Should we get more?

[Jenniferaei]

We got 3 runner ducks and all 3 look like they are all boys. What I mean is 2 of them have developed very distinct drake feathers and the third has one slightly curly tail feather so may be a boy too. We have read that having all boys can be ok but that if we have any girls while also having the boys, we should have 2-4 girls per 1 boy.
If we end up having 3 boys, should we get them girls? Or if we end up having 1 girl and 2 boys, do we have to get rid of one or separate them? The three ducks have been raised together and I would think separating them would be bad for them mentally and emotionally.
Any advice?

 

[Callender Girl]

The first runner ducklings I chose from the breeder turned out to be three boys and one girl. Everyone will tell you that's terrible; a single girl will be overwhelmed. When they were old enough to determine gender, I went back to the breeder and got the only girl of a similar age that she was willing to part with.

Strangely, Quinn -- the original girl -- seemed jealous of the attention the boys were giving the newcomer and would try to lure them away from Paige. I should mention that throughout her life, Quinn was the obvious leader of the flock, even when I added more boys and girls.

The three original drakes, who like yours, all grew up together, would occasionally squabble a bit, but never seriously and no one was injured. Since two of the boys have passed on, the one original drake and a boy I added later do have more aggressive arguments, especially in the spring when they are overly hormonal.

So, in a long round-about way, I think the answer is: your boys will be fine without girls; they aren't likely to fight if there's no one to fight over. If you add girls, add plenty. My flock is down to five girls and two drakes, and it's not unusual for the girls to have no feathers on the backs of their heads from being repeatedly "romanced."

And, in any case, aren't runner ducks just the best?!

 

[BelovedBirds]

We got 3 runner ducks and all 3 look like they are all boys. What I mean is 2 of them have developed very distinct drake feathers and the third has one slightly curly tail feather so may be a boy too. We have read that having all boys can be ok but that if we have any girls while also having the boys, we should have 2-4 girls per 1 boy.
If we end up having 3 boys, should we get them girls? Or if we end up having 1 girl and 2 boys, do we have to get rid of one or separate them? The three ducks have been raised together and I would think separating them would be bad for them mentally and emotionally.
Any advice?

does the slight curled feather duck quack or make a raspy sound the same as the boys? Voice sexing is more reliable than tail sexing. If you have three boys, I'd recommend keeping the three or only ever adding boys. Bachelor flocks can work well!
If you have one girl, you could either separate and get the girl a female friend, but keep away from the boys, or you would need a lot of girls to keep the ratio balance, at least 3 per drake. You could also rehome the female. Whatever you would prefer to do

 

[Quatie]

With drakes it is always hard to say what will happen. Every drake is different. There are a lot of people who have successfully raised an all drake flock and they all get along great. There are also people who have had it go horribly wrong. There is one person who recently was looking for help with their all drake flock. After a couple years one drake became a bully and another was singled out for attacks. So it can possibly go both ways and you never really know.

If you have a female with them, again every drake is different. Some drakes can be happy with one girl, while others have a high sex drive and need lots of females. I had a drake I rehomed that would prefer 12+ females. He was too much for my girls. Didn't fight with my other drake but stressed my original drake out as he lost all his females. I think I had about 12 females at that time. I was able to rehome my drake, but not everyone is successful and rehoming females is a lot easier.

All this is to say, every drake is different and you really don't know what may happen. Have a backup plan if things don't work out properly.

 

[BelovedBirds]

With drakes it is always hard to say what will happen. Every drake is different. There are a lot of people who have successfully raised an all drake flock and they all get along great. There are also people who have had it go horribly wrong. There is one person who recently was looking for help with their all drake flock. After a couple years one drake became a bully and another was singled out for attacks. So it can possibly go both ways and you never really know.

If you have a female with them, again every drake is different. Some drakes can be happy with one girl, while others have a high sex drive and need lots of females. I had a drake I rehomed that would prefer 12+ females. He was too much for my girls. Didn't fight with my other drake but stressed my original drake out as he lost all his females. I think I had about 12 females at that time. I was able to rehome my drake, but not everyone is successful and rehoming females is a lot easier.

All this is to say, every drake is different and you really don't know what may happen. Have a backup plan if things don't work out properly.

absolutely, depends on the drakes individually, their temperaments and their dynamic as a group. Breeding seasons would be the toughest times too, when all the hormones rocket.

We got 3 runner ducks and all 3 look like they are all boys

There are things that can help if you do end up with a bachelor flock, such as having multiple kiddie pools and feeding stations. A dog crate is also great for time out if ever they get too tough

 

[Jenniferaei]

does the slight curled feather duck quack or make a raspy sound the same as the boys? Voice sexing is more reliable than tail sexing. If you have three boys, I'd recommend keeping the three or only ever adding boys. Bachelor flocks can work well!
If you have one girl, you could either separate and get the girl a female friend, but keep away from the boys, or you would need a lot of girls to keep the ratio balance, at least 3 per drake. You could also rehome the female. Whatever you would prefer to do

All 3 make coughing sounds but then we randomly hear quacks too so...? Maybe have to wait to see if eggs start to drop haha

 

[BelovedBirds]

All 3 make coughing sounds but then we randomly hear quacks too so...? Maybe have to wait to see if eggs start to drop haha

could you video them making these sounds and then send it here? You'd need to upload it to youtube or something similars, and then post the link here-
It sounds like you may have a girl- boys dont quack, they make a raspy whispery sound

 

[Jenniferaei]

The first runner ducklings I chose from the breeder turned out to be three boys and one girl. Everyone will tell you that's terrible; a single girl will be overwhelmed. When they were old enough to determine gender, I went back to the breeder and got the only girl of a similar age that she was willing to part with.

Strangely, Quinn -- the original girl -- seemed jealous of the attention the boys were giving the newcomer and would try to lure them away from Paige. I should mention that throughout her life, Quinn was the obvious leader of the flock, even when I added more boys and girls.

The three original drakes, who like yours, all grew up together, would occasionally squabble a bit, but never seriously and no one was injured. Since two of the boys have passed on, the one original drake and a boy I added later do have more aggressive arguments, especially in the spring when they are overly hormonal.

So, in a long round-about way, I think the answer is: your boys will be fine without girls; they aren't likely to fight if there's no one to fight over. If you add girls, add plenty. My flock is down to five girls and two drakes, and it's not unusual for the girls to have no feathers on the backs of their heads from being repeatedly "romanced."

And, in any case, aren't runner ducks just the best?!

Ya, they are super fun! We have never had birds before and are learning as we go. Glad we got runners here is a picture of our babies in their night time indoor brooder/pen. We have an outdoor pen that we planned on them being in full time by now, but their first night out something attacked them and we almost lost one. It had half of its chest ripped off. We think it was a fox. Anyway, until we can make something more impenetrable we bring them in at night. They are much to big for it but at least they are safe.

 

[Jenniferaei]

could you video them making these sounds and then send it here? You'd need to upload it to youtube or something similars, and then post the link here-
It sounds like you may have a girl- boys dont quack, they make a raspy whispery sound

I will try to catch it on film. The quaking sounds are easy since they talk loud when I feed them, water them, change their bedding, etc lol. The coughing sound is more randomly made and harder to get on film, but I'll try.

 

[Jenniferaei]

could you video them making these sounds and then send it here? You'd need to upload it to youtube or something similars, and then post the link here-
It sounds like you may have a girl- boys dont quack, they make a raspy whispery

could you video them making these sounds and then send it here? You'd need to upload it to youtube or something similars, and then post the link here-
It sounds like you may have a girl- boys dont quack, they make a raspy whispery sound