Your suspicions are most probably true!! Its coming into mating season ! even tho they are seperate species, they can crossbreed. Offspring will be non fertile hybrids.

Oh really? Okay I appreciate you help--Thanks a lot!

gennym,
Yes, I agree with fancifowl. Sounds like a mating dance. My Khaki campbell hens do the head bop back to the drakes when ready.

Eric

Yeah, but its the other way around. My male mallard is the one doing the head bobbing. Not my female muscovie. Does it still mean the same thing?

I have cuyugas and rouens and pekins, both the drakes and hens will bob their heads when ready, just depends on which one is in the mood first (if you know what I mean) It doesn't matter which one does it first, usually the end result is mating, however I have seen them bob around for several minutes and never "finish" it.

gennym,

What shellbabe said, both drake and hens doing the head bobbing. My hens do a sideways head bob,turned all the way left or right. Also doing a side step to the male.

Eric

Oh ok, that explains why he is doing that then! I've been wondering for quiet some time now--thanks!

Sounds like love to me... :)

My little crippled white duck just started laying, and BOY, is she proud! *L*

Velvet ~:>

How sweet! Oh and I have one more question. At what age do ducks have babies?? Does it matter if they are only a year old? Thanks!!

I thought of another question I thought I'd go ahead and ask. I heard boy ducks do best when they are atleast 3-4 girl ducks around for each boy. I have 4 boys and 3 girls. Will that cause a problem later on? Or will they be ok? I love them all to death! I don't want any of them to fight! But, I have been thinking about this and wanted to know what to expect since its beginning to be that time of year again when they have babies....

It means your girls are going to get a real workout and possibly get injured. Watch for bald spots on the back of their heads or necks. And if a girl is getting jumped too often she can drown. The males can be darn vicious during mating and more than one will chase and attack the female. Your right about what the ratio should be. You need at least 10 to 15 MORE females or get rid of all the boys 'cept one. Sorry, I know it's not what you want to hear. But it will break your heart just the same watching your girls get raped relentlessly. And the males will fight. Rarely are there injuries but it also is stressful to witness. If you can't bear to part with them, perhaps you could seperate them during mating season. The boys will get along without any fighting if there are no females around.

gennym,

On the age question. I'm thinking 1 year old is mature for any duck or muscovy. My Campbells were mating at 17 weeks. The first egg showed on the 20th week.
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I have 13 hens and 3 drakes. The males are constantly fighting. I will probably have to split them into two flocks and remove one drake.

Eric

Well, as much as I would hate to--I don't have the room for 20 more ducks! I only had these 7 as pets and then if I got that many more i don't think the ones I have would be like the pets they are right now--they would probably change and be more afraid of me...I guess I'll think about carrying the 3 boy muscovies to the pond near where we live..Don't you think they'll be okay??

NO, positivly a poor idea and also illegal. Releasing domestics into the wild is a serious problem with many consequences. People who do this are short sighted and dont think of the ramifications. A bit of internet research will clue you in. Kill them before you do that. seriously.

No way! I'd never hurt one of my ducks-- that would be so cruel. Letting them go free would make them much happier I know. What are the ramifications you are talking about? Also, if you can find a link on this topic I'd appreciate it.

Gennym - I can understand how you feel about killing them, but there are other alternatives. Start NOW to find good homes for the extra males... and don't let the females hatch their eggs. A few ducks for pets must be fun (I adore my three geese) but unless you can make a good home for more, it is better to keep them from breeding and hatching young.

If you release the extra males into the wild they will interfere with native wild species, die of starvation or disease or be eaten by a predator. They do not have the survival skills they need. Perhaps a local petting farm/zoo would take them if you can not care for them all. You could even visit them from time to time.