Runner Ducks

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Duckanddive

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I have an enclosure with all drakes 20 in total. I recently added some more drakes and my existing 4 runner ducks killed 2 new runners and 2 African yellow bills. They do not appear to be bullying any of the remaining drakes. I would like to understand this behaviour before deciding on what to do next especially before adding more ducks. Would appreciate any thoughts.
 
Hiya :)
Bachelor groups, as mixed sex groups, will be quite aggressive at this time of the year.
Even if there are no females present there will still be struggles for hierarchy within the flock and homosexual behaviour is quite well documented among ducks. Their testicles increase in size from almost nothing to plum size as such their hormones are overwhelming.
Very sorry to hear that you had some of your ducks killed.
Did you witness how they were killed? usually you get 3 or more on 1 and the one underneath can drown.
I would not add anymore ducks at all to this group, especially not at this time of the year.
 
Thanks for that beginning to understand now. I was wondering if I should get females but obviously this can happen to mix sex as well. I did not see the ducks killed I only observed relentless chasing by the runner ducks to the ones that were killed this was immediately I added the new ones to the lake. I did observe exactly how you describe with the 3 runner ducks onto the 4th one quite violent in fact but he did survive thankfully. So is the answer to only add new ducks to the enclosure at certain times of the year?
 
Unless you get 3 girls to every drake, you will have dead females very quickly.
I suspect you will always have problems at this time of year no matter how many you have, be in male or female there always seems to be one or two that get relentlessly attacked. Unless you can keep the ringleaders segregated I would leave you flock as they are for now.
 
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