[KhakiC]

Morning
We have duck politics going on and need help!
To our amazement our Khaki Campbell Jez managed to have a clutch of 13 ducklings!
We have 2 other adult females and an adult male called Stig!
The ducklings are doing really well (2 weeks & 3 days old) and Jez is being a brilliant Mummy. However the adult male Stig yesterday started attacking the ducklings :( he attacked one so badly that yesterday afternoon we took it out of harms way and it has only just stopped bleeding. We then banished Stig to his house. This morning when we let them all out the Stig attacked another one. Why is he doing this and what can we do? Thank you

[jameslindsay]

This is not the first time recently that I have heard about a male duck attacking the young! I have never had this happen before but think the easiest option is to keep dad seperate until the young are big enough to look after themselves. I would try and keep him close enough to the others (but not in the same run) so they are still used to eachother but yet the babies are out of harms way.

[Hermit]

I usually find mum and chicks are best seperated so you can keep an eye as ducks are not very good parents. They are not like hens that let chicks eat first ducks will scoff the lot to let the chicks scrounge for example.

[doganjo]

As I said in the other thread, KC's are sexy beasts and a drake really needs about 8 to 10 ducks to service or the one or two that he has get raped continuously, so keep the females and sell the drakes once you know what sex they are.

[egglady]

i agree with annie and think that is generally the case with ducks.  currently we have 3 male and 3 female aylesburys and the girls nevr get a moments peace - the boys are for the chop this weekend ...unless anyone wants them?

[northfifeduckling]

I've not come across this with mine , but I also feel that you need more girls to keep him happy. If they all thrive you have that sorted 
 You can either lock mum away with her young for a few weeks - this is what I would do as we have attacks from sparrowhawks who think ducklings are easy dinner - or if yours are safe lock Dad away in a pen . We do have an eglu on loan from a friend for these occasions, it's been brilliant. Any small hutch and run will do, though, although he won't be happy! I would not keep them together at night.
 Sounds like the other girls have been helping by letting mum do the job for all of them  :&>

[darkbrowneggs]

Interestingly I hatched a pair of Rouen St Clair, which do not really mature until 18mth old.  Knowing drakes need more females I got in two younger Rouen ducks.  All 4 lived together happily until next breeding season, when the drake kept attacking the younger ducks.  I thought at first he was just trying to mate them, but no - he and the duck kept them both off the pool and away from the feed to such an extent I had to separate them.  Breeding season over, calm returned!!

I think we often forget that animals/birds have personalities of their own, and also I think we forget that we ourselves are just one species of mammal.  We put ourselves so far above anything else, and sometimes I wonder why?

All the best
Sue

[northfifeduckling]

Absolutely, not every drake behaves the same in the same situation. We just have to go with the flow. Some people have cockerels that get on with each other, I had 2 that fought...

Who gives you these lovely eggs, darkbrown? 

[darkbrowneggs]

Hi Northfifeduckling

The photo is of some eggs from my English Cuckoo Marans. There are more photo of the eggs on my website, the darkest ones are usually laid early in the season

All the best
Sue