Is it safe to keep 2 drakes with 1 female?

[Cmp1979]

Hello, I'm new to this forum and and new to raising ducks. I acquired 3 ducks at tractor supply. I have raised them from ducklings. The female which I believe is a tan and white runner and she is super sweet and I'm very attached to, and two drakes which are pekings. My question is will I need to get rid of one of the males to make sure she is safe or can they all live together without fear of injury during the breeding process. I'm attached to them all and feel guilty splitting them up but I don't want to put her at risk of being hurt or stressed.

 

[Flockandfowl46]

It can be done but not recommended...i would wait a bit longer to be sure they are both male.
Welcome to BYC hope you enjoy your time here I know I have!

 

[Cmp1979]

Thank you flockandfowl46 I am going to wait a little longer. I'm pretty positive I have 2 drakes because they have raspy chirps and the female has a strong quack. She is much smaller also

 

[Lazy Farmer]

Is it safe to keep 2 drakes with 1 female?
If they gang mate her in water, they can drown her... I have stopped it 5 times in the last 2 weeks. They grab her neck and shove her head under water while they compete for fertilizing her.

 

[CrystaBub]

I have a Pekin male and a female Runner - the Pekins will get so much bigger than your Runner and could really over-mate and hurt her. I'd recommend either finding a nice home for one of the males or getting 5 more females, but even then there is no guarantee the Pekins won't double up on one female. Even if you keep one of the males, you may need to get another female, or two, or three. We have a 1:3 ratio and it seems to be working - no one is over-mated. Good luck! Let us know how it turns out. They sure are precious!

 

[Cmp1979]

I might end up getting another female and getting rid of my two males. I really don't want to but she is so sweet and the last thing I want to do is hurt her. If I order a female duckling most likely another runner would it be safe to keep them together?

 

[CrystaBub]

I might end up getting another female and getting rid of my two males. I really don't want to but she is so sweet and the last thing I want to do is hurt her. If I order a female duckling most likely another runner would it be safe to keep them together?

That's a hard decision to make - I'm sorry you have to do it. How old are your original ducks now? Not sure if you can find a place to ship one duckling - usually minimum is 2-3. You may want to consider a duck closer in age. I had my original 2 since they were a week old - then I found 2 ladies closer in age on Craigslist. There is also the free rehome section her on BYC and the 'other poultry' section. Others may have some good ideas also.

 

[Cmp1979]

It is very hard but unfortunately when you get ducklings from a farm store you really don't know the sexes. They were given to me as a gift as well. They are about 1 1/2 months old. I'll have to check out the re-homing section for ideas thank you!

 

[chickens really]

Your absolutely sure about the sexes of the Birds..?

 

[Soon2BChixMom]

They are awful young to be guessing genders unless they were already sexed.
They are different breeds so may develop at different rates as far as peeping and quacking go.
Either way they are too young to worry about mating just yet which is where the problem arises.