Selective breeding? Insight needed!

[Goat_Walker]

Well I have three drakes and three ducks ( plus a buff duck who is currently with her ducklings) .

I am planning on letting the drakes and ducks mingle when the ducks start their laying. i was thinking about pairing them up, but not sure if it would work.

My main goal was trying to get my domestic bibbed mallard and my magpie duck together to see what colors I would get.
But his bill sometimes gived him problems when trying to be "romantic".The bottom bill is curved under , causing him to not be able to get a good grip on the females head unless he uses the side of his bill . So im not sure how many of her eggs would be successfully fertile.


Also, the three girls have never been seperatred - except for the few times they have flown out and were stuck on opposite sides of the fence.

I have no problem with my other drakes, they have proven that they are capable of making cute babies

So, should I just let all four girla and three boys mingle and get what I get, or should I try the pair thing?

 

[Judy]

I don't know much about either ducks or breeding, but I do know I would not be breeding a bird with a deformed bill. And this will give you a bump.

 

[L0rraine]

I'm really hoping someone will answer this as I have similar questions.

I have a magpie pair and runner pair and an odd little female runner cross. I had no idea anyone would go broody but in February my little runner cross, Delilah, started setting on a pile of eggs layed by all three females. I didn't separate her from the rest of the flock, partly because I'm a newbie and partly because I just wasn't expecting anyone to go broody. Well between clumsy ducks and possibly a stealth rat or possom the eggs suffered and eventually Delilah gave up.

But, knowing she might go broody again, I tried to separate the runners from the magpies, in the event she'd go broody again - but EVERYONE seemed miserable. And, though in fairly secure pens, they wouldn't go into their houses at night, just layed on either side of the fencing from each other. So then I started letting them hang out together at night and eventually would let them free range together (when I was out and about in the yard). But my magpie male is really determined so I'm pretty convinced my feeble efforts haven't paid off and he's fathered a fair amount of any future ducklings.

Anyway, Delilah is setting on another small clutch of eggs and Gracie, my magpie, has got her own little clutch. The runner(?) eggs are due to hatch in a few days and the magpies in about a week or so. So we'll see what we get.

Which brings me to another question, will the gray and white magpie coloration dominate over the runner's colors (black and saxony) so I might have a sense of 'who's dad?' if the ducklings manage to successfully hatch?

I had heard that domestic ducks hardly ever go broody so what's up with my set?

 

[Goat_Walker]

Im glad that my buff's first duckling ( the only one to hatch of eighteen) was sired by my mallard for sure ( seeing as he was the only male at the time ) so i know who he fathered. Now i just have to figureout which ducklings were fathered by my other two.

If I let them run together they would be happier and id have a wider range of colors when the ducklings came in, but i wouldnt know who fathered which ducklings ( except when crossed with my buff).