What age to retire breeding ducks?
- Thread starter arctally
- Start date
Depends on the breed. Some go longer than others. When the number of ducklings fall off. save a few of the best to be your future breeders. Frankly we found it useful to have a few grandma ducks around because first mothers Often don't have a clue about how to raise a duckling until Grandma steps in and shows her.arctally said:
Drakes were often sent to freezer camp early unless they had something you wanted to capture in your line like color, gentle with the ducks and ducklings. or even a big meaty body. They often start going downhill after 4 seasons. If we had some good young drakes the old timer went to camp.~gd
- Thread starter
- #4
I appreciate all the help I can get, we first timers need plenty of grandmotherly wisdom whatever the species lol 
Britesea
Sustainability Master
I agree. Grandmotherly wisdom is to be cherished.
rhoda_bruce
Almost Self-Reliant
I have water fowl and I can't swear to ducks, but geese are supposed to be fertile for 30 years, which seems unbelievable, but the knowledge came from somewhere, so I'm testing it out. Now I would think ducks can go a lot longer than a chicken, although I'm not sure as long as a goose, but that is just my thoughts. Now the closest I can come to experience wasn't even my personal experience, but my aunt's.....and it had to do with geese. Her's were enormous and I'm told were 15 years old, so they had a ways to go. Momma would go over from time to time and get the eggs from her aunt (my great-aunt) and they'd hatch out. I just don't have your answer, but I'm hoping on a decade, at least. Anyway, I have 3 different duck projects: Rouens, Pekings and Muscovies. I"m just hoping for a decade or better. I rather just hatch out and eat and worry about replacing later.
