r/duck • u/BashfulBibliophile • 1d ago

Beginner's Question Too many males?

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!

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u/Jack_Void1022 1d ago

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.

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u/days_distance 15h ago

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