Duck duck soloist

[DuckDuo]

Hi all,

Not sure the amount of context needed for this post, but I have six ducks including five females and one male. There are five Runner ducks and one Layer. The male has always been (seemingly) sexually aggressive. Whenever I’m around and he starts trying to mate I can’t help but intervene because it seems…. Unrequited. I’m not trying to apply human standards and so on, but I’m a mother ****in ally. They have a large coop and a much bigger run, which I end up separating him in at night to give them a break. In the last couple weeks, I’ve noticed a few of the girls have these missing patches on the neck/back of their head which looks to be pretty close to where he grabs them. Does that seem like what’s happening here or is there another cause I should be on the lookout for. If it is Cricket (the male), do I need to get rid of him? Obviously I don’t want to do that but if he’s hurting everyone and now causing actual injury I can’t see an alternative that’s effective in the long term.

 

[Jenbirdee]

I have rehomed a couple of aggressive Drakes in the past, but now I have a nice Drake , just one with 14 females, still yet he does have his favorite, she has thinner feathers on her neck, but not as bad as yours do and therefore, if you are leaning towards not putting up with this, you should try to find him a new home I think

 

[ruthhope]

That's normal male behavior. As long as none of the females is being injured, let him be. Keeping him separate at night is OK, if you prefer that. I wouldn't get rid of him for being a normal drake!! Drakes have a role protecting their flock. They often stand back and let the females eat first. If you listen, he is likely chattering away to the females all the time you are around: they also have a role building flock cohesion.

Mating behaving lessens later in the summer, but increases again in the spring with hormone surges

 

[KathiQuacks]

Almost certainly caused from him mating, yes. It’s normal to have some pulled feathers, but it can most certainly be bad in excess.

I also have a 1:5 ratio, and my girls lost quite a few feathers during their first year of mating. Not quite like yours, but clearly frayed. Winter came ‘round, and they molted everything back, and their neck feathers are pretty full right now.

Good mating looks like mutual head bobbing, the girl flattening out, and the boy finishing the job quickly. Sometimes, my boys will be greedy and chase a girl around, but for the most part, they are good.

I would say if he’s being very greedy & frightening the girls, and / or if they have injuries beyond the feather pulling, he needs to be separated, or he needs to go. Otherwise, he’s probably okay.