Mixing breeds

[DillardHome]

Ok this may sound like dumb questions but here it goes...

1.) I am wanting Rouen ducklings but I am also thinking about Pekin ducklings as well, is it ok to have them all together in one brooder?

2.) Will they get along?

3.) And as they get older all in one coop/run?

4.) And what male to female ratio should I have for each breed?

I currently have chickens of mixed breeds and they do fine but I wasn't sure about ducks and their personalities.

5.) With roos they can turn on each other, are drakes the same way if you have too many and not enough females?


Thanks for your help!!

 

[1lpoock]

1.) I am wanting Rouen ducklings but I am also thinking about Pekin ducklings as well, is it ok to have them all together in one brooder?

Yes, there wont be any problems as long as the brooder is big enough.

2.) Will they get along?

They are all ducks, there shouldnt be any fighting at all.

3.) And as they get older all in one coop/run?

Ducks are a lot different than chickens....no matter what age, they all usually get together.

4.) And what male to female ratio should I have for each breed?

1 Drake for ever 2 or 3 hens.

5.) With roos they can turn on each other, are drakes the same way if you have too many and not enough females?

The drakes will fight but not to death like some roosters. The big problem you will have is overbreeding of the females, and that can be bad.​

 

[Brickman House]

I'll take a shot at answering what I can!

I have Pekin and Rouen ducks, as well as Cayugas and Blue Swedish. I brooded them all together as ducklings with no problem, and they now live together as adults with no problem. The Pekins were a bit larger as ducklings, but not large enough to crunch any of the others, same as now. They're larger as adults, but the size difference is pretty inconsequential.

I have one drake to 7 hens (it just happened to work out that way), though I understand you can go to 1 drake for 3-4 hens as well. I'm currently incubating my first set of duck eggs, and I was worried that my large female to male ratio might affect fertility, but it didn't seem to-- 17 out of 18 eggs are growing. Guess my drake is doing his job!

Because I only have one drake, I have no personal experience with fighting amongst drakes. I understand, though, that too many drakes can cause fights for the girls, just as it can with roosters, and that too many drakes can tear up a hen as well, with sometimes disastrous results.

 

[duckling 1234]

1.) I am wanting Rouen ducklings but I am also thinking about Pekin ducklings as well, is it ok to have them all together in one brooder? yes.

2.) Will they get along? Yes.

3.) And as they get older all in one coop/run? Yes.

4.) And what male to female ratio should I have for each breed? I get best fertility rates with 3:1, but some people like 2:1.

5.) With roos they can turn on each other, are drakes the same way if you have too many and not enough females? I have never had this happen.

 

[DillardHome]

THANK YOU ALL VERY MUCH!!!

So to sum up: For the Rouens I should have 1 drake to 2-3 hens of that breed, and the same ratio for the Pekins?

Totaling 2 drakes to 4-6 hens combined?

Will drakes mate with only their own breed or if it waddles it's fair game?

 

[tonini3059]

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If it waddles it is fair game, I have seen my call drakes try to mate with my pekin hen and will try to knock off the bigger drakes when they mate her!

 

[Bossroo]

The more females to male the better. I would say 4-1 as a bare minimum. If a female... she is fair game no matter what breed or size or age or sometimes even species ( goose, chicken, etc. and sometimes even if it is a male of any species) depending on the individual drake or gander or rooster's sex drive or need for dominance. If one has a pond, 2 or more males will want to breed a single favored female duck in the water one after the other and in some cases will even drown the female duck in their gusto to constantly mate with her. I have seen these scenarios with my own eyes.

 

[DillardHome]

Quote:
That is horrible!

 

[pardygwyn]

Quote:
I've seen it as well, but only in seriously unbalanced populations. It really does depend on what your boy ducks grow up to be like. Some are perfect gentlemen, others are... well, at my house, they're dinner.