Breeding mallardss

sorry I'm very new lol. So my drake can try to mate my wood duck?
Wood ducks are a little different-- I was thinking you meant other breeds of domestic ducks, which except for Muscovy have all been bred from mallards and will crossbreed with them as they like. Wood ducks are a completely different species and genus. However, a male mallard is not very picky (to put it mildly) and there are reports of mallard/wood duck hybrids. So you are much better off to separate the mallard from the wood ducks if possible to prevent bullying and crossbreeding.
 
Wood ducks are a little different-- I was thinking you meant other breeds of domestic ducks, which except for Muscovy have all been bred from mallards and will crossbreed with them as they like. Wood ducks are a completely different species and genus. However, a male mallard is not very picky (to put it mildly) and there are reports of mallard/wood duck hybrids. So you are much better off to separate the mallard from the wood ducks if possible to prevent bullying and crossbreeding.

Not always...I have had one Drake to two and even one Hen...It Depends on the Drake..
if I do have like a 3 hen to 1 drake ratio, will they all be firtile?
 
I have 2 drakes and 3 ducks. It's now autumn and they are all from end of May hatch. They are all mating, and drakes are not too aggressive at this point. If one mounts a hen, the other one goes away. I'll be ready to intervene in the spring, if that changes. One of the drakes acts dominant and the other one is very submissive and doesn't even try to argue with the leading drake - in fact, he follows him everywhere even when the hens refuse to do so. The funny thing is, he's more liked among the ladies and especially one is doing her best to show affection all the time. Usually the alpha drake uses that to his own advantage. :)
 
1 drake to 3 females is great. If the birds are not sterile then you will get ducklings from all the hens.

I have 2 drakes and 3 ducks. It's now autumn and they are all from end of May hatch. They are all mating, and drakes are not too aggressive at this point. If one mounts a hen, the other one goes away. I'll be ready to intervene in the spring, if that changes. One of the drakes acts dominant and the other one is very submissive and doesn't even try to argue with the leading drake - in fact, he follows him everywhere even when the hens refuse to do so. The funny thing is, he's more liked among the ladies and especially one is doing her best to show affection all the time. Usually the alpha drake uses that to his own advantage. :)
can I wait to separate them a few weeks before she lays?
 
I would separate them when the hen goes broody. If you want them to take care of their ducklings. If you would incubate them yourself, I don't think you need to seperate them at all. 3:1 ratio should be ok, except if you have more than one drake with strong libido. ☺️
 

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