# Drake to female duck ratio?



## CAjerseychick (Aug 11, 2013)

So we ended up with 3 females (maybe 4 cant decide on the youngest duck a blue swedish the gender) and getting a pair of buffs (free the owners are itching to get rid of them) - they say a male and female but they sure look female to me (the "male" doesnt have the markings at all from the pics they sent me)..

So question is, is 2 drakes too many for 4 (maybe 5) hens?

Honestly if one drake has to be eaten it will be the swedish, its a pretty washed out color not so great markings....


----------



## Pony (Jan 6, 2003)

I don't know, but since our Muscovies look like they're 3 hens and 2 drakes, I'm curious to see the answer.


----------



## Jennifer L. (May 10, 2002)

I would say you are ok. Drakes can be rough on the hens, but I don't think you would be far out of line with 2 to 4. Especially if it becomes 1 to 5.  You get up to 50:50 ratio and then you can have problems.

You can sex Mallard type ducks by "voicing" them. The ducks quack very loudly, the drakes can only "whisper" quack. Very noticeable, very easy to tell apart.


----------



## carterj1998 (Aug 3, 2014)

The ratio should be 1 drake to every 4 to 5 hens


----------



## Pony (Jan 6, 2003)

Either time for a duck dinner, OR maybe time for more hens. <G>


----------



## CAjerseychick (Aug 11, 2013)

Pony said:


> Either time for a duck dinner, OR maybe time for more hens. <G>


hahaha is there duck math too?
Looks like we have 3 drakes 4 females, I was planning on culling the Swedish one way or another (from his mounting behavior, raspy voice, and the tail curl forming-I believe he is definitely a He)....
Not sure what to do past that - at this point cause that would leave me with a nice Khaki campbell pair and a nice Buff pair which I dont want to break up...(the other 2 are Roen, and runner duck gals)....


----------



## o&itw (Dec 19, 2008)

I don't remember exactly, and it may not work on all ducks (but it does on Pekins) male ducks have a curl to a few of their tail feathers and females don't

The male is in the center


----------



## themusics (Apr 17, 2014)

I've read that a 3+:1 hen to drake ratio is best.


----------



## Dazlin (Nov 26, 2007)

I have Pekins..the ratio is 1 drake for 6 hens. Even with 6 girls, the drake will pick a favorite. Just watch for raw, or bloody neck on the girls. Then you know it's tooo much on her.


----------



## GrannyCarol (Mar 23, 2005)

I do it a bit differently. I've had a high ratio of drakes to ducks, but when mating season starts in the spring, I separate by sex and run two pens of ducks, one for girls and one for boys. If I'm breeding, then I put the ones I'm breeding in their own pen. You have two pairs you can breed, then one year breed the Khakis, the next year the Buffs. Buffs are more rare and unusual, Khakis are favored for egg laying, either should be easy to sell the ducklings. 

Right now I have one pen with 9 adult ducks and 3 3-month old female ducklings and one pen with 3 drakes. In the past, I've had as many as 5 or 6 drakes out of 25 ducks. The boys I've kept have been fine in bachelor pens. It's been rare for the drakes to fight with each other, I won't keep one that does. If I let the boys run with the girls, then soon I have raw bloody necks from over breeding and possibly sore or lame hips on the girls. Duck legs are not strong and the Mallards most domestic ducks are descended from are much smaller and lighter weight than their descendants. 

I'd either keep one or just plan on separating them if the boys are too hard on the girls. You might be ok, if your boys are mellow, or you might not. The larger drakes seem to be more laid back and less vigorous breeders on the whole. 

Generally, 1 drake to 5 or 6 hens would be my choice. I'm not there with 3 drakes and 12 hens, so they are not together now and haven't been since May when I was breeding. I could probably turn them all out together now, just don't have the energy to have to sort them back out if they are too rowdy, it's been over 100 degrees almost every day. Too darn hot!


----------



## CAjerseychick (Aug 11, 2013)

GrannyCarol said:


> I do it a bit differently. I've had a high ratio of drakes to ducks, but when mating season starts in the spring, I separate by sex and run two pens of ducks, one for girls and one for boys. If I'm breeding, then I put the ones I'm breeding in their own pen. You have two pairs you can breed, then one year breed the Khakis, the next year the Buffs. Buffs are more rare and unusual, Khakis are favored for egg laying, either should be easy to sell the ducklings.
> 
> Right now I have one pen with 9 adult ducks and 3 3-month old female ducklings and one pen with 3 drakes. In the past, I've had as many as 5 or 6 drakes out of 25 ducks. The boys I've kept have been fine in bachelor pens. It's been rare for the drakes to fight with each other, I won't keep one that does. If I let the boys run with the girls, then soon I have raw bloody necks from over breeding and possibly sore or lame hips on the girls. Duck legs are not strong and the Mallards most domestic ducks are descended from are much smaller and lighter weight than their descendants.
> 
> ...


Thanx GC-
the pair of buffs we got for free are beautiful (the former owners def werent hurting for cash and wanted them out of their horse barn asap, couldnt understand why they kept returning to the barn at night from their tiny pond)...
I already see from CL that the purebred animals sell faster and it would be nice to be able to sell some ducklings for feed money etc....
the Khaki drake though has been picking on the Swedish (who is 30% again larger)....by this I mean pulling at his neck feathers and hissing at him if he comes too close -
and I want to keep him as I have a Khaki female.

The buffs were seperated overnight then loose with them, they sure seem happy to have a flock, no problems yet.
Will have to keep observing and see how it goes (they are all penned together at night for safety and this is working as far as I can tell- no injuries no more losses)....


----------

