splitting the flock... fertility question

[zzGypsy]

so my ducklings are starting to display gender and it looks like I've got drake and duck pairs of rouens and blue swedish. I've got a cayuga that I can't tell yet.

since I ended up with what could be breeding pairs, I'm contemplating splitting them by breed in the spring and hatching some breed-specific eggs. my guess is the drakes will figure out it's breeding season before I do, so it's possible they'll be breeding the girls without regard to which breed they are. when I split them into breed groups, how long would I need to wait before collecting eggs to incubate to make sure I'm getting eggs fertilized by the intended drake?

thanks for your help!

 

[laceynoelle]

I think ducks can store sperm for up to two weeks.