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!
