'm not sure how to handle the ton of drakes that are growing fast. Anybody live in nc that wants some muscovies? they are free to a good home. Almost 3 months old. Please please please somebody. We can't afford to feed em all. Muscovies eat like teenage boys. If we have some females, not enough, and separate the drakes in a separate lot, will they still become hormone crazed and fight? Or will they just hang out with each other if they have no physical access to the ladies? They could see them, but not get to them. I'm so confused, worried, sad....I love them all, but for their own well-being, they need to be rehomed.
Drakes are a handful, from my experience, but never had a people aggressive one. None have really been aggressive with anybody or anything, except raping hens. Our ducks seem to be mating now...in cold weather...it's been in the 20s or lower every night for weeks. They don't care though. I'll do my best to keep them safe and warm though.
Thanks for reading,
Signed, confused about drake rapists in nc