Pekin ducks make excellent pets due to their unique personalities. They are calm, friendly and possess colorful plumage. Due to their selective breeding, they have fast fattening rates making them ideal for the production of succulent and tender meat as well as larger eggs than most other ducks. Raising Pekin ducks is easier as they have strong immune systems and can survive adverse conditions.
Their mating follows a series of activities. The ritual always starts with dances, calls, and a display of colorful feathers as the males try to woo females into mating. The drake chooses which females to court, whereas the duck chooses which drake to mate with.
Mating with ducks can happen in three ways:
1. Natural Mating
For natural mating, the duck agrees to mate with the drake. The female will lie as flat as she can in the water. The drake bites down on the back of her neck and holds her head in the water.
As mating in ducks involves penetration, the drake will align his penis with the duck’s vaginal canal, and the sperms will be transported into the female’s reproductive system. This allows for the fusion of the female duck’s eggs and the male duck’s sperm, resulting in a fertilized egg.
2. Forced Mating
During the breeding season, if the number of drakes is not proportional to the ducks, some can remain unpaired. This will always lead to forced mating, whereby the female will be unwilling to mate with a given drake.
Due to the ducks’ selective breeding nature, no fertilization will occur during the forced mating as their complex reproductive organs prevent the sperms from reaching the ova.
Forced mating can lead to death by drowning as the duck tries to resist and escape.
3. Same Gender Mating
Ducks of the same gender can form bonds and be sexually attached. However, it can only be possible for female ducks. During female-on-female sexual interactions, no viable eggs can be produced as fertilization doesn’t occur.
For effective mating, a drake should be assigned to service five females, as having more drakes than females can lead to fights over mates. The males might get aggressive and hurt the ducks, leading to stressed-out ducks and reduced productivity.
Do Pekin Ducks Need Water to Mate?
No, Pekin ducks don’t necessarily need a body of water to mate, but they prefer to mate in it rather than on dry land.
Water is essential for ducks to bathe, swim in and drink. It also provides an ideal environment for mating during the breeding season, making the process easier for the ducks.
The water helps cushion the female duck against injuring her legs as she has to support her weight and the drake’s, especially when he is large.
In case you don’t have a pool, a watering trough can be used to serve the purpose. It should be big enough for the birds to fit in, and the water should be changed at least once daily.
At What Age Do Pekin Ducks Start to Mate?
Pekin ducks become ready for mating after 4-5 months of age. However, they are supposed to be bred at 6-8 months old. This is because breeding too early or too late can cause infertile eggs and unhealthy ducklings.
Do Pekin Ducks mate for life? No, Pekin ducks don’t mate for life. They only pair up for a single mating season. Once the breeding season is over, they look for different ducks to mate with during the next season.
Since they do not form lifelong pair bonds, Pekin ducks can easily get another partner to breed with if their mate dies or is taken away within the breeding season.
Do Pekin Ducks Mate Year Round?
No, Pekin ducks don’t mate all year round. Their mating behaviors are season-dependent. They normally mate in spring through summer due to:
1. An abundance of food ranging from protein-rich crustaceans to vitamin-rich water plants.
2. More sunlight hours.
3. Warmer temperatures that make it easier for eggs to hatch and raising of ducklings.
So, how often do pekin ducks breed?
A Pekin duck takes an average of 30 days to brood. They breed once after a few days and lay one egg every 1-2 days until they finish laying.
How Do I Know if My Ducks Are Mating?
If your ducks have started mating, they will continuously display mating behaviors such as:
1. Head-bobbing
This is the initial step in the mating ritual. The drake and duck will bob their heads as they seek each other’s attention.
2. Tail-up
The drake will raise its tail while in the water to display its colorful tail feathers as he tries to attract the female.
3. Change in Plumage
The drake’s feathers turn green when he is ready to start mating.
4. Flat-backing
The female duck elongates her neck and flattens her back. This is a way of showing her readiness to mate.
5. Neck Biting
The drake bites the duck’s neck as he tries to balance on her back. You will also notice attempts at mounting by the male.
How Long After Mating Do Ducks Eggs?
Mating has nothing to do with egg laying, as a duck can lay eggs with or without a drake being present. Females start mating at four months and get ready to lay at 6-8 months of age.
Hence, mating starts weeks earlier before laying, but in some cases, they can both occur during the same period. After laying all the eggs, the duck sits on them for hatching.
So, how many eggs will a duck lay before she sits?
A duck lays 12 eggs in a batch, after which she sits on them.
Some ducks, such as Pekins, are lousy sitters as the broody gene has been bred out. Hence, it would be best to keep Muscovy ducks or use an incubator to hatch ducklings. However, once the eggs have hatched, they make wonderful mothers.
Do Ducks Stay Together After Mating?
No, ducks don’t stay together after mating. The drake doesn’t assist in building a nest or hatching the eggs. However, he helps protect the duck from other unpaired males who may want to mate with her and other predators.
Once the breeding season ends, the duck and the drake will move on to different partners.
So, where do male ducks go after mating?
During the incubation period, the drake leaves the duck and looks for a secluded spot with enough food. He will molt and grow new feathers for the fall.
How Do You Tell If a Baby Pekin Duck Is a Boy or Girl?
Sexing is important, as mixed-sex flocks can be more difficult to manage. This can lead to fights and overeating. Ducklings are hard to tell their sex before eight weeks of age as they look nearly identical.
You can sex your duck using the following methods:
1. Bill Color
Female ducks have pinkish-colored bills with dark tips, whereas males have dark bills.
2. Vocalization
Girls have a loud honk, while boys have a quieter quack.
3. Body Size
As the chicks grow, the boys will get taller and have bigger bodies than their female counterparts.
4. Vent Sexing
Vent sexing is carried out by checking the vent of the ducklings to ascertain their gender, and it’s best done on 1-2 day olds.
This test should be done safely and correctly to avoid hurting the ducklings. Hence, less force is to be applied, and the test takes the shortest time possible. For a drake, you will see a small, light-colored penis, which looks like a worm.