Should I buy some khaki campbells?

[anonymous99]

I want to buy some more hens for eggs to sell bc I only have 2 pekin hens at the moment and 7 drakes. I’ve thought about maybe getting khaki campbell hens or a mix of hens from different breeds, preferably ones that don’t fly and are mature enough to lay. I don’t plan to rehouse my drakes, but i’m going to separate them from the 2 hens. If i get more hens, would I have to quarantine them? What are the safety rules on introducing new ducks to a flock? Mine are almost 18 weeks old and they’re starting to mate. Is it worth it to buy more hens?

 

[EverythingDucks]

In my opinion, it would be much easier and better for your flock to rehome some of your drakes. But, if you are set on keeping them there are ways you can do this.

If you buy adult ducks you would be putting your whole flock at risk of disease. You would have to quarantine the new birds for at least 30 days with close monitoring.
Its really bot worth it, and by the time you go through all that hassle you could have already gotten healthy ducklings.

Personally, I would separate your drakes from your hens and get some more ducklings. Once you can sex them, rehome any extra drakes. After you've gotten a good drake to hen ratio you can reintroduce the drakes. Keep in mind that you need at least 3-4 hens per drake, so you're going to need a lot of hens. Although each drake will have his own personality, when you don't have enough hens the drakes will over mate your girls, which is something you absolutely do not want.

Another option would be to permanently keep your drakes separate. Assuming they all get along together you could simply keep a bachelor flock (all drakes).

 

[HollowOfWisps]

Since you are separating your drakes and have two hens that can keep each other company, me personally I would order sexed ducklings from a hatchery and integrate with your females at 6-8 weeks provided it's warm enough where you are or you provide an optional heat source for them in their coop. There is also always the option of Craigslist, but I'm personally not a fan of buying from non NPIP flocks.