All-Drake Flock.. and what should the hen/drake numbers be?

[MyMonsters91]

So, I had 4 original ducks. I thought they were all 4 girls, and got 3 drakes for companionship, just to realize the next day that 2 of my original ducks were most likely males and I just swamped my 2 hens with 5 drakes. Obviously brutal to them. I couldn't re home 3 drakes as nobody was jumping at getting them, so I eventually settled on selling the 2 girls (and the women asked for one of my drakes to go with them, she had one lonely girl grieving after the loss of her original companions that she wanted to get companions for)... so now I'm down to 4 drakes. It's so quiet out by the coop, except for my single Roo who likes to hear his own voice. My 4 males seem to be doing fine so far, despite the separation of the 3 other ducks. I'm particularly watching my last original duck who grew up with the 3 that were re homed.. but he seems to be doing okay with his other 3 buddies. Is there anything I need to be aware of with having an all drake flock?

Also, if I were to get some more hen ducks next year, how many would I have to have to go with my four males? What is the ideal male vs female proportions? I would like to get some Cayuga hens coming Spring, but want to be prepared. Also, what like-ness in age would I want to look for? I've been trying to keep all my ducks around the same age, but does it matter? If I end up with younger hens then my males are come Spring, would that be hard on the girls?

 

[jducour]

If you insist on keeping all 4 drakes, and add some ducks to the flock you will need to add between 8-12 ducks. That is a lot I know it is hard to get rid of drakes sometimes, but there is usually someone that wants them. I was able to rehome my 3 extra drakes to a family that wanted to keep the bug population down on their property. I currently have 2 drakes and 4 ducks. None of my ducks are over mated, but I think that I really should add one more. 3 ducks per drake is the ideal ratio, but a drake can easily fertilize a flock of 8-12 ducks. They have quite a bit of... um... drive. You can add year old ducks to your flock as I did - which is nice because they are already laying, or you can start again with ducklings. With the ducklings, though, you would have to keep them separated from the drakes for at least 4-6 months. An all drake flock isn't such a bad thing - they have so much personality, and it is so fun to see them walk and talk together as a group. Maybe this is good for now? I am so glad you were able to find those girls a home, I'm sure it was really hard to let them go!

 

[MyMonsters91]

Thanks for the info! Not sure I can give up a drake, I'm quite fond of the 4 I have left.. but if I had to, I could probably choose 2 more to rehome if I really wanted some girls. I won't be making a choice until Spring either way, I've already made the decision to leave both my ducks and chickens as they are until the cold weather is past. Just asking for future consideration Heck, maybe I'll just choose to keep drakes, that way I can add on to them as I want and not worry about girls being over-used. I have 8 hens that are going to give me plenty of eggs, so it's not like I'm pining for eggs.. just the experience, I guess. Anywhoo! Thanks!

 

[needlessjunk]

Thanks for the info! Not sure I can give up a drake, I'm quite fond of the 4 I have left.. but if I had to, I could probably choose 2 more to rehome if I really wanted some girls. I won't be making a choice until Spring either way, I've already made the decision to leave both my ducks and chickens as they are until the cold weather is past. Just asking for future consideration Heck, maybe I'll just choose to keep drakes, that way I can add on to them as I want and not worry about girls being over-used. I have 8 hens that are going to give me plenty of eggs, so it's not like I'm pining for eggs.. just the experience, I guess. Anywhoo! Thanks!

I had 1 male and 5 females and he over mated the smaller 3 hens so bad that he had to go. So I personally think that you should aim for 4 or more females per drake and even then they will pic their favorites and you may have to separate them as needed throughout the year.

Also are you aware that if a drake mates a chicken that you are running a real big risk of injury or worse to your hens. I don't know how protective your rooster is so that may not be an issues but it is something you need to be on the look out for.

 

[MyMonsters91]

Hm. What kind of risk is there to my drakes trying to mate my chickens? I've never even heard of this. My ducks have never really given my chickens any attention, they each do their own thing.

 

[needlessjunk]

Hm. What kind of risk is there to my drakes trying to mate my chickens? I've never even heard of this. My ducks have never really given my  chickens any attention, they each do their own thing.

Duck anatomy is very different than chicken. Male ducks have a penis and roosters do not. Chickens are not meant to be penetrated like ducks so if they do mate is serious for chickens. If they don't mate then it isn't an issue and if your rooster keeps the ducks away and the ducks are not interested then it shouldn't be a problem. But it is something you don't want to find out about after the fact.

 

[MyMonsters91]

No, I know the autonomy differences just fine, I just wasn't aware that ducks would even attempt with chickens. I'll keep my eye out ot make sure it doesn't happen.