My very mean drake

[Vicke Lynne41]

I have two Pekin Ducks, one male and one female (which was not intentional). My male was always super friendly and did not mind at all when any of my family held him. Then the female started laying eggs. He has gotten extremely aggressive. I seriously get "bit" by him daily. I have bruises on most of my legs and up my arms. I dont care where he is on the property as soon as I come off my porch he comes at me. I have to run to the pen and close the gate behind me just to clean it and give them fresh water. My female is as sweet as can be and will come up on the front porch to sit with us. The problem is when she does this he comes along and starts to "bite" me. It seems like the only people he is aggressive towards are my and my two daughters. He leaves everyone else alone. Is there anyway to stop him from this behavior? I remove the eggs as soon as Hook (my female) lays them. I am just going crazy with this duck chasing me all the time. I love him to death and I was hoping there was a way to stop this behavior. Dont get me wrong all my family and friends think it is hysterical to watch us run from a duck and have him chase us.

 

[veronicasmom]

I would try carrying a broom and "sweeping" him away. Or maybe a water bottle with a bit of vinegar and spraying when he gets too close. Can you put some heavy sweatpants on or something that he cannot bruise you through, along with some heavy gloves and when he gets almost to you, grab him and flip him on his back. Hold him till he stops struggling then gently release him. You may have to do that a few times.
I would also think about getting one more female duck. It might keep him busier and he may leave you alone more.
My guy used to chase us, never did more than a little peck on the back of the calf, and I thought it was hysterical. He would back off if I turned at went at him. But since he has 9 girls now, he pretty much leaves me alone. He never hurt me and as drakes go, he is a very nice one.

 

[Vicke Lynne41]

I will definitely try what you said. He we can manage to pick him while then he stops all his shenanigans. He will even sit with us for a little while and he takes his treats right out of my hand. But if we leave the porch we are fair game. I am to out of shape to be running from a duck, even if it is entertaining to everyone around. Thank you for the tips.

 

[JadeComputerGal]

Some people recommend that the best way to train a duck to stop nipping/biting is to hold their bill closed for a few seconds and say "no" very sternly. This is best started when they're young and, to be honest, I haven't had much luck with it with ducks I didn't hand-raise and acquired once they were older.

I would try everything VeronicasMom suggested since this is an older drake, including either sweatpants or jeans, even if it's still hot right now where you're located. My concern is that you're exacerbating his behavior by showing fear when what you need to do if you're ever going to stop it is to let him know who's in charge. That's likely why he calms down when you pick him up. He knows you're in control and there's nothing he can do about it. Flipping him on his back would be the same type of thing, and negative reinforcement is sometimes necessary with aggressive animals as long as what you do doesn't cause them physical pain. And speaking of that, make sure you never give him treats when he's behaving badly because that will send a mixed message. In other words, don't give him treats to "calm him down" or whatever, even if you're giving them to the hen. That will tell him that the bad behavior is acceptable and is being rewarded.

Pekins must bite pretty hard. I've never had a duck bite that even hurt, much less bruised, but I've also never had Pekins.

Best of luck!

 

[TracyLovesDucks]

I have seen this happen where there is only 1 female and 1 drake before. I would recommend getting more females so that your drake is not as protective of his "scarce resource."

In the meantime, I would start pinning him to the ground to assert your dominance over him. Stretch him out belly down with one hand on his back (covering his wings) and the other hand pressing his neck out straight (you're trying to get him into the submissive mating position). Hold him like this until he quits struggling and his body goes limp. Then let him up and chase him off. Repeat as necessary until he doesn't come back for more. If you do this consistently every time he comes at you or bites you, he should learn that it's your yard, your nest, your duck house, your everything.

Obviously you don't want to hurt him, just overpower him. Another approach (which I saw my foster gander use on my two drakes to assert dominance) would be to tightly pinch his wings together at the shoulder area and push him along a bit. Worked instantly for my gander, but he wasn't messing around. I've never used this or heard anyone else recommend it.

The more you show that you are afraid of him, it just builds his confidence that he is dominant over you. So be consistent. Good luck!

 

[Vicke Lynne41]

This is about how hard they bite. He got me on the inside of my knee the other day, this is what it looks like today. I would say they bite pretty hard, lol.

 

[desertdarlene]

Ouch! He could be protecting his mate or he could be trying to add you to his collection of potential mates. The reason why he doesn't go after other people is because he doesn't know how they will react or is afraid of them. Definitely don't run from him because it becomes a game when you do. Wear long pants when you're around him and pick him up and carry him around now and then when he's being a butt-head.

Most of the time, it's not meanness, just a hormonal reaction. And, yes, it's pretty annoying when it's on an on-going basis.

 

[JadeComputerGal]

Holy cow! I've had cockatoo bites that didn't look that bad, and those really do hurt. We got ours as adults, and I had bruises all up and down my arms when I was training the female out of biting. Yikes!

I take back what I said earlier about sweatpants or jeans. I'd go with the the jeans.

 

[Vicke Lynne41]

This is why I get the heck out of dodge when he is in his moods. I would share the videos I have if I could share them on here. He is a nut. But I am seriously going to work on him. Everyone told me I was nuts when I got my geese because "they are so mean". My geese are not mean at all. They are loud when a stranger is around but the dont bite. I love all my animals on our farm, so working with him to get him to stop is what I will do.

 

[JadeComputerGal]

Let us know how you make out with it. What works for you might help someone else in the future