Can multiple drakes live together?

[DuckLady]

A lot of people have all drake flocks.
But recommended is 3 to 4 ducks per drake. Your mileage may vary.

Too high a drake to duck ratio can lead to undue stress and injury to the duck.

 

[xfilesnumber1fan]

Quote:
I started with 2 (sex)unknown at the time 1 crested and 1 white layer..4 weeks old..Then got 2 more (sex) unknown again about 4 weeks later..They were mallards about 4 weeks old...Then the greens heads popped out and the sex feathers and other 2 started laying eggs..So then I knew...So those 4 were raised together...Then I brought 2 grown mallard females in..That was a hard 2 days the boys went crazy trying to breed with them and they wanted nothing to do with them...The girls together were fine and the boys didnt fight..Just the 2 new girls came from a bad situation they lived in a mud hole no fresh water and not proper feed ,They had not been raised by hand and were scared to death! I had to cut the flight feathers the min I got them here..The boys can fly I never thought about cutting them..They are very little but they scared me..Everytime I reached for them they hissed at me!

Had them now 3 months and they are good..Still hard to catch but nothing like they were...Now you cant get them apart they are all really bonded..Sometimes the boys seem alittle ruff they pluck a few feathers out of the back of the girls neck..But the thing is the girls will peck the boys until they get on..I do plan on adding 2 more girls this spring....

 

[conny63malies]

I had for some time three drakes and thre ducks in my yard. THe boys were brothers and got along pretty well, only minor arguments. They knew whos the boss (Duck-duck) the middleman(Pumpkin) and the follower(Goose).

 

[WriterofWords]

I have my first drakes Emeril (Mallard) and Twinky (Runner) and Hershey the Runner hen, then I have an assortment of their offspring, including those of my deceased White Pekin hen, Whitey. There are 5 drakes total and 5 hens, Babette doesn't count as a duck since she thinks she's a chicken. My drakes, like my roos, all get along, if someone doesn't get along the go for a ride. I'll be letting go of a couple of drakes soon though, one of my coworkers lost her drake over last weekend and now has 12 hens and no drakes, so she wants two of mine. She's taking one half Mallard/half Pekin, and one Runner drake.

 

[wendy]

we have raised all of ours since they were 1 or 2 weeks old but we have 3 drakes and 5 hens. they get along pretty good. they seem happiest when they have there pool. but i don't have it out right now with winter. i plan on putting it back out in march i guess. dh sure paid attention to that water bill

but i just so enjoyed sitting on the back porch watching them play in there pool!


edited for spelling

 

[Dances with Ducks]

I thought ducks have a breeding season starting in early spring (?)and that's when you start to see the real problems with a poor male/female ratio. I haven't been though it yet but I have read it can get dangerous for the females.

 

[keeperofthehearth]

I thought ducks have a breeding season starting in early spring (?)and that's when you start to see the real problems with a poor male/female ratio. I haven't been though it yet but I have read it can get dangerous for the females.

Good Question. Your thoughts and sage advise duck owners?

 

[xfilesnumber1fan]

Quote:
My ducks have been breeding since they came of age..And havent stopped! I thought also they would breed at Spring since I have mallards,,But every morning there is 4 eggs...

 

[wendy]

Well ducks are like chickens, just because they breed does not make them have eggs. You don't need a drake to have eggs. (just like you don't need a rooster to have eggs from chickens)

Our ducks try to breed everyday with our females. I don't know about the spring thing you speak of. With ours it does not seem to be worse in the spring or summer. I do know that the drake can stay better balanced on the female duck in the water.

(hope i don't get fussed at for that last comment

)

 

[Wifezilla]

Jack doesn't care about "seasons". It is ALWAYS love season as far as he is concerned! LOL

Maybe it depends on breed though. Khaki's lay all the time....so do runners. Buff ducks are supposed to have a specific season, but our buff duck is ALWAYS ready, willing and able to accommodate Jack. She flirts with him outrageously....heck all the girls do. I thought it was supposed to be the other way around