Advice needed!!! 3 male ducklings to 1 Female

4littleducklings

Chirping
May 5, 2020
144
109
73
SW Wisconsin
Hello! almost 5 weeks ago I hatched 4 duck eggs. I voiced sexed them and I for sure have 1 female and the other 3 sound like males. Is it ok to keep them all with only 1 female and 3 males? I’m really attached to them and would be so sad to see one or two of them go but I was hoping for more females! I’m struggling with what’s best to do! And advice would be great! 😁🦆 I’ll post a pic of my duckies!
 

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Seriously valid concerns. When I acquired my first four runner ducklings -- before my breeder learned to sex the babies -- I ended up with three males and one female.

I had two concerns. First, that the males would fight each other over the girls. Maybe because they grew up together, that didn't happen.

Second, that the single hen would be way over-romanced. By the time I realized Quinn was the only girl, I was able to purchase ONE semi-grown hen to take the pressure off. Strangely, the group seemed to accept Quinn as the leader, and she wasn't overly bred. Paige, on the other hand, was the apple of every drake's eye.

Short of separately housing them or watching every second that they're free, my only course of action was to get more females. Even then, there was frequently bleeding from the backs of their heads.

I hope you find a way to keep your boys. Two years ago, when my breeder accidentally sold me a male duckling in the group, she offered to take Lane back. By then, I didn't want to give him up. So, I applied chicken math to my duck problem -- and bought more girls!
 
Seriously valid concerns. When I acquired my first four runner ducklings -- before my breeder learned to sex the babies -- I ended up with three males and one female.

I had two concerns. First, that the males would fight each other over the girls. Maybe because they grew up together, that didn't happen.

Second, that the single hen would be way over-romanced. By the time I realized Quinn was the only girl, I was able to purchase ONE semi-grown hen to take the pressure off. Strangely, the group seemed to accept Quinn as the leader, and she wasn't overly bred. Paige, on the other hand, was the apple of every drake's eye.

Short of separately housing them or watching every second that they're free, my only course of action was to get more females. Even then, there was frequently bleeding from the backs of their heads.

I hope you find a way to keep your boys. Two years ago, when my breeder accidentally sold me a male duckling in the group, she offered to take Lane back. By then, I didn't want to give him up. So, I applied chicken math to my duck problem -- and bought more girls!
I am not opposed to get more females! I love my ducks I just wouldn’t want to separate them! Have any of you had good luck or even tried putting then with chickens?
 
You do not want to put drakes in with chickens. Drakes have a hormones rage for many years and will want to breed anything including chickens which will be a death sentence for a hen. Drakes need at least a minimum of 3 females each.
 

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