Male and female ducks

[MotherToMoose]

So I’m getting my female duck a friend (duckling) I’m worried if I end up with a male will it be to much for her? I wanted to get one closer to her age but can’t seem to find one so this is my only option. Also if I get a male how do I know if the eggs she lays for not fertile? Or how do I prevent them from breeding lol I honestly have no idea about breeding and would love to prevent it if possible

 

[MerryMeridional]

If you are only going to have 2 ducks, it is better to get a female. A male will oversex her and you could end up with a battered duck. With 2 female ducks, you get more eggs
Generally 5-6 females per male is recommended.
You can eat fertilized eggs. And if you put her with a male, they will probably all be fertilized.
If you do not want to cull or rehome, if you are able, it would be better to pay a little extra to be sure you are getting a female duckling.
Good luck!

 

[MotherToMoose]

If you are only going to have 2 ducks, it is better to get a female. A male will oversex her and you could end up with a battered duck. With 2 female ducks, you get more eggs
Generally 5-6 females per male is recommended.
You can eat fertilized eggs. And if you put her with a male, they will probably all be fertilized.
If you do not want to cull or rehome, if you are able, it would be better to pay a little extra to be sure you are getting a female duckling.
Good luck!

I don’t know how to know if a duckling is a male or female

 

[MotherToMoose]

If you are only going to have 2 ducks, it is better to get a female. A male will oversex her and you could end up with a battered duck. With 2 female ducks, you get more eggs
Generally 5-6 females per male is recommended.
You can eat fertilized eggs. And if you put her with a male, they will probably all be fertilized.
If you do not want to cull or rehome, if you are able, it would be better to pay a little extra to be sure you are getting a female duckling.
Good luck!

The ducklings I’m looking at are around a week to a week in a half... is that to early or be able to tell the sex?

 

[sourland]

Ducklings can be vent sexed as newly hatched, but it takes some expertise to do so. 1.5 week old ducklings are too young to voice sex. If you get a drake the only way to keep them from breeding is to separate them. Most drakes are extremely sexual creatures.

 

[MerryMeridional]

The ducklings I’m looking at are around a week to a week in a half... is that to early or be able to tell the sex?

Like @sourland says, they can be vent sexed, but probably need to be done by someone who has done it before. If you want to learn how, here is a video put out by Metzer farms, which is a hatchery out of CA. I have heard of new duck owners doing it successfully. I've never tried it, myself. According to this video, it is easier to sex the duckling when it is a day old, and would be more challenging at the age you are quoting.

I purchased from a hatchery and paid more per duck for them to be female, which means the hatchery vent sexed them as day old ducklings, determined which were female, and put females (pullets) aside for me. Where are you going to obtain this duckling from? Depending on the source, they may be able to sex the duckling for you.

 

[MotherToMoose]

Like @sourland says, they can be vent sexed, but probably need to be done by someone who has done it before. If you want to learn how, here is a video put out by Metzer farms, which is a hatchery out of CA. I have heard of new duck owners doing it successfully. I've never tried it, myself. According to this video, it is easier to sex the duckling when it is a day to a few days old, and would be more challenging at the age you are quoting.

I purchased from a hatchery and paid more per duck for them to be female, which means the hatchery vent sexed them as day old ducklings, determined which were female, and put females (pullets) aside for me. Where are you going to obtain this duckling from? Depending on the source, they may be able to sex the duckling for you.

I live in Florida and I’m not finding many options on places to get them. I think I might just see if a hatchery can mail me female ducklings then so I don’t have to worry about my pet duck getting battered

 

[MerryMeridional]

I live in Florida and I’m not finding many options on places to get them. I think I might just see if a hatchery can mail me female ducklings then so I don’t have to worry about my pet duck getting battered

Just realize that it is generally safer to ship day old poultry in groups and a lot of hatcheries have minimum #s required for an order for them to ship them by mail. You will probably have a very expensive duckling if you are ordering 1 only, and you may also have "packing peanuts" (male chicks used for warming and safety reasons) included in your order.

Some alternate options could be to find a tractor supply with ducklings in the spring that you can check out in person, or find a hatchery or farm within driving distance to pick up in person, or to find a friend who wants ducklings and split a slightly larger order.

Also be aware that, depending on the size of the hatchery, they may not offer ducklings this time of year.

Just trying to give you some relevant info so you can make the best choice for your situation.

 

[DucksOhio]

Go direct to Metzger Farms if ordering online. They apparently are the duck resource for ALL hatcheries. They’re out of California.

I’ve had good luck with them.

 

[DucksOhio]

Go direct to Metzger Farms if ordering online. They apparently are the duck resource for ALL hatcheries. They’re out of California.

I’ve had good luck with them.

And yes there is a limit for shipping...no less than 3 ducklings.