AboutWalter Hintz Expertise I can answer questions about both vertebrate and invertebrate zoology. I am an expert in animal behavior, especially birds.
Experience I have taught for over 50 years. I teach college biology courses and I have led tours to the Galapagos Islands and the Belize rain forest
Expert: Walter Hintz Date: 5/29/2008 Subject: pekin duck aggressive behaviour
Question We have one drake and two pekin ducks now eight years old. They no longer lay but are kept as pets with their principal job being to keep the slugs and snails down in our 1/2 acre garden. The slightly larger duck has in the past couple of days started to viciously attack her smaller companion whilst the drake stands back at a safe distance and does nothing. Whilst the larger one has always been a little aggressive around feeding time it was more of the odd peck rather than anything serious. Today they needed to be seperated by me with the smaller one obviously getting pecked quite badly. At one stage they were beak in beak and this evening i see the little one is limping. May I have advice please as to my best course of action and answers to this most unusual behaviour by them, thank you
Peter B.
Answer Hi peter; It is hard to predict the behavior of ducks. Flocking birds do establish a pecking order that can be vicious but it usually settles down. It is usually best to not interfere. A pecking order is part of their nature. I can only suggest that you separate them again if the larger duck gets too vicious.
