Identity crisis...

[Amykins]

The vet said she was a girl. She's always sounded like a girl. She has no drake feather.

But after months of normal, totally 100% female call duck vocalizations, it's like the instant she hit four months she starts making quiet, raspy drake sounds. Doesn't sound like a girl at all. Idungeddit.

Has anyone else KNEW they had one gender only to be shocked to find their bird was a cross-dresser?? I mean it's fine if Wobs is a boy, I'll be a little heartbroken because she's always been my baby girl (and I reeeeally wanted eggs) but her voice just baffles me. Her tail is still straight as an arrow. I guess I'll just have to keep an eye on it and see what develops when her adult molt is completed.

 

[apricotvalleywf]

How did the vet know it was a duck and not a drake? Did they vent sex? That really is the only way in your case... We have had some females with almost like a rasp sound until they matured then their quacks came out.

We only vent sex ducks that are on the bubble for the keepers list.

 

[emmyeagle]

My female quacks softly too. She has really loud echoing quacks at times but for the most part they are quiet quacks. She is definitely a girl because I get a yummy egg every day.

 

[Amykins]

How did the vet know it was a duck and not a drake? Did they vent sex? That really is the only way in your case... We have had some females with almost like a rasp sound until they matured then their quacks came out.

We only vent sex ducks that are on the bubble for the keepers list.

Yeah, but I admit she's not well-versed in ducks, so she may have been off.

My female quacks softly too. She has really loud echoing quacks at times but for the most part they are quiet quacks. She is definitely a girl because I get a yummy egg every day.

That's comforting, but as a call duck I dunno if the same standards can be applied. XD She sounds less like this:

And more like this:

Sounds pretty clear-cut to me. :/ On the other hand, her voice has been going through a myriad of different phases lately. She went from girl quacks to a kazoo-like noise, to duckling peeps, to more girl quacks, to this new rasp. So by next week, who knows. Like I said the adult molt is in full swing, so I'll be watching her butt like a hawk for any curl.

 

[apricotvalleywf]

Watch her abdomen very closely to see if it becomes swollen, that's a very tell tale of a female about ready to lay. I can tell all my current layers by abdomen size

 

[Amykins]

Watch her abdomen very closely to see if it becomes swollen, that's a very tell tale of a female about ready to lay. I can tell all my current layers by abdomen size

She's a call duck, they're lousy layers so she probably won't even start to lay until next season. Palpitated her abdomen, there's nothing in there. ...To be honest, I think this puts a damper on my search for a second duck. I was gonna get a drake for her to be a buddy, but if it turns out she IS a drake than that's a disastrous idea. So I'm still at odds, the only way for me to buy one single call duck is to hatch an egg, but then there's no guarantee. I dunno what to do. ><

 

[needlessjunk]

She's a call duck, they're lousy layers so she probably won't even start to lay until next season. Palpitated her abdomen, there's nothing in there. ...To be honest, I think this puts a damper on my search for a second duck. I was gonna get a drake for her to be a buddy, but if it turns out she IS a drake than that's a disastrous idea. So I'm still at odds, the only way for me to buy one single call duck is to hatch an egg, but then there's no guarantee. I dunno what to do. ><

Why would it disastrous? 2 drakes should do well together.

 

[Amykins]

Won't they fight one another?

 

[Onlyducks]

Won't they fight one another?

I believe multiple drakes are fine as long as there is no female.

My pekins this year were exactly opposite to what I thought they were—the "female" developed a drake feather and the "male" had eggs. Their sounds were all "wrong"—I posted a video because I still could not believe how far off the quacks were. I'm also not sure that last year I had three males and two females—looking back on the pictures, none had drake feathers. I'm sooooo confused. At least with my Muscovies, who were adults when I got them, I can definately tell the difference.

 

[TheBeardie]

I have three Drake's all together free range and day and penned the next. I switch my three females out when just the same. I've never had a problem with any of my ducks. My males like being together too. My Muscovy Drake likes being with the males better than being with the females