How many drakes should i have?

[Cassandragrenr]

((i really don't know how to word this good, sorry if the wording is weird))
How many drakes should I have? Like is there something like 1 drake per (insert amount) females? Like in chickens you should have one rooster per 10 hens, is there anything like that with ducks?

 

[sloanbychoice]

They say five hens to a drake, but it’s just a rough guideline much like the 10:1 chicken ratio. After having ducks myself, I personally say the more girls the better.

 

[ruthhope]

My son has pekins two girls and a drake. This is the second drake as his original drake was swapped out for a rescued drake i had. The girls have been perfectly happy with a one to two ratio with both drakes. They encourage the drakes to mate -- one in particular knows all the steps in the 'come hither I'm ready' dance.

So the ratio depends on the drake and the female ducks

 

[fatty and friends]

depends on the duck. i have my 1 drake and 1 hen together, they are best friends. my other 2 drakes are with just each other, no hens, and are also best friends.

 

[neo71665]

When I had mallards I tried to keep them 10:1.

 

[Quatie]

It really depends on the drake, like @fatty and friends said. Some drakes need more females than others. It also depends on what you are doing. If you are breeding, you may want a few more drakes. 8-10:1 would be a good amounts. More than that and you likely won't get good fertilization of all your ducks. Breed can also play into it. Smaller breeds usually need more females than larger breeds. I have experience with khaki Campbell drakes and they are higher energy and need more females. My Saxony drake is satisfied with far less and the females tire him out. Otherwise you don't need drakes. You normally want at least 4:1, but more would be recommended.

What breeds are you thinking of getting?