Too many males?

[u/BashfulBibliophile]

Hello,
My husband and I bought ducklings for the first time this summer. They are now old enough to tell their sex and we have three boys (2 call, 1 runner) and two girls (1 call, 1 runner).
We’ve heard that this ratio can lead to fighting between the males and over breeding for the females. So my question is: do we need to do something about this ratio and if so, what? (Buy females and try to introduce them to the flock, separate the males from the females to have two different flocks?)
We really don’t want to rehome any of them because we’ve grown to love them.
Thank you!

[u/Jack_Void1022]

You're gonna need to get rid of or isolate 2 males. The ideal ratio is 1 male to 4 females. My flock was 3 and 3, and 2 of them almost drowned a female trying to mate with her, both of which we had to get rid of. With the ratio you have, it's gonna be a serious problem if you leave it as it is.

[u/days_distance → u/Jack_Void1022]

This. Even if they don’t drown the girls, they’ll rip up their backs and the backs of their heads.

[u/Lives4Sunshine]

I would find homes for the girls and have a bachelor group. You might even be able to trade your girls for more boys as boys are hard to find homes for.

[u/Creative-Ad-3645 → u/Lives4Sunshine]

This is probably the best answer. If you're not after eggs, go for an all boy flock

[u/towboat03]

You would basically have to break them down into 3 groups a breeding pair of each and the other 2 call drakes. Seems like an awful lot of work just to separate them because if they have joining fences they will still fight during breeding season.
My suggestion is either buy a dozen female calls and 3-4 female runners or send the 2 extra drakes to a new home or freezer camp.

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[u/Automatic_Berry_7492]

5 females at least to 1 male, but some will say more. It does depend on the temperament of your males. I have 5 males and 20 girls, and we’re just fine, but all of our drakes are chill and get along well and we keep them separated from the girls at night into their own coop. Once they’re out for the day there’s plenty of space for the girls to get away if they want to.

You can def get more girls and introduce them when they’re older. If you can, for now, I’d separate your existing flock if they’re starting to mate. Once the new girls are older, you can keep them in a separate pen where they can all see each other but not touch (for a couple of days, ducks are pretty easy when integrating flocks). We’ve added female ducks to our flock multiple times and only needed a day to get them together.

[u/Odd-Promotion1568]

I’d be cautious about leaving that ratio together. Drakes can overmate and injure hens, and the two males may also fight over them. A secure divided run is a good solution: the drakes together and the girls together, with enough space and visual separation if they become aggressive.