Ugh! It has begun 🤬

[Stoney Meadow Maple]

Mating season is upon me, and I have only gotten 5 eggs so far! I really had hoped that this could wait until April.. or wven may. Apparently getting a year older has not calmed Sir Winston down any. I got home around 6 last night and made a couple trips in and out from the jeep unloading sundries , in that time he had had 3 different partners.
Do horney drakes get calmer or just keep getting worse as they age?

 

[Painted Calls]

Mine are in "horny drake jail" right now. They get an hour or two rec time, but then go back in.

This is my first spring with breeding age ducks. I've been told that they do calm down eventually. The spring surge of hormones fade.

 

[Stoney Meadow Maple]

Last year he was hyper focused on one Rouen. No matter what he would run her down and tackle her to the ground over and over, as such he spent all summer in drake jail. This year he is 2 so we will see what he makes of it. They have all gone on a field trip to tue garden for the day, my hope is that a change of scenery is a distraction. I thought i would order up another section of poultry net and move things around this summer/spring maybe give their enclosure a chance to grow some grass again

 

[indianaducks]

I may have to send a few of mine to drake jail... they have plenty of choices but keep picking one sweet little runner lady.

 

[citymeetscountry]

We have a bad ration 2/2 and it was fine last year but now that they’re 1 it’s not. We just built a drake house and they can see the girls but can’t touch them. They are mad as can be. The worst of the 2 keeps making his way to me every time I turn my back too. He’s been threatened with his life at this point. We do have 4 babies we hatched out from them (bc let’s be real the mating never stopped, but it did slow down over the winter) but we don’t know male/female yet. Both drakes prefer 1 of the females and she’s missing feathers on the back of her neck and has some broken feathers on her back. It’s for the best they’re separated. Good luck

 

[cheezenkwackers]

My drake is almost 5 years old and still a jerk every spring. He has four girls and is a gentleman from October through February. But, come March, he picks on one of my girls. So, he is currently in drake jail probably until October.

 

[Stoney Meadow Maple]

My ratio is 9:1 he has no excuse to be a jerk, but he is.

 

[the_kitchen__drawer]

Every day I fear the arrival of a drake to my flock! /light hearted