Bachelor Keeping
Giving a group of boys a chance in life
Having a group of drakes can be something truly special. Without the hormonal drive for females, you can really see their personalities shine!
Many drakes, like roosters, need a home every year, month, and day. Unfortunately, many end up being sent to slaughter. Opening your home to a group of drakes doesn't just save one life, but at least one more.
But why is it so much harder to rehome drakes or roosters?
The issue lies in the male-to-female ratio. For each drake, you need at least four females to keep the flock in harmony. For roosters, it's usually one rooster to about ten hens.
So, what exactly is a bachelor group? This term refers to a group of poultry that consists solely of males, living completely without any female interaction.
The Upside of Boys
Having a group of drakes without females comes with many advantages.
For one, they don't make as much noise. While the females have a loud, constant quack, the drakes' calls are more raspy and less frequent.
Drakes are also better at pest control. Without the distraction of females, they focus more on hunting and can be more effective at keeping your space free of pests.
Without females around, drakes often become more personal and develop bigger, more distinct personalities, compared to when they're living with a flock of hens.
Rooster Bachelors
Roosters typically go through their most intense hormonal phase between 6 months and 1 year of age. One of the challenges with keeping roosters is that they don't always get along. Their ability to work together depends heavily on breed and individual personality.
You'll have a higher chance of success with a bachelor flock of roosters if they've been raised together. Without hens around, the roosters will establish their own pecking order, which can lead to a more peaceful dynamic.
Roosters in bachelor groups often become more affectionate toward their owner, as they're not preoccupied with protecting hens or vying for attention.
Bachelor Ganders
Over the past year, I've had the chance to gain some experience with bachelor ganders.
To be honest, there's not too much to consider when it comes to them—they're actually easier to manage than drakes. However, there is one major difference: the fights between ganders can be much more violent.
During their mating season, I've found my geese covered in blood after a fight, though it's usually from them hitting each other with their beaks.
Most of the damage occurs when they fight during the night. That's why I separate them at night, but still make sure they can see each other.
The mating season for geese lasts from February to the end of April.
The bond between ganders is amazing to witness. They truly love and protect each other the same way they would a female. What surprised me the most was when they started building nests, even though there were no females around. Their family bond is that strong.
Ganders also have excellent protection instincts, which makes them outstanding guardians for other poultry.
What to Consider with All the Testosterone
No females in sight!
This is the most crucial point: it's not enough just to separate them; they shouldn't have any visual access to females.
If they can see a female, they will fight to the death. This is especially important with roosters, as their claws and beaks can cause serious injury. Don't be fooled, though—drakes can also hurt each other badly.
Amount of Space
Space is vital for both drakes and roosters. Think of them like siblings—they'll inevitably get on each other's nerves. Giving them a large area allows them to move away from squabbles or just avoid an annoying "sibling."
More space also gives them the opportunity to expend energy by exploring and moving around.
Make sure they have places where they can hide or retreat if needed. This is especially important for roosters. For example, providing a perch they can jump up on gives them a way to avoid confrontations.
For Drakes
I learned that having two pools can help if one drake is lower in the pecking order. The lower-ranking one won't be allowed into the "big pool," which helps maintain order and avoid unnecessary tension.
Be Ready for Separation
Spring to late summer is mating season for ducks.
The first spring for your drakes won't be a problem—they'll be best friends! But come the second spring, they'll become enemies. During the second mating season, their hormones will be at their highest, and even if there are no females around, they'll fight or chase each other.
How Drakes' Hormones Differ
Drake hormones behave much differently than those of roosters. To explain it simply: when their hormones surge, they become almost like "rabid" ducks—they don't know what to do with themselves. This leads to aggression and confusion.
If they don't have a female during this time, they'll often target the drake at the bottom of the pecking order due to their sexual frustration. That's why it's essential to observe your drakes closely during mating season and be ready to make the call to separate them when tensions rise.
The Importance of Pairing Drakes
A bachelor group of drakes works best in pairs or an even number. If you start with three drakes, like I did and learned the hard way, one will inevitably become the victim of bullying during mating season. Increasing the number to four, for example, will make it easier to split them up or let them form natural pairs or groups.
Why Four Drakes Is Ideal
Here's an advantage to having at least four drakes: when you need to separate them, you can divide them into pairs, so no one has to be left alone.
They can still share the same run, as long as you use see-through fencing to keep them from fighting. Compost fencing is great for situations like this, especially if your drakes aren't from a highly flight-prone breed.
Bachelor Roosters
Although I don't have personal experience with bachelor roosters, I can share how I would prepare the run for them in case they can't get along.
The key is to divide the run using removable fencing, ensuring it's tall enough so the roosters can't fly over it. This allows them to still see each other but prevents them from physically engaging.
Fights
In any bird society, the pecking order is crucial. For both my roosters and drakes, I let them settle their fights as long as there's no blood.
While the pecking order isn't as critical among ducks, it's absolutely vital among roosters. If you intervene when you don't need to, they'll just start new fights until they've fully established their order.
Mounting Each Other
You'll often see them mounting each other during the mating season.
I believe there are two main reasons for this: one is sexual frustration, and the other is a form of dominance, similar to how dogs behave.
So don't be fooled—just because one of your drakes is mounting another, it doesn't mean they're female.
Like females, if one of your drakes gets mounted frequently during mating season, they may start to get bald patches around the neck. This can also cause stress for a male who's not biologically programmed to be mounted.
This is when separation becomes necessary for a while during the mating season.
Dancing
You'll start noticing your boys moving in an odd, synchronized fashion, making a sort of farting noise. This is the males' mating dance.
They'll dance even without females around. I've had them dance for me, but I've also heard that the dance is partly a competition among themselves. It's like they're trying to prove who's the most suited to have a mate.
Bachelors in a group of 100
This is a rare situation I came across during my research on people's experiences with bachelor flocks. A lady shared that she has a bachelor flock of over 100 birds. Here, the hierarchy works a bit differently. What she shared was fascinating in terms of how their group dynamics operate.
She wrote:
"I have a bachelor flock of over 100, and the dynamics are very different from a small bachelor flock. The biggest changes are how breeding season is handled. With such a large flock, select drakes go in and out of breeding pens. As you know, Runners are active breeders that don't require water to successfully mate. Reintroducing a breeding drake or two into the bachelor flock will often result in fighting, and sometimes even death, during the breeding season, so extra care must be taken.
Within a large bachelor flock, you will see smaller social groups or clans, as I like to call them. These clans are usually formed at a young age, but it's not unusual for them to reject or accept new members at any time, making the clan dynamic quite fluid. Most of the time, male-to-male aggression in a large flock happens between drakes from different clans. This is different from a small bachelor flock, where aggression tends to occur between drakes from the same clan. In a small bachelor flock, death usually isn't the result of a fight. However, in a larger flock with multiple clans, death is often the outcome because other clan members will join in the fight against one drake. This is why a large bachelor flock needs to be handled very differently from a small one."
I wanna end this post with quotes from two instagram accounts that also have bachelor flocks. That where so kind and wrote a message to me about their experience with bachelor flocks.
"I'm not really an expert but I feel like people think they're just savage. They are not but they do nip (especially in the spring).
I think people need to be more understanding of them and give them the benefit. If people don't like the biting then they could try wearing gloves.
I think it should be noted that they should have plenty of space as I suspect the smaller the space the harder it is for them to get along. But I've only had my boys for a couple of years so I am still learning myself.
They're all different. Alba is pretty docile whereas Inky will chase you down. People should not feel like they are all naughty or all good either. x"
"To Begin with, having boys only wasn't the plan. We thought we were getting girls to lay eggs. But we took ducklings. And by the time they grew up and turned out to be boys we were totally in love with them. So we called them a "Boys Band" and we love them dearly.
They are much quieter than girls.
They are very calm. We let them roam freely around the garden, so they spend all days exploring and sleeping and bathing.
They have their own micro - pond (a sort of a swimming pool). They love it dearly, this is their most treasured possession. We change water there every couple of days, and they go INSANE when they get fresh water.
They don't destroy plants and grass. Only when it's damp and rainy they make mud puddles when searching for worms.
They are extremely picky eaters, they eat ONLY sweet peas and poultry food. They also like lettuce, fresh kale. And of course THE WORMS - from spring to late fall they follow us around the garden expecting us to dig up some worms for them."
If you're not after the eggs, consider opening your home to a group of drakes or roosters. Not only will you save several lives, but you'll also gain some of the most amazing pets.
I also want to mention an incredible Instagram page dedicated to finding homes for roosters and providing guidance on how to start a bachelor flock of roosters. It's a fantastic resource for anyone interested in this unique and rewarding experience.
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