Breeding pairs - how long do they have to be together?

[spiderlady]

Hi. OK, so this might sound funny, but I don't know how the whole sperm precedence thing works with ducks - if a duck has mated with several drakes, are the babies going to be from the first drake there, the last one there, or some combination of all that she has mated with?

If you want offspring from just a certain drake, how long do you have to have them paired up to ensure paternity? My ducks have been cooped up with 3 drakes all winter, and now that it is spring I want to get some hatching eggs from my best females, but only one of the drakes is what I would consider breeding quality... What to do? Any advice would be appreciated!

 

[The FlockMaster]

HI!

I wait at leased 3 weeks to make sure the offspring are from a certain drake.

 

[spiderlady]

OK, 3 weeks feels like forever when your waiting for baby ducklings, but it sounds like a safe bet. I hope it works.

And thanks much for the input!