Tractor supply???

[Justaregualducklover]

Hello! This is my first thread and also my first duck experience. I only want a small flock of three ducks as pets. They will have plennnttty of space in my yard, and I have done a fair amount of research. (Ehheh might’ve stayed up until 5am last night researching ducks) I have decided to get Pekins. From what I read, there should be three ducks per drake.. I’m worried that if I get my ducks from tractor supply that I will end up with a drake that gets a bit *full of himself* and tries to over breed my females.. And what if I get two drakes??? That’d be miserable... I’ve looked into ordering from several hatcheries online but for only three, they all charge between $50 and $80 for shipping. About $100 for my final order. (Sexed to be all females.)
I do have a friend that has had ducks for many years that said she’d take my drakes but then what if I’m only left with one duck? I’d have to get at least two more and chance it again. Should I worry about this? I’ve heard of many people not even having a problem with one drake and two hens, but I don’t think two drakes and one hen would play out well.. maybe is there a way I could try and sex them at the store? They only sell Pekins and khaki Campbell’s at my store... What do I do???

 

[Knighstar679]

Sadly tractor supply will not let you vent sex which is the only way to tell sex on ducklings that young. Most tractor supply won’t let you touch the ducklings until you have paid for it.

your best bet to get the ratio your looking for is buying sexed ducklings from a local breeder or hatchery. Not all males will tag team mate females but when a duck as heavy as a Pekin does drowning can occur. I saw this this year with my black East Indies all trying to jump my single female. She quickly ended up in distress and I was thankfully there to stop it. Black East Indie only weigh a few pounds, so with Pekins you can get anything from an 8-12 pound bird (depending if jumbo Pekins got mixed in).

I know the hatchery is more expensive but you can at least know you will get the right sex mix without it taking multiple tries to get there.

 

[NuggetTheChicken]

Tractor supply can be a good option for ducks, as they usually always have pekins. I got 5 ducklings this year and I am sure I have 4 girls and one boy, maybe 5 girls. Last year I got 2 boys. You have a chance at getting boys and girls. Depends on your luck. My recommendation is to buy a few more ducks than you'll need, like 6-7 instead of the original 3. That way you have a higher percentage of getting females. Just sell the rest or give them to your friend. The hatcheries can get pretty expensive only for a few ducklings. Sometimes they get golden layers 300 which is a sex linked breed, meaning they can be sexed by their color. I got 2 of those this year. Pekins can only be vent sexed or voice sexed when they are 7-10 weeks old.

 

[Justaregualducklover]

Sadly tractor supply will not let you vent sex which is the only way to tell sex on ducklings that young. Most tractor supply won’t let you touch the ducklings until you have paid for it.

your best bet to get the ratio your looking for is buying sexed ducklings from a local breeder or hatchery. Not all males will tag team mate females but when a duck as heavy as a Pekin does drowning can occur. I saw this this year with my black East Indies all trying to jump my single female. She quickly ended up in distress and I was thankfully there to stop it. Black East Indie only weigh a few pounds, so with Pekins you can get anything from an 8-12 pound bird (depending if jumbo Pekins got mixed in).

I know the hatchery is more expensive but you can at least know you will get the right sex mix without it taking multiple tries to get there.

Thanks! Unfortunately we don’t really have any local hatcheries.. I might just order after saving up some money or risk it and try getting three and if there are too many drakes then giving it to my friend. Isn’t there a chance the drake wont even over mate the female though?

 

[Justaregualducklover]

Tractor supply can be a good option for ducks, as they usually always have pekins. I got 5 ducklings this year and I am sure I have 4 girls and one boy, maybe 5 girls. Last year I got 2 boys. You have a chance at getting boys and girls. Depends on your luck. My recommendation is to buy a few more ducks than you'll need, like 6-7 instead of the original 3. That way you have a higher percentage of getting females. Just sell the rest or give them to your friend. The hatcheries can get pretty expensive only for a few ducklings. Sometimes they get golden layers 300 which is a sex linked breed, meaning they can be sexed by their color. I got 2 of those this year. Pekins can only be vent sexed or voice sexed when they are 7-10 weeks old.

Thank you! I might buy six or so, or just risk it and then give any of the pekin drakes to my friend who also runs a Mini-farm. My tractor supply unfortunately only has Pekins, I called them this morning along with a few others thirty minutes away. Thank you!

 

[Justaregualducklover]

Sadly tractor supply will not let you vent sex which is the only way to tell sex on ducklings that young. Most tractor supply won’t let you touch the ducklings until you have paid for it.

your best bet to get the ratio your looking for is buying sexed ducklings from a local breeder or hatchery. Not all males will tag team mate females but when a duck as heavy as a Pekin does drowning can occur. I saw this this year with my black East Indies all trying to jump my single female. She quickly ended up in distress and I was thankfully there to stop it. Black East Indie only weigh a few pounds, so with Pekins you can get anything from an 8-12 pound bird (depending if jumbo Pekins got mixed in).

I know the hatchery is more expensive but you can at least know you will get the right sex mix without it taking multiple tries to get there.

Thanks for the reply, I’ll probably save money and go to the hatchery. Either that or I’ll risk it and get four ducks and then if I get any drakes I’ll give them to my friend who has a hobby farm.

 

[Isaac 0]

Thanks! Unfortunately we don’t really have any local hatcheries.. I might just order after saving up some money or risk it and try getting three and if there are too many drakes then giving it to my friend. Isn’t there a chance the drake wont even over mate the female though?

If you give me at least your state I can surely find a breeder or hatchery in your area.

 

[BFen]

I just got two Welsh Harlequin ducklings this past Saturday from a local farmer/breeder who posted on craigslist. I only wanted two, and it would have cost $77 to order two from Metzer Farms online. I was able to buy two from the local guy for $14. He attempted to vent sex but said it was not guaranteed. I love duck eggs, so I hope I got at least one female. Also, my local Tractor supply has a 6 duck/chick min.

 

[neo71665]

I was gonna suggest craigslist or someplace like FB marketplace and look for somebody getting rid or selling ducks.

Before the anti FB crowd jumps in I don't even have an account. Everybody knows somebody that does and willing to look for you if you just ask.

 

[cmobley]

Also with tractor supply the people at mine atleast are never sure what breed they have. My ducks were advertised as pekins but turned out to be buffs. I bought 4 I think I have 3 girls and a guy. But since we kinda fell in love with the ducks i went back and bought 2 khakis and 2 mallards. They are so funny to watch.