No girlfriends for Male Runners

[jcwaterside]

I have three young runners. It looks like one female to two males, which I understand is not a fair arrangement for the female. If I rehome her, will the two males be ok with no girls? Or would I be better off to try to find a couple more females and incorporate them into the flock. I have a small urban homestead so a lot of females could be too noisy. Suggestions appreciated. The runners are about 8 weeks old. Still hoping a second one will find her quak so I can keep all three.

 

[jducour]

I was in a similar boat, and I made a choice that worked for me. One of the things that excited me about raising ducks is fresh eggs. When I figured out that all 5 ducklings of mine were male, I had to find a solution. I re homed three of my drakes, and found four adult females to provide eggs. So now I have 6 ducks, but they are separate most of the time. They all get along, but they are not a tight group like my 5 drakes were. I think your drakes will be fine without females. Mine are very happy together, and don't fight. That being said, I love getting fresh eggs every day. The girls are definitely noisier than my drakes, but it's only in spurts throughout the day. I am on a 1/3 acre, with a 2500 gallon pond. I have neighbors on all sides, and when I check with them, they don't even notice the noise. So... I think you are fine either way! Good luck with your decision.

 

[jcwaterside]

Thanks! That was very helpful. I wasn't sure if the males by themselves would fight. I am going to see if I can get one more female. If not, just keep the boys for now. They are all so sweet I hate to see even one go!

 

[jducour]

In my experience, they do fine as long as there aren't any females to fight over. My 5 boys never had a single argument until I brought the 2 females home. I wanted to make sure I had the right males chosen before I rehomed a few of them. They were scary mean to each other and especially to the females! Right now, the ratio of 2:4 seems like a good one, but my drakes are only 16 weeks old. They may get more aggressive as they mature. I hope not - they are such sweethearts! They follow me around the yard, right under my feet, while the older girls just glare at me and tolerate my existence