Question for breeders - how close?

[Giddyup]

We have australorp chickens coming, and a nice hen right now, and we have spotted ducks, one pair.

We'd like to breed both and are learning/reading as much as we can.

I know we'll need two drakes for the ducks eventually but we'll stick to one roo.

My question is how close a relationship is reasonable when starting? Is there such a thing or is it better to keep the lines totally separate?

 

[Sugar Sand Farm]

Not sure exactly what you mean but why would you need more than one drake. We have 12 female ducks and two males and believe me the eggs are fertile. I average 10 eggs a day now and it hard to find one that isnt' fertile. lol Oh and our mallard drake isan old fellow. He was given to us by an older gentleman sow e arent sure exactly how old he is. He he sure is randy....

 

[Henk69]

Don't worry about inbreeding.
Crosslings of chicken and duck are not fertile.

 

[nzpouter]

what's wrong with 4 legged chickens...

 

[wclawrence]

I think the OP is asking about line breeding, not crossing duck and chicken.
And as far as that goes, anything will be okay as long as there are no really bad things present. I currently have three broods of chicks that are out of one of my favorite roosters and his daughter (his daughter is from him x his mother)

I do not plan on breeding them back to him. I plan on breeding them back to the rooster's half brother (out of the same original mother)

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

When I went back and re-read the original question, it occurred to me that he/she might have meant keeping breeding ducks and breeding chickens in the same pen.

The question was very unclearly phrased.

 

[Krys109uk]

I don't think anyone thought he was going to breed ducks with chickens.....that was a joke.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

I understood the joke, but I am still not really clear on what the poster was actually wanting to know.

 

[Giddyup]

Sorry I wrote that when i was a bit too tired I think. Definately not trying to cross chickens and ducks

Wclarence has answered it pretty much.

Ducks: I was thinking of another drake so that he could breed the babies from the female I have, rather than the dad breeding them.

Chickens: Same idea. I have 10 day olds coming but didn't want to keep one of them as a breeding roo as they would be "siblings". I won't have two roosters as that would be too much for the neighbours to take - there's already a neighbouring noisy bantam roo.

The minimal stock i do have and am looking at acquiring are excellent birds, and I want to keep it that way-don't want to do anything the wrong way. Hope that clears it up.

Maybe what I should do is ask what do you NOT do?

All birds are free run but we will arrange breeding pens so we can select pairs if we need to and so that mom's have somewhere safe & secure to get comfy.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Protect from predators; provide protection from inclimate weather: heat, sun, rain, cold.

Ducks are messy, so plan for that. If a duck acidentally broods a chick, be prepared to step in and rescue it before Mama Duck takes her babies swimming. Not a worry with a chicken mom, except that ducklings do need much more water than chicks.

Take photos and have lots of fun!