My duck hates me! Or loves me? NEED HELP!

[Scifisarah]

My call drake has always been the friendliest of my three call ducks, wanting to be close to me when I am out in the yard. He is about a year old now. Last fall he would do this strange quiver thing where he would just shake, and then try to jump into my lap and tumble out - very funny to watch. Now whenever he sees me, ONLY me, he comes running and charges and nips at my ankles. I didn't think I would care if he got aggressive since he is so small and doesn't have spurs like a rooster, but this sucker knows how to nip an ankle like nobody's business! Youch!

Is this normal behavior for a call drake? Is he being aggressive to defend his females, or does he think I am one of them and trying to jump on me? I really irks me that he ignores my husband. If he keeps this up he will have to find a new home. Do you think if I try hatching a different male it might be more docile? I want to have eggs to hatch, but I would like to be able to walk my yard unmolested...

 

[Pet Duck Boy]

Most likely he has taken a liking to you, and wants to do what any mature drake would do to his "favorite" hen. Sex! You hear a lot of this happening with drakes that have been imprinted, once the hormones kick in they want to make babies! How to stop it? I'm not sure....maybe someone else can chime in. Oh, and your duck loves you...

 

[duckyfromoz]

Was he hand raised??? I have had many different breeds of drakes do that to me. The worst of which is my Aylesbury Monty. At the point where I was about to rehome him- I tried something... Everytime I walked outside the house- he would run at my feet. I would turn him over onto his back on the ground. It took him a while to get up again as he was so big...So enough time for me to get to the fence and into the next duck pen. It only took a few days for me to teach Monty that I was dominant and that his behaviour would result in an upside down timeout. You little call would be a lot more nimble and quicker to get back onto his feet. I have read here about someone picking up a drake and carrying it for a while while it is upside down. Maybe that would be worth a try for you.

That head shake quiver thing they do is kinda cute...But the bitting at feet is sure annoying.

 

[aduckstolemyheart]

Alright, I am CONVINCED that my drake thinks I am a hen. He was the same way your guy is. I was his favorite, he would run to greet me everyday and still does. He trips me, gets under my feet and then goes on a biting spree, biting my feet and toes. it hurts too! I have started disciplining him the same way as the poster above, flipping him on his back...it works...eventually. However yesterday, he was doing this and I swear, SWEAR, I saw something protruding a bit from his vent area. I could be crazy, it may have been a foot, but it was enough to freak me out lol.

I am the only one he does this to, as well, so I dunno, but I really do wonder if ducks that bond really close to you may mistake you for one of their "harem" lmao.

 

[Pet Duck Boy]

Quote:
You should see my pekin hen! (She was raised alone and is human imprinted as her sibling died at 2 weeks) She's in no way aggressive...well maybe alitte, but she is VERY...very flirty. LOL, whenever I go outside to feed her, she'll waddle up to me while head-bobbing....she'll bob some more...then a little more. Then she'll flatten out. I try to ignore it but Sunny always ends up coming over to my legs and starts rubbing her bill on me. I haven't heard of this behavior....but she's trying to incourage me to mate with her, it's adorable but strange at the same time. Sometimes she gets mad at me for not reacting to her sexy head-bobs....and then she'll grab and pinch my arm, and pull! Of course it HURTS...so I try to grab her to teach her a lesson, with lightning speed I never thought was possible for a pekin, she waddles away before I could grab her! Then head bobs at a distance playing hard to get!!! Ducks....

 

[aduckstolemyheart]

Haha, a flirty hen! I have not had experience with female ducks before, as my Pekin adult is male, and my new female Pekin is still a duckling!

How funny! I guess we'll just have to wait out the breeding season, and hope that sanity again returns to our feathered friends! lol

Do your ducks get "mad at you" when you have not visited enough, or do something else that irks them? Bella (my drake) can be particularly nasty for a while if I have upset him. lol

 

[Miss Red]

I hope my ducks take me into their harem, but I don't want to be THAT loved. Hmm... Poor legs.

 

[maralynn28]

Sorry but I just had to...

ROFLMAO! at all these posts. That's really sweet and funny that the drakes, and even hen take a liking to you all that much. Just getting started with my group, they are a bunch of crazy butts already at 2 wks old, this only reminds me the best is yet to come! lol (except it probably won't happen to my as all mine are supposed to be girls and seem to have imprinted on each other.)

They DO start peeing really loudly from the brooder when they hear my voice and only quiet down when I go visit them, although they look as if they are expecting treats every time. Thanks for the laughs and I hope you get to keep your drake and just teach him who is 'top duck'.

 

[suburbanduckmom]

Quote:
Just because they are females doesn't mean they won't have amorous intents for you. My girls will present themselves to me when they are in the mood for love. One will come and rub her head on my pant leg until I rub the back of her neck. The other will spread her wings out and stick her tail in the air when I walk by.

 

[Scifisarah]

Geez, it sounds like ducks are sex-addicts in general. I will try to flip him on his back or carry him on his back for a bit and see if that helps. So far I have just gotten frustrated and given him a gentle but forceful shove and that just seems to get him more excited at biting my feet, hands or other available skin. One of his two females disappeared last week. I am hoping if I get him a few more girls maybe he will leave me alone.