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Help! How to sex ducklings?

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Author Topic: Help! How to sex ducklings?  (Read 17439 times)
Kats
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« on: June 12, 2009, 08:34:08 am »

Mine are now 6 weeks old and I can see that some are bigger than others and some have more sticky out breasts. What are the best features to look for when trying to sex ducklings?


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Goldenbead
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« Reply #1 on: June 12, 2009, 11:22:39 am »

An old gentleman who we got two of our ducks from told us that you can tell the sex by looking at their feet.  The drakes have two extra toes going up the side of the leg (not the ones that sit flat on the ground) and the hens only one.  It is true of our ducks.
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Kats
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« Reply #2 on: June 13, 2009, 07:29:36 am »

An old gentleman who we got two of our ducks from told us that you can tell the sex by looking at their feet.  The drakes have two extra toes going up the side of the leg (not the ones that sit flat on the ground) and the hens only one.  It is true of our ducks.

Gee, thanks. I'd never heard of that. I'll have to check it out.
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Cathy
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« Reply #3 on: June 19, 2009, 12:08:45 am »

I've never heard of that, either. 

The two things you've mentioned are two of the first signs.  The feet/legs will be larger/thicker, and the drakelets will begin getting their caruncling sooner than ducklets.  Ducklets get their flight feathers in sooner and are just overall more petite looking and 'round' underneath whereas the drakelets are longer front to back with that more prominent breast. 
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Kats
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« Reply #4 on: June 19, 2009, 09:16:34 am »

No extra toes on any of mine. They all have one short toe in back that doesn't often touch the ground, but they are all alike.
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« Reply #5 on: June 21, 2009, 07:18:22 pm »

It seems like my little drakes start sitting funny at 3-4 weeks.  They sit on the ankles(?) and the toes come off the ground.  I think it has something to do with their center of gravity being different than hens.
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Kats
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« Reply #6 on: June 22, 2009, 10:11:59 am »

It seems like my little drakes start sitting funny at 3-4 weeks.  They sit on the ankles(?) and the toes come off the ground.  I think it has something to do with their center of gravity being different than hens.

Ah, yes, Hub commented on that the other day. Here are 2 of them. The white one is 6 weeks old and the black one we think is a couple weeks older. They are from completely different genetic lines. I thought for a while that the black one was male, but looking at the size of legs on the white one, I am leaning to thinking it's female. (I rather hope it is; I like the color.)

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« Reply #7 on: June 23, 2009, 02:48:19 am »

I've always found it best to look at the bird from the side, in profile, to try to guess the gender.  I have this page on my website that describes the differences.  http://www.muscovyduckcentral.com/gender.html 

The caruncling on that black pied bird makes me wonder...  Usually ducklets will be nearly feathered completely by the time their caruncling starts to appear.  I can't quite make out whether the black pied has all of her primaries in?  That would be a consideration for me as ducklets get their primaries in long before drakelets do.  There is an obvious difference in foot size which could be due to the difference in age as you mention.  A photo in profile will help...
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Kats
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« Reply #8 on: June 23, 2009, 07:18:31 am »

That would be a consideration for me as ducklets get their primaries in long before drakelets do. 

Well, I never knew that. Thanks, Cathy. I think the pied is fully feathered. The wings look complete when they flap. I'll look more closely today.
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Kats
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« Reply #9 on: June 24, 2009, 08:05:09 am »

ducklets get their primaries in long before drakelets do. 

So they do! I had a good look yesterday. I swear this is the easiest way to sex them. Mine are at the stage where the ducklets have primaries and the drankelets have gaps down their wings. Thanks!!! Grin
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Cathy
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« Reply #10 on: July 15, 2009, 11:08:07 pm »

You're welcome!  I'm glad to see that it's worked for you.  How are they doing these days?
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« Reply #11 on: July 29, 2009, 02:35:18 pm »

Well, they've discovered they can fly. (They are nearly 12 weeks old.) Bit of a shock to find them on the roof. I can still lock them up in the barn at night with the aid of dog food bribes and a patient husband to help herd them.

I'm pretty enchanted with them. Decided I was going to have a hard time catching them to butcher them, so about a week ago I started trying to get them to eat out of my hand. The drakelets are more courageous and started to take the plunge, and now the whole lot mob me when I walk to the barn. I sat down on a stump to hand feed them, and discovered one was nibbling my butt.

It's obvious now which are male and which female just by their size.

They have 20 acres to roam in, so I decided they should have been feeding themselves for a long time. I'm weaning them off feed, but they still get a little bit in the morning.
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« Reply #12 on: July 30, 2009, 11:51:54 pm »

That's one thing that I miss after the clipping of the wings is young hens flying around the farm.  It's nothing to be out and have a bird whiz right by your head and land right at the feed bowl just in time for dinner!  Unfortunately it becomes a pain in the rear whenever you're trying to do anything with them, of course, because they KNOW they can fly and then you never can catch them in a pen!

Feeding your birds will keep them used to your presence and will keep them healthy and heavier.  Personally I wouldn't give up feeding altogether but that's just my preference. 
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Kats
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« Reply #13 on: July 31, 2009, 11:05:15 am »


Feeding your birds will keep them used to your presence and will keep them healthy and heavier.  Personally I wouldn't give up feeding altogether but that's just my preference. 

I think I agree. I don't want them to become impossible to catch.
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« Reply #14 on: August 02, 2009, 08:39:42 pm »

Certainly doesn't hurt to use whatever tools you can to give you an advantage!
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