JACK PYKE Flocked Pair of Ducks Hen and Drake

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Some lighter breeds can have a ratio of 8 hens per drake. But it may depend on how the birds treat each other. Being the prey of many predators in the wild, these semi-aquatic animals prefer swimming with other pairs.

So, you should intervene swiftly if a second drake swims over to disrupt a mating attempt between one drake and a hen. If it’s not possible, here’s another tip on how to deal with extra drakes. 6. Put them in a separate bachelor groupAt Kidadl we pride ourselves on offering families original ideas to make the most of time spent together at home or out and about, wherever you are in the world. We strive to recommend the very best things that are suggested by our community and are things we would do ourselves - our aim is to be the trusted friend to parents. They are hardy birds that will easily adapt to most environments as long as they have a decent sized pond to splash in and a good sturdy warm house to sleep in at night.” You can save a considerable amount in the feed if they can free-range, but you should provide more space to forage on.

Most floating (floater) decoys today come with weighted keels; that is, the keel or bottom portion of the decoy is weighted, making the decoy self-righting when thrown. They’re nice, but they’re heavy. Water keels are hollow, and fill with water once they’ve landed, head-up. BUT, and it’s a big BUT, they don’t right themselves. Water keel decoys that land on their sides stay on their sides. Water keel decoys are light, though, and make an excellent decoy for the walk-in ‘fowler looking to cut down on weight. Number Kidadl is independent and to make our service free to you the reader we are supported by advertising. There were unremarkable numbers of our regular birds of prey; Hobbies in particular were much scarcer than usual, just three records in the period. We did however have a more or less resident female Marsh Harrier, recognisable by her wing moult pattern.

[5] Treat Them Right

That also indicates that you have too many drakes and must take precautionary measures. Otherwise, your hens will fall victim to drowning or more injuries due to overeating. We’ve so far had only small roosts of passage hirundines, maximum counts being 35 Swallows going to roost in the Scrape reedbeds, and 120 Sand Martins feeding above the lagoons with 45 Swifts. House Martins peaked at 40. Decoys are an essential part of any waterfowl hunt. Whether you hunt Canada geese in corn, mallards in flooded timber, divers on big water, or woodies on a beaver pond, you need decoys to pull birds into range. But there's more to setting an effective spread than simply tossing out a few dozen decoys at random. The most successful hunters pay attention to every detail, including the appearance of each decoy and where it is placed. Following are 10 tips from decoy manufacturers and other avid waterfowlers on how you can increase the drawing power of your spread and bag more birds this fall. [1] Play the Numbers Game Selling your extra drake is a good solution, but most prospective buyers want your drake to butcher them for meat.