HELP

[Meegan]

Ok. So I have 8 ducks as you know. And my Rouen. Senoritã duckie, May have some eggs on the way. I don’t know. I looked it up. Didn’t find anything. So I need your guys’ help. The internet said they are sexually mature at 6 or 7 months. She’s about 6. I felt her pelvic bone. It seems pretty flexible. I fit three fingers between. The reason i did all this was because I saw that the back of her head feathers were messed up. Not sure if an were ripped out though. Don’t think so. They were clumped together and look like she had been bitten by another duck. I thought about how they mate and checked her. But I’m just wondering if she is or not. Please help!!! Also, if she was “pregnant” then when will she start to lay?? Help!

 

[sourland]

It's a bit early, but she may be getting ready to lay. Looking at your introduction, it appears that you have 5 drakes and 3 hens. That is probably going to lead to problems which may already have started. The messed up feathers on the back of her head may be a result of being over bred by all of those drakes. Start preparing a 'Plan B' - for the safety of your hens it may be necessary to create a drake pen and separate them from the hens.

 

[keesmom]

Five drakes and only 3 hens is quite likely going to be a problem. Now is a good time to build a bachelor pen for the males before things get ugly.

 

[aart]

Also, if she was “pregnant” then when will she start to lay??

Birds don't get 'pregnant'.
The ovary becomes mature and they start laying eggs,
which if fertilized and incubated will produce baby birds.

Welcome to BYC! @Meegan
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[Duckworth]

As they reach sexual maturity, your drakes are going to be hormonally driven to mate frequently. They can be pretty physically assertive in mating, which female ducks can usually handle, but in moderation. When there are more males than females, the females tend to get mated more times in a day than their bodies can tolerate and they can be injured or killed. People typically keep at least two or three female ducks, if not more, to one male.

The other issue you may encounter is that your drakes may fight and injure each other in their competition for a very limited number of female ducks. Drakes can often be kept successfully in an all-male flock, but a mixed flock without having the drakes substantially outnumbered by the female ducks can generate issues that can be life-threatening for some of them. People typically resolve these issues by providing separate housing or by rehoming or culling the drakes to attain a more manageable balance of drakes to hens.

It sounds like your duck hen has probably been mated, possibly multiple times, and her eggs, when she begins laying, may be fertile. They can still be eaten as usual, as long as they haven’t been sat on or incubated for long enough for an embryo to begin developing.