Drakes and Roosters?

[megan13]

I'm thinking of adding some ducks to my flock but I already have a super sweet rooster. I was wondering will he get along with a drake? Do they have to be raised together? I know adding a new rooster can cause them to become aggressive. Also I've heard that you can have two drakes if you don't have any female ducks. This may sound stupid but do female chickens upset them too? I assume they will be fine with hens but thought I'd ask. Basically how do ducks and chickens do together? I've had ducks and chickens before but never with a rooster and they grew up together. Thanks in advanced.

 

[sourland]

Drakes with chicken hens are an accident waiting to happen. Drakes have penises - roosters do not. Eventually the drakes will start breeding the chicken hens (they are extremely sexually driven creatures) causing physical injuries even prolapses and death.

 

[megan13]

Really!? Wow that was not the answer I was expecting at all. Is it ok to just have female ducks? Can you get sexed ducks from a hatchery...?

 

[donrae]

I agree with sourland. If you have plenty of hen ducks and lots and lots of space for the chicken hens to get away from the drakes, you might be fine. But a horny drake--they're about the most sexual driven male animal I've ever kept, honestly--with no outlet will easily turn to your hens. Two drakes and no duck hens and you'll likely find yourself with a "bottom" drake who gets mounted by the dominant drake and possibly injured. The rooster's kind of a moot point here, the drake will easily intimidate the rooster.

 

[megan13]

Well I'm glad I asked. Maybe I'll just skip on the ducks. Or only get females. My friend works at a feed mill thing and they always get people who don't know what to do with the duckling when it grows up. I was thinking of adopting some of those ducks but I'll have to make sure they're girls. Thanks so much everybody.