Drakes within free-range mixed duck flock?

[HosDucks]

I plan on having a mixed duck flock in the future. I am starting with a small flock (1 drake, and 5 ducks); eventually though, I plan on growing the flock to be of about 6 or 7 Drakes, with the appropriate number of females for a healthy ratio.

The ducks/drakes will vary in size from my smallest being a breeding pair of tame mallards, to the larger heavyweights (including a breeding pair of Muscovies).

Im not quite sure what my breeding program will look like (separate runs and/or coups for specific breeds, keeping drakes separate during specific months, etc), but I'll have a few years to figure that out until I start to breed my meat birds.

If I give time for all of my ducks/drakes to have some free-range time together, will this cause an issue? Will the bigger drakes push around and be a danger to the smaller drakes? Will the larger drakes be a danger to the smaller ducks, or do they tend to naturally go towards ducks closer to their size?

 

[cheezenkwackers]

Yes, yes, and not necessarily. Remember that they are all descendants of mallards (except Muscovy). So, it is similar to having different size dogs together. I’m not sure that they know how big they are.

 

[HosDucks]

Yes, yes, and not necessarily. Remember that they are all descendants of mallards (except Muscovy). So, it is similar to having different size dogs together. I’m not sure that they know how big they are.

Thanks for the reply. After contemplating over this thought this morning, I think I'll be much better off just starting with a small flock of Anconas. It's probably a much easier learning curve with starting with a single breed. Then as I gain more knowledge and (more importantly) first hand experience, I can gradually grow my flock and make small changes as need be.