Two drakes, beginning to be aggressive toward each other, two ducklings, HOPING for females. Help!!

[DuckyChan]

(Please excuse all the photos - I have SO many, and I couldn’t choose which to add, they’re all so cute!!)
Hi, I have two beautiful Rouen drakes, raised from ducklings. I have nurtured and loved them, and they follow me EVERYWHERE. Stroking them and petting their chests(gullets? lol) comes easy, and occasionally I will pick them up and let their cheeks which they like.
Recently, they have started to put down their heads and run into each other or bump the other with their chests or lay one neck on the other. Then, two days ago, one of them ran at ME! I was worried when I discovered they were both going to be male, and I got two more ducklings hoping upon hope that I would somehow end up with two females.
The ducklings are still too young to tell sex. One is a Khaki Campbell(I THINK), and the other looks a lot like the Rouen babies did.
Today I took them all out onto the far backyard as a neutral spot to hold the ducklings where the drakes could at least see them, and one of the males snapped at them, so I quickly discarded that idea and decided to let them meet much later in life.
But then, today, one of my drakes BIT me!!
I don’t understand why, or what I did to deserve that - I’m always very loving and keep them WELL fed(lol), and never frighten them intentionally or anything like that.
Why would they do that? And what should I do if I have more drakes? I’m all worried now, and don’t know what exactly I should do in this situation. I LOVE my Snooze and Dunkin Duck. And now I’m in love with my little Nihm-Nihm and Merc(Mercury) babies!
Help!

 

[New duck mommy 2021]

Beautiful ducks
I have 2 boys that look just like your boys. Mine are pekin x khaki
I have 6 drakes
2 of the 6 got a lot of attention as babies and the others didn’t get near as much
The two that did get a lot of attention are my ones to bite me
They both go for my toes
I can hold both and pet them and they don’t bite but the second they are down and my feet are bare it’s game on
I think they think I’m their property and hormones kick in to be honest
My other drakes that didn’t get held as much as babies never ever bite but they also don’t run up to be pet and held
I can pick them up and pet them but they are happy to be put down quickly
Maybe yours are like mine the more attention you gave when they were little the more attached they are and see you as their mate
One is my dad duck ( khaki ) the other is one of his offspring
His other offspring is not like this

 

[ruthhope]

(Please excuse all the photos - I have SO many, and I couldn’t choose which to add, they’re all so cute!!)
Hi, I have two beautiful Rouen drakes, raised from ducklings. I have nurtured and loved them, and they follow me EVERYWHERE. Stroking them and petting their chests(gullets? lol) comes easy, and occasionally I will pick them up and let their cheeks which they like.
Recently, they have started to put down their heads and run into each other or bump the other with their chests or lay one neck on the other. Then, two days ago, one of them ran at ME! I was worried when I discovered they were both going to be male, and I got two more ducklings hoping upon hope that I would somehow end up with two females.
The ducklings are still too young to tell sex. One is a Khaki Campbell(I THINK), and the other looks a lot like the Rouen babies did.
Today I took them all out onto the far backyard as a neutral spot to hold the ducklings where the drakes could at least see them, and one of the males snapped at them, so I quickly discarded that idea and decided to let them meet much later in life.
But then, today, one of my drakes BIT me!!
I don’t understand why, or what I did to deserve that - I’m always very loving and keep them WELL fed(lol), and never frighten them intentionally or anything like that.
Why would they do that? And what should I do if I have more drakes? I’m all worried now, and don’t know what exactly I should do in this situation. I LOVE my Snooze and Dunkin Duck. And now I’m in love with my little Nihm-Nihm and Merc(Mercury) babies!
Help!

Hi DuckyChan
I have a coop full of drakes and can assure you that drakes are just like that! When their hormones come in -- soon after 6 months but varies with the time of year -- it could be older than 6 months if the drake is 6 months in cold weather, drakes get quarrelsome. They start challenging each other and in my experience one of my 5 challenges me, too, to seriously establish pecking order. I have three pekin drakes sleeping in dogcrates in my coop because they squabble among themselves and with my muscovy. The muscovy retaliate by excluding the pekins from communal food bowls and water. So the pekins sleep in dogcrates with their own food and water.

During the day they are out foraging and except for occasional scuffles, do ok because they can always go and hide in the shrubbery if one gets too aggressive.

I'm hoping my drakes hormone levels are starting to wane now its fall: I would like a few peaceful months before the next hormone surge in the spring!!

 

[DuckyChan]

Hi DuckyChan
I have a coop full of drakes and can assure you that drakes are just like that! When their hormones come in -- soon after 6 months but varies with the time of year -- it could be older than 6 months if the drake is 6 months in cold weather, drakes get quarrelsome. They start challenging each other and in my experience one of my 5 challenges me, too, to seriously establish pecking order. I have three pekin drakes sleeping in dogcrates in my coop because they squabble among themselves and with my muscovy. The muscovy retaliate by excluding the pekins from communal food bowls and water. So the pekins sleep in dogcrates with their own food and water.

During the day they are out foraging and except for occasional scuffles, do ok because they can always go and hide in the shrubbery if one gets too aggressive.

I'm hoping my drakes hormone levels are starting to wane now its fall: I would like a few peaceful months before the next hormone surge in the spring!!

Ruth hope - you have no idea how much happier you have just made me!! Thank you for taking the time to reply to my post!
I love my big boys, and the thought of anything besides them just being themselves had me truly worried!
Thanks again!

 

[Miss Lydia]

when you start to introduce your new ducklings place them side by side with your drakes but with fencing between them let them live like this for a week or more so they get us to each other. Then try intros together. You'll be right there to intervene. You don't want young ducklings drake or female in with adult hormonal drakes until laying age which is usually 4.5 months and up.
Love the pictures

 

[BelovedBirds]

(Please excuse all the photos - I have SO many, and I couldn’t choose which to add, they’re all so cute!!)
Hi, I have two beautiful Rouen drakes, raised from ducklings. I have nurtured and loved them, and they follow me EVERYWHERE. Stroking them and petting their chests(gullets? lol) comes easy, and occasionally I will pick them up and let their cheeks which they like.
Recently, they have started to put down their heads and run into each other or bump the other with their chests or lay one neck on the other. Then, two days ago, one of them ran at ME! I was worried when I discovered they were both going to be male, and I got two more ducklings hoping upon hope that I would somehow end up with two females.
The ducklings are still too young to tell sex. One is a Khaki Campbell(I THINK), and the other looks a lot like the Rouen babies did.
Today I took them all out onto the far backyard as a neutral spot to hold the ducklings where the drakes could at least see them, and one of the males snapped at them, so I quickly discarded that idea and decided to let them meet much later in life.
But then, today, one of my drakes BIT me!!
I don’t understand why, or what I did to deserve that - I’m always very loving and keep them WELL fed(lol), and never frighten them intentionally or anything like that.
Why would they do that? And what should I do if I have more drakes? I’m all worried now, and don’t know what exactly I should do in this situation. I LOVE my Snooze and Dunkin Duck. And now I’m in love with my little Nihm-Nihm and Merc(Mercury) babies!
Help!

Just to note, if the two ducklings turn out to be female, with two drakes, the drakes will likely overbreed and injur the girls. The correct ratio is about 1 drake to every 3-6 hens.
Maybe I misunderstood the situation, but I just wanted to make sure you're aware so that you dont have any casualities.