Keeping only females for egg production

[sourmilknightmares]

I currently have 4 hens of different breeds and 1 drake. I really, really do not want to deal with fertilized eggs so I am planning on selling my drake and keeping only the girls. I've heard that when people keep only hen (chickens) one of the girls will start to assume the role of the rooster--become more masculine, stop laying, etc. My question is, does this happen with ducks too? I really wouldn't mind too much if, say, my Pekin wanted to pretend to be a drake but if my Kahki Campbell did, I might get a little upset. If I have to keep my drake, I will, but I'll have to keep him seperate from the girls (that whole no ducklings thing...) He would be all alone by himself being constantly tormented by the girls on the other side of the fence. That doesn't really sound like a fun way to live. Does anyone have any experience with this or am I going to have to just try the good ol' hit and miss method?

 

[kylee2katie]

just because you have a drake and end up with some fertilized eggs doesn't mean you have to hatch the eggs....I use our duck eggs - fertile or not - I cannot personally tell a difference between fertilized/not fertilized but I am new to this - hopefully someone with more "eggs-perience" will reply!

 

[sourmilknightmares]

I plan on sharing my eggs with family and friends and maybe, even one day selling them. Between the possibility of ducklings and the people I give the eggs to cracking open an (obviously) fertilized egg and subsequently panicking, I would rather not let it become an issue at all.

 

[katharinad]

You will not see the difference until the eggs are being incubated around 100 degrees for 4 days 24 hours per day. So what you do is collect the eggs each day and store them at 60 degrees or colder and they will not develop. Nobody will ever have a surprise egg if you do it this way. No need to get rid of the drake, which can change the dynamic in your flock in a good or negative way.

 

[sourmilknightmares]

All of that aside, let's just assume I don't want a drake. Will one of my females start acting like a drake the way hens do roosters?

 

[GMT]

Quote:
They'll all take turns climbing on top of each other and going through the motions. Mine do, at least. It doesn't seem to stop them from laying, though.

 

[tomingreeneco]

Keep the drake. They are fun to have around (not like some roosters) and as long as you collect the eggs every day and refrigerate them you will not know if they were fertilized. Your girls will have a protector and the drake will amuse you.

 

[janastasio]

Agreed, keep the drake! My ducks love their men! They love following all the boys around the yard quacking at them. We collect our eggs daily and have never had a problem! You only have problems if you don't collect your eggs daily and no offense, but thats yuck!