Can you help answer my duck question?

[casslarrabee225]

YIKES! Saco is closer then Presque Isle is to me. (

 

[kikidee]

Why don't you try buying off a hatchery just incase? just a thought.

 

[bexnd]

do you not have any local breeders

 

[casslarrabee225]

No locals, no. I have called EVERYWHERE imaginable with no success. Placed ads, have my friends and family keeping an eye out for me. There is someone 20 minutes away, but she it trying to get rid of a couple males cause she has too many. So she has no extra females. (
I will probably order some babies if things don't look up. It makes me nervous to get babies this time of year as we have VERY harsh weather sometime in the Winter. I know they would be in side for a couple months but it would still be chilly in March/April...

 

[Amiga]

It may be best to go ahead and separate the female from the males. If she's already losing neck feathers, I feel that's a big red flag. See if you can regroup and adjust your plans and timing a bit. I hate the thought of a duck getting wounded and killed by drakes.

veronicasmom has some good ideas. Sometimes I'm surprised how well things turn out when I let people know what's going on. Solutions I had not even considered become available. Keep posting on BYC and see who can help.

I kept our babies in the house brooder for three months. It was work, but it was fun, because I knew it would not be forever. And I got a kick out of the pitter patter of duckie feet in our hallway.

We're in southern New England, and that year the ducks arrived early and spring arrived late!

 

[casslarrabee225]

It may be best to go ahead and separate the female from the males. If she's already losing neck feathers, I feel that's a big red flag. See if you can regroup and adjust your plans and timing a bit. I hate the thought of a duck getting wounded and killed by drakes.

veronicasmom has some good ideas. Sometimes I'm surprised how well things turn out when I let people know what's going on. Solutions I had not even considered become available. Keep posting on BYC and see who can help.

I kept our babies in the house brooder for three months. It was work, but it was fun, because I knew it would not be forever. And I got a kick out of the pitter patter of duckie feet in our hallway.

We're in southern New England, and that year the ducks arrived early and spring arrived late!

How would I go about separating them? I have a "duck shed" that we built about 9'x9' and an attached "outside coop" about the same size. We have had a fox come and take one of our ducks a couple months ago on the ONE night I forgot to put them in for the night. I would hate to leave one in the outside coop and a fox (or other predator) get hungry or mean enough to try to get into it with him/her. The outside coop is buried about half a foot and wrapped with chicken wire around the sides and top. But I know what predators can do when they get hungry and have food right in front of them.....

 

[veronicasmom]

Maybe make a small secure space for the hen to be in in both the run and the shed, but so that the drakes cannot get to her. It can be a temporary situation until you either get more girls or you rehome one drake. As much as I hate the idea of having to give away a pet, it might be the best idea if you can find him a good home. Advertise him on here too if you have not already done so.
I would suspect that even if you get some more girls, you will have fighting between the drakes at some point. 3 girls to one boy is a good ratio. More girls is always better. Which is how I got 5 girls and one boy! LOL

 

[casslarrabee225]

I'd feel bad getting rid of him cause he is so aggressive. Not with humans or anything but with other males. He would definitely be best in a flock that he was the only male. If my other male tries to "have a go" with the girl he will fight him off of her (Hence the pulling of the feathers on her neck) he is very dominate. He'll pull feather out of my other male as well if he gets ahold of him during the chasing process.

 

[casslarrabee225]

I also get nervous about what his outcome will be in a new home. What if someone wants him for meat? I know I can't control what someone else does but I definitely don't want that to happen...

 

[learycow]

I live in Maine too. I might be the one who emailed you because I do live in the Saco area!
And to answer your question, yes. The duck eggs can be fertile even in the winter. I collect my eggs very early (6-630am) while they are still warm. Especially the ones I put in the incubator. You don't want to let them get cold.
I put 20 eggs in the incubator at the start of January and I've got 15 developing (they actually started hatching yesterday!) My ratio, even though my ducks are all together right now, is 3 females for every 1 male.
I still have a few females left for sale if you are in the area and decide to get a few!