Possibility of male ducklings affecting my flock dynamic?

[BaileyP]

Hi there! We have the opportunity to purchase two magpie ducklings to add to my flock, but we won't know what their gender is. I'm a bit nervous about the possibility of them being two drakes, and how that may affect the ratio of my current situation.

We currently have all females-
1. Indian runner- one year old
2. Pekin- unknown age, adopted from a rescue
3. Indian runner- 6 weeks old
4. Buff- 6 weeks old

Is this too risky to take a chance on? I stubbornly would love a Magpie so I'm hoping to find a way to make it work, but I also worry I may have to rehome one later if the males are too aggressive.

 

[BelovedBirds]

Hi there! We have the opportunity to purchase two magpie ducklings to add to my flock, but we won't know what their gender is. I'm a bit nervous about the possibility of them being two drakes, and how that may affect the ratio of my current situation.

We currently have all females-
1. Indian runner- one year old
2. Pekin- unknown age, adopted from a rescue
3. Indian runner- 6 weeks old
4. Buff- 6 weeks old

Is this too risky to take a chance on? I stubbornly would love a Magpie so I'm hoping to find a way to make it work, but I also worry I may have to rehome one later if the males are too aggressive.

you really need at least 4 ducks per drake, so if you end up with two drakes you could either separate both from the flock, by building a "bachelor" pen where they can't get to the ducks, rehome one drake, or buy a few more hens.
It is a risk, and you would have to make a choice on what to do, as two drakes could overbreed the ducks or end up fighting.