Muscovy questions:

[Bejavee]

Above: I think the chocolate may be female. My best guess on the white is male.



Above: I'm pretty sure the chocolate with more solid head is female. The chocolate with the white heads are a lot larger than the chocolate with solid heads.


Chocolate Left Male Right FemaleChocolate: Left Male, Right Female ??



Above: Group shot with a Pekin sneaking in. (We were feeding them grapes trying to get a good picture.




Above: Maybe there should be a photography tips thread.

Above: I'm pretty sure this is a white male and chocolate female.



Above: I notice I didnt get many shots of the whites that I think are female. They each have black splashes on their heads.





Above: The best pics I have of what I think are whie females (splashes on their heads).

 

[Bejavee]

Another picture of the white:




A picture of the younger group. There is only one that stands out as smaller at this stage:


...the little brown one. This group was given to me and I have idea what colors they are supposed to be.

 

[ian4379]

i'll guess some sexes! only from 2 of the photo's though. the top photo i think are both drakes.

the bottom one of post "11" i think the 2 white ones with splashes are girls, the other white one and the chocolate. behind the white drake looks like a chocolate girl. behind the white duck looks like a chocolate drake. all guesses though, hard to tell from photo's.

in regards to taking photos of them its hard, i squat down and take lots and lots for maybe a few good shots, you have to be there long enough for them to get used to you, maybe try feeding them b a treat everytime you go out with the camera? i like to get profile shots but they constantly turn away from you if they are scared.

 

[Bejavee]

I suppose it will be easier to tell who is what gender when they are older, perhaps when some are laying eggs. Of course, my biggest fear was that none would be female.
I'll have to learn a little patience.

Thanks for your help, Ian!

 

[Miss Lydia]

I suppose it will be easier to tell who is what gender when they are older, perhaps when some are laying eggs. Of course, my biggest fear was that none would be female.
I'll have to learn a little patience.

Thanks for your help, Ian!

also look at the legs at 4 months my drakes legs were thicker than my adult females were.

 

[Going Quackers]

Leg thickness is usually a give away too, does anyone Quack? only the girls do that.period.

This white one i'd bet the farm is a drake LOL The chocolate worries me with it's rather large feet.... while Muscovy do have big feet on the whole i find the hens to have shorter feet and slimmer legs... could be the angle of the pic however.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Leg thickness is usually a give away too, does anyone Quack? only the girls do that.period.

This white one i'd bet the farm is a drake LOL The chocolate worries me with it's rather large feet.... while Muscovy do have big feet on the whole i find the hens to have shorter feet and slimmer legs... could be the angle of the pic however.

The white one has thick legs, not too sure on the chocolate hard to tell.

 

[Going Quackers]

It can truly be a pain to tell and yes getting pics is bloody awful.. i did this dance last year with a pair of 3-4weekers that i had bought with high hopes they would be hens but i was getting really leery and felt they weren't... they weren't lol

Now that i have raised 4 drakes i admit i am able to see the differences a lot better but pics are still harder to tell vs in person... I think that is my biggest dislike about the Muscovy breed the difficulty of ID the genders.

 

[Miss Lydia]

It can truly be a pain to tell and yes getting pics is bloody awful.. i did this dance last year with a pair of 3-4weekers that i had bought with high hopes they would be hens but i was getting really leery and felt they weren't... they weren't lol

Now that i have raised 4 drakes i admit i am able to see the differences a lot better but pics are still harder to tell vs in person... I think that is my biggest dislike about the Muscovy breed the difficulty of ID the genders.

I have been watching the metzer video about sexing and am thinking about trying it, although not sure how mama will take to me turning her babies upside down.

 

[Going Quackers]

I have been watching the metzer video about sexing and am thinking about trying it, although not sure how mama will take to me turning her babies upside down.

LOL yes.. we too.. IF we have any success with the nests here i want to keep at least a pair of hens maybe 3... My other hen is still MIA.. so i need to probably sadly fill her spot.

Unless she comes back with a brood of her own ... would be just my luck.. six thousand Muscovy!