Drakes together

Since we breed for SOP, we have always kept a "bachelor" band of drakes, as back ups, just in case. These drakes do have their own pecking order, but get along fine, since there aren't any females in with them. We've been doing this for almost 30 years and haven't had anything more than a squabble here or there when new birds are added to the flock.

Hope this helps. Good luck & enjoy your ducks.


PINOAK RIDGE
Call ducks in: Apricot Silver, Aztec Blue, Black, Blue, Blue Fawn, Buff, Butterscotch, Chocolate, Grey, Khaki, Pastel, Snowy, Silver & White.
Black East Indies, Miniature Silver Appleyards, Mallards and Silver Mallards.

Silkies: Black, Blue, Buff, Grey, Partridge & White
Bantam Cochins & Frizzles: Black, Blue, Silver, Mottled-Black & Blue, Millie Fluer (Calico) and White.
 
Hi tcmaria, glad to hear your boys get along, hope mine will too when I introduce a new boy. Thanks for posting.
 
I just got 7 Ancona ducks this spring, and it seems like I have on 2 females. They are all very well behaved, but I don't know when they will start to want to breed. Also do I need to make a nest box for the hens? Thank you.


Hi Melissa,

If you only have 2 females and 5 males, I would recommend just keeping your best male with the 2 females or purchasing several more females. You may wish to rehome several of the males or keep the males in a "bachelor flock". A good drake to duck ratio is 1 male per every 3-5 females. When spring is here and hormones begin racing, even gentlemen can become brutes. I would be afraid the drakes would gang rape your females. They can injure and even kill females.

You can provide nest boxes for your girls. Some girls will gladly accept nest boxes. Some will insist on building their own where the choose. Others may just "drop" their eggs wherever the urge hits, without any rhyme or reason. This can include eggs laid in the water source or anywhere in their environment and not even in the same location from day to day. (silly ducks). Some breeds or bloodlines have had the nesting/mothering instincts bred down in them, in lieu of other traits such as, egg production, quick growth and etc.

Hope this helps. Good luck and enjoy your ducks.
 

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