Please explain, if you know. I have three ducks and one Rooster, had hens before hawks or whatever took them off. Randy Rooster is trying to mate with duck (what an ugly sight of chicken head upon a beautiful duck body). My question is, is this normal? I "thought" all animals kept to their own species, or rank, or something. Thank you, for your experience.

-- Ain't (n@tural.com), February 25, 2000

Answers

SYSOPS, why did you banish my question to the bottom, never to be seen as a new question? This is not about race or whatever. Have you seen my isp postings at TB2000? I just thought that God must have made animals without the choke we humans put upon ourselves. And if it is a natural thing that a rooster mate with a white duck, then I wanted to know. Never mind a Rooster Head on a dock waddly body offends my sense of decorum. I just wanted an honest answer from one with experience. By the way, I don't pray the same way other humans pray, their head bowed, my head is lifted, eyes open.

-- Ain't (n@tural.com), February 25, 2000.

Ain't, new questions show up on the bottom of the list. As they age they move upwards. Just the way it is.

As to your rooster, well, animals are just like people. Do all sorts of things. Not common, but certainly not unusual. I've had roosters go after ducks, drakes go after chickens. Nothing else handy. If he isn't hurting her, no problem. If he is or you really can't stand it, give him away or get some hens or eat him. Gerbil

-- Gerbil (ima_gerbil@hotmail.com), February 25, 2000.

Gerbil's right in all respects. This forum runs its mail in the opposite direction to the TB2000 ones.

-- Don Armstrong (darmst@yahoo.com.au), February 26, 2000.

Some 20 years ago I saw quite an intriguing specimen, that of a stubble duck. Ringneck pheasants are often known to live in wheat or sorghum stubble. This bird however had the body of a pheasant, complete with long tail feathers, but had the head and webbed feet of a duck. Very interesting indeed. I should point out before you jump to conclusions, that the only cross breeding that took place was by the hand of a taxidermist. An excellent job he did too.

-- greenbeanman (greenbeanman@ourtownusa.net), February 26, 2000.

It's been my experience that if a duck raises the chicks (if you set chicken eggs under her) the chicks will imprint on ducks and be messed up forever. I have done away with roosters that have dug their spurs into the backs of my ducks. I won't set chickens with ducks or vice versa any more. Lady ducks are very prejudiced- they don't like being assaulted by roosters AT ALL. Can't blame them .

-- Peg (jnjohnsn@pressenter.com), February 26, 2000.

Ain't....

No, your rooster and duck won't make a new "breed". Birds not of a feather, however, WILL try to mate with each other. Also, a bird imprinted on one of another persuasion [i.e., a duck on a banty hen] will follow it's momma around even after it has grown up.

Our poor little banty has had a terrible time the past few rainy days as her former baby ducks try to nestle under her wings. The ducks are twice her size!

-- Kathleen (kalfy53@hotmail.com), February 27, 2000.

Yes, Roosters will do that to ducks. Not that the ducks like it at all. Some Roosters will grab both the Drake and Duck. It can lead to the hen ducks to not lay their eggs, and sometimes can hurt the Drake. This is from me having the same problem. Instead of allowing this problem to continue the Rooster became rather nice Chicken noodle soup. I have another rooster that does not bother my ducks at all.

-- Mrs S. Nees (autumnhaus@aol.com), March 03, 2000.

Greenbeanman, You get a gotcha for me. I was reading what you said and thinking wow is that ever amazing. I was having fun imagining what this must have looked like. Good thing you mentioned the taxidermist because I would have been seeing this bird walk around all day. Ha! Ha!

-- Colleen (pyramidgreatdanes@erols.com), March 03, 2000.

Read this and had a chuckle. Until recently our ducks and chooks shared a pen, I noticed one of the Indian Runner girls was limping, couldn't work it out, decided to keep the ducks in rather than letting them out to graze and wander,limp stopped. A few weeks later she was limping again took her to the vet, she had a sprain and it was then that I clicked our little Aracorn rooster was mounting her! As of last week the ducks and one duckling have their own Joy Duck Club!

-- Fiona Strahan (fidel@netconnect.com.au), February 05, 2002.