So, a friend of mine at work has a family member that needs to rehome a 1 yr. old Cayuga drake. Of course, he’s gorgeous! I currently have 3 hens (1 Rouen hen, 2 Muscovy hens) with no drake. This has been manageable!
So, I’m absolutely sure that Daphne would fall madly in love, but I have reservations.
Would he be too big for my roughly 5 lb. Muscovy hens? Would he ignore them and just want to mate with Daphne (because she’s Mallard-derived) and then end up over-mating her?
The pros, in my mind, would be that 1) Daphne would finally get some lovin’ and wouldn’t have to resort to romancing her sisters. 2) There would be some fertile eggs for my Muscovy hens to brood over. 3) Drake could potentially offer additional protection for the girls. 4) Well, he’s gorgeous.
The cons, in my mind, would be that 1) Extra duck = extra mess! 2) He could potentially over-mate Daphne or be too big for the ‘Scovy hens and harm them. 3) Eggs would now be fertile, and while the ‘Scovies desperately want to raise ducklings, I don’t know if there’s really a market for Cayuga/Rouen or Cayuga/Muscovy ducklings. Yes, I could remove the eggs immediately, as I do now, but there would be a potential for mutant ducklings! 4) Potential for introducing illness by adding new duck to currently closed flock.
I’m leaning towards no, as it is easier, although I’d rather not see him go to freezer camp!
Thoughts?
So, I’m absolutely sure that Daphne would fall madly in love, but I have reservations.
Would he be too big for my roughly 5 lb. Muscovy hens? Would he ignore them and just want to mate with Daphne (because she’s Mallard-derived) and then end up over-mating her?
The pros, in my mind, would be that 1) Daphne would finally get some lovin’ and wouldn’t have to resort to romancing her sisters. 2) There would be some fertile eggs for my Muscovy hens to brood over. 3) Drake could potentially offer additional protection for the girls. 4) Well, he’s gorgeous.
The cons, in my mind, would be that 1) Extra duck = extra mess! 2) He could potentially over-mate Daphne or be too big for the ‘Scovy hens and harm them. 3) Eggs would now be fertile, and while the ‘Scovies desperately want to raise ducklings, I don’t know if there’s really a market for Cayuga/Rouen or Cayuga/Muscovy ducklings. Yes, I could remove the eggs immediately, as I do now, but there would be a potential for mutant ducklings! 4) Potential for introducing illness by adding new duck to currently closed flock.
I’m leaning towards no, as it is easier, although I’d rather not see him go to freezer camp!
Thoughts?