How many drakes to ducks?

[Flying Cat Coop]

How many drakes to ducks is idea for large breeds? What about call ducks?

I would not mind more drakes to duck ratio but many people seem to recommend 3-5 ducks to drakes.

 

[Isadora]

I would not mind more drakes to duck ratio but many people seem to recommend 3-5 ducks to drakes.

The recommendation isn't based on what people prefer. It's not as if people hate males, it's a simple matter of males overmating females.

 

[Isadora]

But to answer your question, typical rule of thumb is 4 to 6 drakes for every female. This can vary based on individual drakes because some are more laid back than others while others may be more crazy.

 

[Flying Cat Coop]

The recommendation isn't based on what people prefer. It's not as if people hate males, it's a simple matter of males overmating females.

I understand the reason for the recommendation but it seems to vary based on breed and maybe preference or environment, age or other factors. More of an art than a science.

Some people only sell their breed in pairs. I recently turned down buying from a breeder that would only sell a duck with a male
.
I have always opted to keep rooster numbers low. Ducks are new to me so I am thinking that I would do the same but keep hearing from more people that they have more drakes and don't stick to the 3-5 ducks to drake rule.

 

[DukesDucks]

But to answer your question, typical rule of thumb is 4 to 6 drakes for every female

Did you mean 4 to 6 females for every drake?

 

[Isadora]

Did you mean 4 to 6 females for every drake?

Lol, yes.

 

[Flying Cat Coop]

Did you mean 4 to 6 females for every drake?

Yes. Typo.

 

[New duck mommy 2021]

Depends on the male themselves
I would never be able to sell my khaki without his lady as they are a pair
He spends 24/7 by her side
So I get why some only sell pairs
You can add more females to a pair but some boys will only have eyes for the First Lady
I have 16 ducks and mine are all out together yet they stick to their little groups of hatch mates as I have different ages
When my boys get to frisky and start to over mate I separate them from the girls
I keep a close eye on their necks and if it’s looking a bit rough the boys are on time out to let the girls heal up
When I say heal it’s never bad just redness and a little feathers missing in the area they bite to mate
I have never had one with major injuries
My khaki is very good to his lady
When she says no he leaves her be
He never runs her down and treats her like a princess He is happy with just her
But my other boys get a thrill when she runs and so they will run her down to mate. Although she has learned mom has her back and she runs right to me and they get told no and walk away
I have 11 girls and 5 boys
I would like to be less one boy but hard to find them homes as many want to put them in a freezer and I don’t eat my ducks just their eggs

 

[Quacking ducks]

Depends on the male themselves
I would never be able to sell my khaki without his lady as they are a pair
He spends 24/7 by her side
So I get why some only sell pairs
You can add more females to a pair but some boys will only have eyes for the First Lady
I have 16 ducks and mine are all out together yet they stick to their little groups of hatch mates as I have different ages
When my boys get to frisky and start to over mate I separate them from the girls
I keep a close eye on their necks and if it’s looking a bit rough the boys are on time out to let the girls heal up
When I say heal it’s never bad just redness and a little feathers missing in the area they bite to mate
I have never had one with major injuries
My khaki is very good to his lady
When she says no he leaves her be
He never runs her down and treats her like a princess He is happy with just her
But my other boys get a thrill when she runs and so they will run her down to mate. Although she has learned mom has her back and she runs right to me and they get told no and walk away
I have 11 girls and 5 boys
I would like to be less one boy but hard to find them homes as many want to put them in a freezer and I don’t eat my ducks just their eggs

I kind of agree with the selling them in pairs if they are attached to each other…this last summer I had to unfortunately get rid of Rouen drake because he has been a problem for a couple years with over mating the females and bullying my other drake. But my Pekin female was very attached to him, and he watched out for her. When I got rid of him… she got a lot quieter and her health started to deteriorate. She is not doing very well now.

(Before)

(After)

 

[New duck mommy 2021]

I kind of agree with the selling them in pairs if they are attached to each other…this last summer I had to unfortunately get rid of Rouen drake because he has been a problem for a couple years with over mating the females and bullying my other drake. But my Pekin female was very attached to him, and he watched out for her. When I got rid of him… she got a lot quieter and her health started to deteriorate. She is not doing very well now.

(Before)
View attachment 3305381
(After)
View attachment 3305383

Yes they can pair up and when they do they don’t do well to separate
My pekin and khaki would be very depressed without each other