do my duck breeds and genders work with my goals

[marvun22]

i want my ducks as pets and i woudnt mind eggs. i was going to get a pair (1 male,1 female) of khaki campbells, rouens, and buffs. i was also going to get 4 female pekins as well. i already have 2 male and 2 female mallard/pekin cross. ive asked about gender before but one my males just yesterday got killed predator. if i got all the ducks that i mentioned i would have 5 males and 9 females. i also was thinking about getting another pair of maybe welsh harlequin or chocolate indian runner. are indian runners cold hardy?

 

[Kevin565]

I'm sorry but 5 males on 9 females is asking for trouble. There's a good chance they will gang breed during spring. Depending on the personality of the birds you might be able to do it but I personally wouldn't risk it. I know many people who keep Runners in very cold climates. With proper shelter and bedding they should be fine.

 

[jdywntr]

Nope too many males unless you have separate housing and pens for each breed. You would still need to keep an eye out because some males are too much for 1 female. You don't need drakes for pets or eggs so if you want a bunch of breeds why not just get females?

 

[marvun22]

i guess the only reason i want males is cause they look different from the females.

 

[jdywntr]

i guess the only reason i want males is cause they look different from the females.

Most males do have great coloring. Unfortunately, you need to worry about the welfare of the girls. Drakes can kill girls through overbreeding.

It would be nice if we could sit our drakes down and tell them to behave and play nice.

 

[marvun22]

with my males and females does it matter that they free range. also ive had ducks in the past and ive had worse ratios then that in the past. also just a throw in with my ducks in the past the younger duck flock would stay away from the older duck flock. so then i'd have 1 flock of 2 males and 2 females and 1 flock of 3 males and 7 females

 

[Kevin565]

Yes free ranging can make a difference but not much in this case. There's no way to get around the fact that it would be way too many Drakes. Just because it wasn't a huge issue in the past is no guarantee in the present.

 

[marvun22]

i probably wont get ducks for at least half a month more and ill strongly think about my options