Caring for a flock of ducks, especially one with a significant number of males, can present unique behavioral challenges. This article delves into the complexities of hormonal behavior in drakes, drawing on expert insights and practical sanctuary experience to offer guidance for managing aggression and stress. Initially, a sanctuary faced significant difficulties with fighting, injury, and distress among their large male duck population. Through collaboration and research, strategies were developed to create a more harmonious environment for these birds.
The Root of the Behavior: Hormones and Domestication
The high incidence of homosexual behavior and aggression observed in drakes is not uncommon, particularly in breeds derived from mallards, which are naturally prone to forceful mating behaviors. Domestication has inadvertently selected for males with higher testosterone levels, capable of breeding with multiple females. This physiological adaptation is reflected in their anatomy, with domesticated drakes possessing larger phalluses compared to their wild counterparts. Professor Patricia Brennan, a researcher specializing in duck genitalia and behavior, explains that while domestication selects for traits that enhance breeding success with females, it can also amplify aggressive and sexual behaviors among males when kept in close proximity.
Managing Aggression: From Fighting to Pairing
In May 2018, a sanctuary managing a flock that was 62% male (out of 110 ducks) sought advice from Professor Brennan regarding the intense fighting among their drakes. The situation had escalated to a point where the flock had to be divided into compatible pairs to prevent constant conflict, injury, and distress. This necessity arose after years of observing aggressive interactions, including one drake attempting to mate its pen mate and the risks associated with such encounters. Professor Brennan reassured the sanctuary that while male ducks likely engage in intromission, the elasticity of their intestinal walls is generally sufficient to prevent internal injury during these encounters.
The Impact of Social Environment on Development
The close proximity of numerous young drakes can indeed influence their development, including the growth of their genitalia. Research, including Professor Brennan’s experimental setups, has shown that male ducks housed in pens with multiple males and fewer females tend to develop longer phalluses. This suggests that the social and environmental conditions play a significant role in shaping these hormonal and physical traits. While wild ducks experience distinct testosterone peaks in fall and spring, domesticated ducks often have extended reproductive seasons, leading to prolonged periods of elevated hormone levels.
Strategies for Mitigation and Coexistence
To mitigate the aggressive behaviors, the sanctuary implemented a pairing system, housing drakes in pairs within individual pens. Initially, these pens were designed to allow visual contact, but this often exacerbated the problem, leading to inter-pen aggression, twisted necks, damaged eyes, and significant feather loss. Efforts to block visual access, such as using cardboard, provided temporary relief but required constant maintenance due to the ducks’ destructive tendencies.
A significant breakthrough occurred when the sanctuary replaced partially cardboarded pen dividers with solid metal roofing panels. This change dramatically reduced stress levels, leading to a more relaxed flock behavior, a decrease in fighting, and the expression of a wider range of healthy personalities among the drakes. Professor Brennan confirmed that while hearing females and other males can incite competition, visual access is the most potent trigger for aggression. Therefore, creating visually isolated pens was a crucial step in reducing conflict.
Environmental Factors and Solutions
The hormone-driven behavior of male ducks is influenced by several factors. While hearing females and other drakes can contribute to increased competition, seeing them is the primary instigator of aggression. The sanctuary’s observation that seeing other drake pairs particularly “sets them off” aligns with this understanding. Moving pens further apart, if space allows, and increasing the size of individual pens can also contribute to a calmer environment. Professor Brennan’s experimental setup, where a single male and female were housed alone in large pens, resulted in consistently happy and non-aggressive birds, even when they could hear other pairs nearby. This suggests that optimal pairing, potentially one male with one female, could be a highly effective, though logistically challenging, solution for reducing aggression and promoting well-being.
The practicality of maintaining individual pens for each duck, especially in a large-scale sanctuary setting, presents significant challenges. The daily care and cleaning of numerous pens can be extremely time-consuming. While the notion that drakes’ hormones might calm down or disappear entirely as they age is a hopeful one, it appears to be an unlikely outcome, with drakes remaining hormonally driven for an extended period.
Despite the difficulties in finding suitable adoptive homes for the males, the sanctuary’s commitment to providing a safe and compassionate environment is evident. While external feedback suggests the ducks are indeed living a “ducky dream,” the visible signs of stress such as missing feathers and injuries underscore the ongoing challenges of managing their behavior. The insights gained from Professor Brennan have been invaluable in creating a more peaceful coexistence, transforming a chaotic situation into one where the well-being of these feathered friends is prioritized through informed and adaptive management strategies.
