To Drake or not to Drake ??

[Enigmius]

I think having at least one drake is a good idea! For one it adds a special sound to your flock quacking ducks; the drake’s voice is quite adorable! Second, the males(of some breeds or feather color) add a bit of color to your flock. The third thing, and something I had encountered is that if one of your birds is taken by an illness or a predator, the ducks can lay fertilized eggs almost up to three weeks after. So even if the drake is taken, the eggs are probably still fertilized. You can incubate the resultant eggs and not have to order ducks through the mail.

 

[Corinia]

When we were raising ducks for flea/tick control in the yard, we had 4 hens and 1 Rouen drake. He aggressively and frequently over-mated the hens. Tried all sorts of things, even making jackets for the poor hens backs. Nothing worked and we eventually removed him from the flock. Ever since then we made sure to have a minimum of 8 hens to every drake. If you are looking to self perpetuate your flock, then there's only one way to find out! Good luck!!