Seperate them?

[TikiMyn]

Hey everyone, I have a little question

I have to wonderfull Indian runner ducks, Pippin and Myn. Myn is a male, Pippin female. This Will be their second hormonal summer. Last year Pippin Made a nest two times(I Made sure the eggs couldn’t hatch, this year I Will replace them with fakes), and sat on it. When they didn’t hatch she left it alone.
But the thing is, Myn wants to mate with her a lot. Right now, he mates with her every day, but last summer he did it multiple times a day. Not when Pippin was sitting on a nest though.
It is not even spring and he is already mating with her every day, should I be concerned? Usually Drakes have multiple females, but he only has Pippin. Maybe I should separate them for Some time? They do like Each other so I would prefer not do, but Myn mates a lot with her. Pippin tries to get away sometimes but gives in eventually. I know it’s normal for them to mate and ducks mating looks pretty painful for the female but I know that is normal too. I am just a bit concerned about the amount of mating. Does anyone know how much mating is normal?

 

[WendyN]

 

[finchly]

Yes you must separate them. Females can die from this.
Also if she stops eating she might need antibiotics; infection is often a result of repeated servicing by the male.

 

[TikiMyn]

Yes you must separate them. Females can die from this.
Also if she stops eating she might need antibiotics; infection is often a result of repeated servicing by the male.

O dear I did not know that at all, I searched for it on the internet but most issues were about two Drakes attacking Each other. Thank you so much!

 

[TikiMyn]

@finchly do have any idea how long I Will have to seperate them? I guess it depends on the individual and the environment too? I am contemplating what the best way to seperate them would be, if it’s only for a month I Will just put a barrier up(a Solid one so theh don’t see Each other), but I think I Will have to seperate them for at least a few months, last year Myn was more territorial hormonal and this wasn’t so bad.

 

[finchly]

I don’t know...

 

[finchly]

https://runnerduck.net/

https://livestockconservancy.org/index.php/heritage/internal/runner


Indian Runner Ducks - eggs, pets and exhibition

See if those help. Or maybe ask them?

 

[Bokkapooh]

Does he pester her too much that she is losing weight and not eating?

 

[faislaq]

I would think that a break of maybe a few hours once or twice a day would give her a break, let her eat and drink unhassled & then they could still be together the rest of the day like they're used to. Hopefully she's on her nest again soon.

 

[Mizzely]

So how realistic is something like a diaper for her so he can't mate with her?

Duck & Goose Diapers | Avian Fashions

 

[faislaq]

So how realistic is something like a diaper for her so he can't mate with her?

Duck & Goose Diapers | Avian Fashions

Dunno, those are kinda sexy....

 

[TikiMyn]

Thank you all so much! I am going to look into all of it this afternoon, it’s 6 in the morning now and my brain is smashed

 

[TikiMyn]

I have thought about it today a lot, thank you all for your help!
I am going to ask questions on other forums with duck people first, silly I didn’t think of that!
In the Meanwhile I am going to set a barrier up in their enclosure(really crappy with cardboard I Will make a better one soon with wood!), and message Some people who sell Duck Diapers about how long it Will take to ship their products to me.
I think Myn Will remain this hormonal for a pretty long while, so I think I am going to bring Pippin inside with me for Some time. Myn can have all the space for himself then and I can give him more distractions.
Pippin can go outside and visit Myn while I supervise, and she loves being with me and enjoys being inside. She is already used to a harness, and a diaper while she is out shouldn’t bother her too much. I have a big dog crate stored with my father, it belonged to our husky and isn’t used anymore. When I am away she Will have to be inside that, but I think she Will adapt her sleep times to that quickly(my girl loves to nap!), and I can give her a few toys and a bit of foraging there too.
So I think I have a plan! I Will have to make sure there are no small things that can fall into her crate, I Will cover it on three sides and the top, and swipe all other things up when I let her out. But overall, I think it’s possible and Pippin Will actually enjoy her time inside, she loves playing with Some bigger bird toys when she is inside. I am so glad I haven’t Made their new playstand yet, I wouldn’t have any space for her crate if I did!