I currently have a duck sitting on a pile of eggs. She has about 7-8 days left till they are due to hatch. In the pen with her, there is a drake and another female. Just a few minutes ago, I was putting them back in the pen. The duck who is sitting got up to get a drink and some feed. The drake was following her like he was going to mate with her. She didn't like it and kept on turning around so he couldn't. Finally, when she was trying to reorganize her nest, the drake tried to jump her. She turned around and grabbed his neck. Their heads were interlocked, and they were fighting for control. I walked over to break them apart, and when they did, she began grabbing his neck and jumping on his back. It looked like she was mocking him, as that is how the drake mates with her. Anyways, she chased him around the coop for a minute, the whole time grabbing his tail feather. She finally lost her grip and she then returned to the nest. The other duck didn't do anything the whole time. I am wondering what is happening, and what I can do to stop it. I have noticed a bit of tension between the drake and the sitting duck lately. Before she was sitting on the eggs everything was ok, and there was no tension. Is it all just stress because the eggs will soon be hatching?
