Drakes mating with geese

[AmaiahTH]

We got 3 ducks a few months ago and all of them turned out to be drakes. We put them on our farm along with our geese and chickens, but recently they've been trying to mate with the geese (and kind of succeeding at it). The drakes chase our youngest geese around and will mount them once they corner them, at which point the geese seem to just let it happen.

It looks pretty comical, but today one of our geese hatched some younglings and we had one of the ducks sneak into her nest and mount her while she was sitting on the baby goslings! I'm wondering if this is normal behavior for ducks and if there's anything we can do about this?

We picked up 3 female ducks last week to even things out a bit but nothing seems to have changed, the drakes seem more interested in our geese than in the female ducks. Would taking away 2 of the drakes solve the problem or is this an ingrained behavioral problem? At this point the ducks are mostly just a nuisance so I'm wondering if we're better off just turning them all into dinner in order to protect our geese.

 

[Miss Lydia]

I would definitely separate the mama goose and goslings from the rest of the ducks and chickens. Geese work together to raise their young so you might want to keep the geese together.
3 drakes may be a bit much I have 3 drakes along with 12 females and this seems to keep my drakes busy. I also have a gander and a goose and no one would dare mess with my ganders mate, although my gander before I got him a mate would mate with my Muscovy females, they didn't mind a bit. You actually need at least 3-4 or more females per drake. That helps any females from being over mated and injured.

How old is your youngest goose? if she isn't laying age she should be separated from your drakes also.

 

[AmaiahTH]

Thanks Lydia that's very helpful. Sounds like we should probably cull 2 of the drakes, or at least the one that is causing the most trouble.

We do have one gander and while he tries helping the younger geese he's not really aggressive enough to phase the ducks. Mama goose is currently sleeping in the chicken coop, chickens leave her alone and don't come close to the geese, but in the morning we'll try to find a way to split the geese up from the chickens and ducks so they won't bother them anymore.

Our 2 younger geese are coming up on a year so they're already laying.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Yeah, 3 drakes to 3 ducks aren't going to be safe for your ducks. And I am surprised your drakes haven't gone after your chickens to mate and that is usually a death sentence for hens. My gander [Embden] is pretty much a wimp but being big and putting his head down towards anyone who gets into his space is usually enough. Except for my Muscovy drake they are mortal enemies and once breeding season starts for the geese [Feb] they have to be separated from each other. Geese are such a lovely family and it's a blessing watching how the whole gaggle will protect and help raise the goslings. Post some pictures when you can. Love to see them all.

 

[GranderTheGander]

While ganders can fight with drakes by biting them, or grabbing ahold of a wing and shaking, they can't fight with them in the usual way that geese need to fight to win. Geese push against each others chests and then hit hard with their wings. Ducks are too short for fighting like that! I know of a pekin hatched by a goose who thought he was a gander his entire life. He was a terror going after female geese during mating season, including always chasing away one goose for some reason. The ganders did all they could to stop him, but really couldn't control his behavior, because he was too short!

 

[Miss Lydia]

My Muscovy drake will beat the tar out of my gander. Most of the time the gander starts it. The drake is relentless once it gets started. They draw blood. And both have ended up with hurt legs since they end up fighting close to fencing or other things. But my Gander can keep the flock under control when breeding season isn’t going on with the help of my goose. It’s a circus!!

 

[AmaiahTH]

Interesting to read that many of you experidnce similar tensions between geese and ducks, I was under the impression they usually get along well and am very suprises that it's the ducks causing the issues. We have muscovy's fwiw.

And yea one of the drakes attempted to mate with a chicken before but she was fine, thankfully they only like the geese now.

I'll make sure to take some pictures of the goose family soon, fingers crossed the goslings make it as our last 2 goslings died after a couple days, tho they were incubated.

 

[GranderTheGander]

My Muscovy drake will beat the tar out of my gander. Most of the time the gander starts it. The drake is relentless once it gets started. They draw blood. And both have ended up with hurt legs since they end up fighting close to fencing or other things. But my Gander can keep the flock under control when breeding season isn’t going on with the help of my goose. It’s a circus!!

Yes, Muscovy ducks can be vicious fighters. Their wings are longer and stronger than other ducks, their claws longer and sharper, and they can leap higher. I don't think I've ever seen a Muscovy get into a fight with a gander, though. All the terrible fights I've seen are with each other. A weaker drake will leave the area, too, after losing a fight.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Oh yes when I use to keep more than one Muscovy drake I could never keep them together. I do believe my drake would kill my gander if I let them continue to fight. My gander is 14 my drake 10 and this went on when my drakes dad was alive too,him and my gander hated each other. Funny thing my 2 Runner drakes have never fought with each other or got into a fight with my Muscovy drake or my gander they just ignore each other.

 

[GranderTheGander]

Your two Runner drakes are smart! Muscovy drakes can be arrogant like ganders. I never imagined one could kill a gander, though, but I'll certainly take your word for it. The drakes I saw who went after female goosies would be attacked by ganders biting them, and then would soon walk or run off. But we're talking about a place with a whole lot of geese, who obviously ruled the waterfowl world. I've never seen a Muscovy go after a Canadian goose, either. That's smart of them, too, because then they would be dealing with really mighty fighting ganders.