3 drakes to 3 hens!

[ChickandDuckMomma]

I currently have 3 hens (2 pekins and 1 rouen) and 3 drakes (1 swedish blue and 2 khaki) should I get more hens out in my flock this spring? It is still January, but the drakes are pretty frisky! This is their first year, so I am not sure if the ratio will be a problem this coming season. Any advise?

 

[cluckmecoop7]

You should only have 1 male to ever 4-6 females.

 

[Isadora]

I currently have 3 hens (2 pekins and 1 rouen) and 3 drakes (1 swedish blue and 2 khaki) should I get more hens out in my flock this spring? It is still January, but the drakes are pretty frisky! This is their first year, so I am not sure if the ratio will be a problem this coming season. Any advise?

If you plan on keeping all those drakes then yes, get more females.
Separating two of the males from the rest could also be an option, but personally I like to have more than three girls per drake.

 

[indianaducks]

Sounds like you definitely need more ladies and/or fewer drakes.

I currently have a slightly off ratio due to a few predator losses (why do they always take the girls, and not the extraneous drakes LOL?), but its winter and my ducks pretty much just sleep and snuggle right now. I also have 6 ducklings in the garage (not sure on male/female yet) but hoping that will help even out my ratio. If not, I'll send the least favorite drakes to freezer camp or rehome them. Over the spring/summer/fall, I had to remove some drakes until I got to a more reasonable ratio and had happy ladies again. Not a task I enjoy, but they don't go to waste and overall the flock is happier. My current flock is 15 adults outside, 11 ladies and 4 drakes. 3 of the drakes stay because they are our favorites that we won't get rid of, and the extra drake became my husband's favorite... so I haven't had the heart to get rid of him yet. But as soon as there's a problem, he's gone (the drake LOL).

 

[LucyLovesDucks]

I currently have 3 hens (2 pekins and 1 rouen) and 3 drakes (1 swedish blue and 2 khaki) should I get more hens out in my flock this spring? It is still January, but the drakes are pretty frisky! This is their first year, so I am not sure if the ratio will be a problem this coming season. Any advise?

The Khaki Campbells will be very horny, just a warning.

Did the drakes grew up together? That makes it less likely for them to fight, but it’s not guaranteed. Are they of the same size generally? If the drakes are the same size, it’s more likely they will fight for dominance over females, whereas if you have a big one and a smaller one, it’s less likely for the smaller one to challenge the bigger one. If your drakes are smaller in size than your females, that’s super helpful for the females.

Generally, I would say yes, you should have more females than males. However, I am running a very small flock of equal numbers and it works flawlessly. Here’s what helps:

*my ladies are all bigger in size than the males
*the drakes grew up together and the females were introduced after 4-5 months
*there’s a significant difference in size between my drakes, so the smaller one never challenges the bigger one
*personality wise, my drakes are pretty chill
*they have a huge space to forage during the day, while being separated at night (so the males and females are never confined to a small space together where they could not escape unwanted advances)

I guess what I’m saying is observe, observe, observe them. If the females show signs of distress, definitely separate them and consider adding more females. You’ll probably still need to separate the new ducks from the existing flock, just because any new females won’t be able to be added to the flock until they are sexually mature, otherwise you risk serious injuries. Good luck and let us know how it went!

 

[kunsangsean]

Generally, I would say yes, you should have more females than males. However, I am running a very small flock of equal numbers and it works flawlessly. Here’s what helps:

*my ladies are all bigger in size than the males
*the drakes grew up together and the females were introduced after 4-5 months

Lucy, what breeds are your females/males to get the size difference and what's your total flock size? I am hoping to do equal male/female numbers at a total flock of 4-6 and curious how yours is working.

 

[BelovedBirds]

Lucy, what breeds are your females/males to get the size difference and what's your total flock size? I am hoping to do equal male/female numbers at a total flock of 4-6 and curious how yours is working.

That is going to be extremely risky. If you value the health of your girls, please consider housing the drakes separately, or staying within ratio.

Drakes will harm, and rape the hens repeatedly. During the breeding seasons, hormones will spiral, meaning the drakes may fight eachother, and may even mate the same hen at the same time. It will be very unpleasant for them, especially the girls.

Some flocks work, despite being out of ratio, for most months of the year. But equal male to female ratio is asking for disaster.