At what age to ducks start mate?

[K4zn4v3]

I tried to put my 4 month old muscovy in with my two year old drake and it didnt go so well. As soon as I walked away he started chasing her around the pen. So at what age do ducks start to mate and at what age will the females accept it? I want to wait untill then to put them in together. I know they start to lay around 7 months so It cant be long before that right?

 

[TrystInn]

I wait until after they lay, you should start seeing her flirting behaviors by then.

 

[critterranch]

my runners started mating at around 17 weeks. before they started laying. i think it was 23 weeks before they started laying.

 

[shelleyd2008]

My pekins and rouens start breeding around 4 months or so, about 16-18 weeks. Depending on when they hatched (spring or fall), they start laying anywhere from 18-24 weeks. I don't know about muscovies though, I'd assume they are different since they are different from mallard-type ducks.

 

[pekinduck<3er]

i have 2 cayugas male and female and they have no yet started breeding yet and there slready 5 months old! im suprised its is almost spring and it was VERY warm today in florida!! i dont have a kiddie pool yet still no sign but i have a creek and when i put them in it they race right out when i put them in it... they hate water they cant touch there feet with wuts up no brred no eggs any one can help??

 

[shelleyd2008]

pekinduck<3er :

i have 2 cayugas male and female and they have no yet started breeding yet and there slready 5 months old! im suprised its is almost spring and it was VERY warm today in florida!! i dont have a kiddie pool yet still no sign but i have a creek and when i put them in it they race right out when i put them in it... they hate water they cant touch there feet with wuts up no brred no eggs any one can help??

If memory serves, my cayugas did take a little longer to start laying. Is the girl flirting (head-bobbing) at all?​

 

[K4zn4v3]

She is a muscovy, She head bobs all day long. LOL

 

[pekinduck<3er]

both of my duck are hea bobbing but do nothing

 

[MommaBugg]

I had a mystery gender pekin, he/she would quack loud sometimes then raspy other times, but today I found out in a most disturbing way that our 'it' is a drake. He was mounting one of the rouen hens, which I am suprised she let him do considering the size defference, and when he got off her something was trailing

LOL.. So he is definately a drake, but they are only 3 months old. Should I start looking for eggs soon, or are they just practicing?

I thought maybe they were just excited because they were playing in their new pool

My other pekin drakes got their drake feathers at 2 months old, yet this one that is trying to mate still has no drake feathers, so our 'late bloomer' is not so late after all I suppose

 

[TrystInn]

Most ducks we've had didn't fully mature to egg laying until 6 months and needed another month or so before they were capable of brooding and raising their ducklings.