Mating WOOHOO!

[Fleecy718]

Finally, my fears of my blind drake being unable to mate have been disproven!! He finally mounted one if my females! A couple questions though!
I saw his penis but its been freezing, a couple weeks ago, there was a week that was unusually warm and one of my females started laying eggs. Could he have started releasing his mating hormones then? (I thought males penises fall off, right?)

I also for the first time saw my females doing the "mating" deal. Is this them practicing? Or dominance, or both?

Also, only one of my ducks is laying. He bred with a duck who looked a little low today but had never laid an egg. Does this mean she's finally bearing an egg? Or does a drake not care if a duck is laying or not? (Keep in mind he's blind, haha)

Thanks!! VERY exciting day for my flock today!!

 

[Amiga]

Drakes do need some help if their phallus doesn't go back inside the body cavity soon after mating. It can get frostbitten and/or infected, so being watchful may save his life.

Some duck people talk about mating behaviors and dominance. The vibe I get from my runners is "girls just wanna have fun." I think it's a reflection of their hormone levels more than anything. They started this for the first time about a month before they started laying.

From anything I have seen or heard, drakes don't care if a duck is laying or not. There is generally more activity in the springtime, though.

You say she was looking a little low today. In what way? Worst case she could be ill or egg bound, so I wanted to explore this a little more.

 

[Fleecy718]

Thank you so much!!

And low like her butt was hanging a little low (like she was eggbound).

 

[Amiga]

She may be having troubles, then. Can you tell us what the feed is for your ducks? I have a few that have higher calcium needs than the rest, so I often need to give extra calcium. They need layer ration.

Some other calcium options (in addition to layer feed) are

free choice crushed oyster shell
oyster shell dusk in their drinking water (I put a scoop of shell in a strainer and shake that over the water.)
Calcium Gluconate (OTC, 1 tsp per 4 oz water, change daily)
Neocalglucan - prescription - 1.5 mL 2 x daily for three days then 1 x a day for 2 weeks

There is also a feed additive called aragonite, but I have not yet used that.

Vitamin D and phosphorus in proper proportion are also important. I give a sprinkling of cat kibble on top of the food from time to time. Eagle Pak has D in it.

Give her some swim time in lukewarm water deep enough to float in.

Please keep us posted.