Water Pool Territorial Agression Male Ducks

[IvysAnimals]

I have three male ducks from the same clutch. They get along for the most part and are always together. They get to play and forage in the yard all day and then go into their pen at night.
I had a kiddie pool for them but two of them would chase away the third and bite his neck, especially on the days the pool was cleaned with fresh water. So I got them two more kiddie pools thinking that would help, but it didn't! They are still chasing poor Hay Hay away from all of the pools!

I have the pools set up just a couple feet away from each other. Next step is to move them to opposite sides of the yard to see if that helps.
If that doesn't work then my next step is to look into installing a big pond with a filter or something, which is something I'd like anyway so they can have a deeper water.


Anyone else have suggestions? Thank you.

Separating the pools farther apart and allowing more room for them can help temporarily.... and getting some females. 1 Drake needs 3-6 female ducks to mate with, it also help ease aggression between any dominant and submissive males. Hope that helps!

 

[Quackalack]

How old are they?

They are 2 years old but I have only had them since February I think.

 

[Quackalack]

If they're lowering they're heads that means their chasing them to shoe them away, if they try hopping on the others and grab the back of their necks that usually means they're trying to mate.
You can upload to youtube or some other video platform and then post the the link here.

Here is a quick video showing the chasing, but there's no neck biting in the one.

 

[ruthhope]

@Quackalack I have two rescued drakes that are "neck wrestling" to determine pecking order. When I first rescued them 4 weeks ago, one had lost his feathers from round his left eye and down his neck. I didn't realize at first that this was done by the drake he was rescued with. As they gained strength and became rehydrated, the domiation behavior became obvious -- these are two deeply bonded ducks that immediately huddle together with their necks wrapped round each other when they feel threatened, and so I am clear that it is domination behavior. I had to put a divider in their dog crate. But then, after 1 week, when I started taking them outside to a temporary run with wading pool on my back patio, they started again in and out of the pool. The drake that had lost feathers has gained strength and now often initiaties the "neck wrestling" and the other drake is losing feathers on his neck. The two are now sleeping in separate dog crates in the duck coop with my other ducks. I have started taking out one in the morning to the temporary pen and wading pool for 6 hours and then the other in the afternoon for 6 hours as I didn't think it was healthy for them to be still wrestling like this and pulling out feathers after 4 weeks. I don't have room for separate pens and separate wading pools -- hence the shift system. I think that if you separate wading pools in your larger garden and sit and stay with the one that was being excluded to ensure he is not disturbed by the others, you should be able to stop the domination behavior. It's sad that some drakes behave like this, but we can work round it with time and patience.

 

[ruthhope]

Here is a quick video showing the chasing, but there's no neck biting in the one.

Those ducks are trying to establish pecking order. Meanie ducks!!!

I think the suggestion to separate the wading pools further is good, but then you will have to stay with the one who is being bullied to keep the other two away.

Alternatively, you could keep the pools together but build a pen round one pool and give the bullied duck time in the pen to splash around while the others are in the adjacent pools. I haven't done that, but I put the feeding bowls together for ducks I have in a pen and the ducks outside, so that they get used to eating together.

 

[Quackalack]

I tried moving the pools to opposite side of the yard which did not help. But I was able to lock the two bullies in the backyard while Hay Hay got a chance to splash in the pool! Yay!

 

[ruthhope]

Hay hay is having a joyous time!! Well done!! And look at those two meanie ducks pacing up and down [I have meanie ducks like that: I recognize the behavior!!!]

 

[Quackalack]

Hay hay is having a joyous time!! Well done!! And look at those two meanie ducks pacing up and down [I have meanie ducks like that: I recognize the behavior!!!]

They were so mad! I moved one of the pools to the outside of the fence now and they are happier with that.

 

[Shyenne]

I hope that will help! I'll try that when the water needs to be changed. I am worried that Hay Hay won't go to the pool if it's too far away from the other ducks. I tried penning the other two up a while ago to give Hay Hay a chance to swim but he just wanted to be near the other two. =/

I hame the same issue with my 3 drakes. 2 hang like best friends but pick at the other one. I've kept them penned separately, let them out at different times and all 4 of our pools are a distance from each other. Regardless, the other 2 still pick at the 1...they will pick at him through whatever fence is between them when they are separated in different runs and like yours he will still try to be around the other 2 and hang near their fence. My drakes are 1 mallard and 2 pekins and it's the one Pekin that gets picked on. It's a weakness in the other Pekin that they detect, they will even try to rape him. I have 14 ducks in all. Nothing that I have tried has worked. I just keep him completely separated from the other drakes.