How Soon After Adding a Drake are Eggs Fertile?

[casportpony]

I believe @casportpony has crosses?

I do have some crosses.

 

[casportpony]

Hmmm, didn't realize they'd have a harder time breeding too. I thought a duck was a duck. Lol. Guess we shall see what we get.

Send an email to John Metzer at Metzer Farms and see what he says.

This is an article from their website:
https://www.metzerfarms.com/MuleDucks.cfm?CustID=24792719
Mule Ducks or Moulards
Muscovy and domestic ducks (such as the Pekin - which were developed from Mallards) are very different as they have been genetically isolated for over 50 million years. They can be crossed but you get some very interesting results. If you cross a Muscovy male with a Pekin female you will hatch moulards (or mule ducks); if you cross a Pekin male with a Muscovy female the progeny are called hinnies.

In Europe and in Asia many mule ducks are produced because of their large size, quality liver and reduced fat content in the carcass. Artificial insemination has been developed in ducks due to the desire to produce mule ducks. If left to mate naturally, the fertility is only 20-30%. Artificial insemination brings the fertility up to 80%. Whereas a Pekin takes 28 days to hatch and a Muscovy takes 35 days, a mule or hinny takes 32 days to hatch.

Approximately 60% of mule ducks are males. Some of their characteristics are like the Muscovy as they are large, quiet, slow moving and have long claws but are also like Pekin as they swim well, the males and females are much the same size and they do not fly.

Hinnies are not grown commercially. Males hinnies are much larger than female hinnies, like the muscovy, yet the females look like Pekins but fly quite well.

Mules and hinnies cannot reproduce. Both males are sterile and only the hinny females lay eggs (though they cannot hatch). If you have Muscovy and Pekin together, the chances are poor that they will cross but if they do, a hinny will probably be the result as Pekin males can catch Muscovy females easier than Muscovy males can catch Pekin females.

We do not produce mules or hinnies but thought you might enjoy this material on this interesting aspect of duck production and genetics.

 

[Miss Lydia]

I do have some crosses.

Pics? Any problems with them?

 

[casportpony]

Pics? Any problems with them?

No problems at all. All quackers and Muscovies get along, no fighting between them. The only problem I can see with the cross is getting the Muscovy drake to cover the quackers. My Muscovy drakes just aren't that interested in anything but Muscovy girls.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Same here.

 

[Mylied]

I read a study where they raised pekin ducklings with a muscovy drake and then later introduced the pekin hens to a drake and fertility was higher. They also said a muscovy drake who's been without a muscovy female will be more motivated to mate pekin females. My hens have never seen any drake and the drake has only had a brother for company for some time. Not to mention he doesn't have the choice of a muscovy hen. So maybe I'll get a few. It's all good either way. If it doesn't work out, I'll get a pekin. I just thought a muscovy would be nice.

 

[casportpony]

I can see your situation better for breeding mules than mine. Here it's the old birds of a feather flock together, but I bet a lone Muscovy will do just fine with 3 Pekins.

 

[Miss Lydia]

I have to share this my Muscovy drake has 4 Muscovy females and in 2016 3 of my Muscovy females hatched out Runners and Buffs and for over 3 yrs never mating with these 2 breeds then in April of 2019 we had new Runner ducklings and one of the little females obsessed on my Muscovy drake following him around laying down for him to mate her he would ignore her till about a month after she started following him around I filled the pool up and he got in an she followed him he finally mated with her. And all of this going on with 2 Runner drakes watching. lol as far as I know since that one time it hasn’t happened again. Now she has a fixation on my female goose lol.

 

[Mihai]

I read a study where they raised pekin ducklings with a muscovy drake and then later introduced the pekin hens to a drake and fertility was higher. They also said a muscovy drake who's been without a muscovy female will be more motivated to mate pekin females. My hens have never seen any drake and the drake has only had a brother for company for some time. Not to mention he doesn't have the choice of a muscovy hen. So maybe I'll get a few. It's all good either way. If it doesn't work out, I'll get a pekin. I just thought a muscovy would be nice.

I think the best way is to have a aggressive muscovy drake, my muscovy drake when he sawed the pekin females jumped on them and did "his job"

 

[Mylied]

It's hard to take pics. These are 2 days worth of eggs. I'm seein a white ring around most of them. Lets see if I can share a video. What do you think?

I saw him mating the hens today, btw.