Can domestic ducks breed with semi-wild mallards?

[Dummy Drqgon]

Hello! In spring of 2020 I hatched out some khaki campbell ducks, three drakes, and four ducks. And a little later, a wild mallard had made a nest at my dads work. The mallard ended up abandoning the nest, so my dad brought home the eggs for me to incubate. I now have two female semi-wild mallards that live with my domestic ducks. They can fly, but they decided to stay with us. I’m really looking forward to hatching out some mallard/khaki Campbell mixes, but... I haven’t seen the drakes breed the mallards yet! I’ve seen them breed the khaki Campbell females, and even each other . But never the mallards. Also, the mallards are half their size. Is it possible for a domestic drake to breed a wild duck that is half their size? Are the mallards just too small for the drakes to want to breed them?

 

[Ratchnick]

Yes they can breed, deep water helps when the ducks are different sizes.

 

[MotherOfDuckens]

How old are the mallards? Have they started laying? It is my understanding that mallards have more of a biological clock than many domesticated breeds, and I believe they tend to wait for spring to start laying. I've noticed, at least with the drakes I've had, that they had far more interest in mating the ducks that were hormonally more mature and had started laying. It could be that your drakes develop more interest once this happens.

 

[Dummy Drqgon]

How old are the mallards? Have they started laying? It is my understanding that mallards have more of a biological clock than many domesticated breeds, and I believe they tend to wait for spring to start laying. I've noticed, at least with the drakes I've had, that they had far more interest in mating the ducks that were hormonally more mature and had started laying. It could be that your drakes develop more interest once this happens.

The mallards are about eight months old. They have not laid any eggs yet, since they only lay in the spring and summer months. But what you said makes sense, I hope that’s why the drakes aren’t very interested in them at the moment.

 

[Luv Ducks]

Hello! In spring of 2020 I hatched out some khaki campbell ducks, three drakes, and four ducks. And a little later, a wild mallard had made a nest at my dads work. The mallard ended up abandoning the nest, so my dad brought home the eggs for me to incubate. I now have two female semi-wild mallards that live with my domestic ducks. They can fly, but they decided to stay with us. I’m really looking forward to hatching out some mallard/khaki Campbell mixes, but... I haven’t seen the drakes breed the mallards yet! I’ve seen them breed the khaki Campbell females, and even each other . But never the mallards. Also, the mallards are half their size. Is it possible for a domestic drake to breed a wild duck that is half their size? Are the mallards just too small for the drakes to want to breed them?

I have a wild mallard that breeds with my large Rouen hens. He has fertilized the eggs and some have hatched so yes they can. It took him a while since they only have water to drink but he breeds on land and so far has mated my three mallard hens and also my two older Rouen hens. He went after the mallards first but since then has also mated the Rouens. They are twice his size but he manages quite well on land too.

 

[Waterfowllady]

Hello! In spring of 2020 I hatched out some khaki campbell ducks, three drakes, and four ducks. And a little later, a wild mallard had made a nest at my dads work. The mallard ended up abandoning the nest, so my dad brought home the eggs for me to incubate. I now have two female semi-wild mallards that live with my domestic ducks. They can fly, but they decided to stay with us. I’m really looking forward to hatching out some mallard/khaki Campbell mixes, but... I haven’t seen the drakes breed the mallards yet! I’ve seen them breed the khaki Campbell females, and even each other . But never the mallards. Also, the mallards are half their size. Is it possible for a domestic drake to breed a wild duck that is half their size? Are the mallards just too small for the drakes to want to breed them?

Yes! They for sure can. I have a mixed Cayuga flock and lots of them have wild mallard in their genetics because when we irrigate the pasture wild mallards fly in and breed with mine. The crosses look pretty cool and can fly a bit, they are also lighter in weight and look a bit like rouen ducks.

 

[neo71665]

Yep, had wild mallards and my tame mallards do their thing a few times while I still had mallards on my pond.

 

[Luv Ducks]

Yep, had wild mallards and my tame mallards do their thing a few times while I still had mallards on my pond.

I also have had a wild mallard drake mate with my rouen hens and also domestic mallard hens. The problem can be if the drake is much larger than the hens, he can hurt them by his weight is what I have heard. The wild drake was not too large for any of my hens so it worked out well. None of my ducklings had the two stipes of the rouens though so I am not sure if since the drake was a mallard that made that impossible. Does anyone else know?

 

[Poultry mum]

My Muscovy drake won’t touch the Cayuga girls and the Cayuga drake won’t touch the Muscovy girls…. It seems that even in the land of ducks and drakes there is a certain code of conduct… lol