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2steps

Sexing ducks

Does anyone know when and how I will be able to sex my ducklings? or a good website with pics maybe? One is much smaller than the others. does that mean I have 2 males and a female?
Bodger

If you have a brood of ducks and listen to them its quite easy to sex them.
The females literally do quack where as the males make more of a squeak or hiss.
Its hard to explain in words but very obvious in the flesh. Very Happy
2steps

none of them quack. they just cheep
Bodger

Keep listening and they will.
I hope that they aren't muscovies, because they are a law unto themselves and it doesn't work with them. It does with other ducks though and the males and females will become quite apparent going from their quack. It just takes a little time for you to get the hang of it.
It is, as they say " a well known fact"
judith

Muscovies are pretty obvious after a few weeks - the drakes are so much bigger than the ducks.
2steps

they are alysburys and are about 2 months old
alison

The males also have a curl on the tail, and the femail tail is straight.

(I am sure that is the right way round, but will check again later!)
Bodger

They don't get their curly tails for a few months and it's been known for the unscrupulous to take a pair of scissors to the curly feathers to palm drakes off as ducks. Shocked Shocked Shocked Laughing Laughing Laughing
Treacodactyl

alison wrote:
The males also have a curl on the tail, and the femail tail is straight.

(I am sure that is the right way round, but will check again later!)


Yep, that's correct. My parents raised some Aylesburys from day old chicks. The drakes definitely quacked and I don't remember them hissing.

Here's a pic of adult Aylesburys
http://www.omlet.co.uk/breeds/breeds.php?breed_type=Ducks&breed=Aylesbury
Bodger

Ducks make the quintessential quacking noise while the drakes don't.
saffranne

our poultry breeder in thurgoland near barnsley,sexed mine when they were only a week old,he kept the drake and the ducks came back,they are now eight weeks old,claire i think yours is a week older than mine

post a pic and we might be able to tell
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