Questions about Cayuga ducks! (:

Hi! I have a Cayuga duck thats 8 weeks old. I was wondering how old he will be until he is fully grown? And at first I thought he/she was a boy but now im really not that sure...When he/she started getting a quack (still is) it sounded kinda low and raspy but now he/she is very quite and never make a noise. When he/she does its not low...but not very high..He/she has a peeping quack. lol Ive gotten use to calling him/her sweet boy but if he/shes a girl it'll have to change to sweet girl.

I just read that Cayuga drake NEVER have any white on them. My Cayuga has two small white feathers on his/her neck. Is this true? Is he/she a girl?

I think I've read that Cayuga can have a few white feathers . . . and they increase with age. But that was awhile ago. Someone with Cayuga ducks probably knows more information.

Female ducks make a very noisy quack! Anything else is probably a boy -- but I can't remember when they start quacking for real.

Yeah, I keep reading female Cayugas increase with age and male Cayugas don't have any white..When do the males get there curly feathers?

larkflying said:

I think I've read that Cayuga can have a few white feathers . . . and they increase with age. But that was awhile ago. Someone with Cayuga ducks probably knows more information.

Female ducks make a very noisy quack! Anything else is probably a boy -- but I can't remember when they start quacking for real.

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I have three Cayuga ducks...no drake...drat...but they are solid black and LOUD...they are very pretty with that greenish tinge to their blackness in sunlight...two are very close and are never far from one another...the third one is very independent and usually hangs with one or two of the adult geese...maybe she has identity issues...I have read on one site or another that it is not uncommon as they age for them to get white feathering...mine are not old enough yet to verify that...but if you have a girl, the quack coming from her lips will be hard to miss...it will be LOUD!

duck walk said:

I have three Cayuga ducks...no drake...drat...but they are solid black and LOUD...they are very pretty with that greenish tinge to their blackness in sunlight...two are very close and are never far from one another...the third one is very independent and usually hangs with one or two of the adult geese...maybe she has identity issues...I have read on one site or another that it is not uncommon as they age for them to get white feathering...mine are not old enough yet to verify that...but if you have a girl, the quack coming from her lips will be hard to miss...it will be LOUD!

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thanks! so far he/she is very quite!

My Cayuga is most defintely a male, he almost whispers his quacks compared to my other two (mallard and pekin). He is much quieter than the other two and there is a definite distinction between the male and female. Do a you tube search and you can hear the differences. Also - my cayuga has just a couple white feathers on his wing. it might just be something like not a complete breed, like someone down the heritage line was a hybrid.

tweetysvoice said:

My Cayuga is most defintely a male, he almost whispers his quacks compared to my other two (mallard and pekin). He is much quieter than the other two and there is a definite distinction between the male and female. Do a you tube search and you can hear the differences. Also - my cayuga has just a couple white feathers on his wing. it might just be something like not a complete breed, like someone down the heritage line was a hybrid.

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It might be lol Either way I have a feeling its a boy!

Another thing I've noticed with mine is that the drakes' bills change color slightly, getting more greeny-yellow down the middle. The females' bills stay darker.

I don't know why this is so, and maybe it's just mine, but they are from different hatchings and sources, and it has run true for 'em all.

I got Cayugas because even the females are quieter than many other duck breeds. The gals are louder than the drakes, yes, but the Cayuga girls only seem to quack when they are extremely annoyed with something, and not all the time. They will quack loudly for maybe two or three quacks and then stop. The rest of the time, they gabble in conversations. The drakes are always gabbling, like old men walking and talking to themselves.

The neighbor's little mallard hen is REALLY loud, and quacks loudly quite frequently. She can drown out any of my Cayuga girls!

That's the same reason I got Cayugas! Also because they can't fly. So far my cayugas bill is completely black. How old are your cayugas?

gryeyes said:

Another thing I've noticed with mine is that the drakes' bills change color slightly, getting more greeny-yellow down the middle. The females' bills stay darker.
I don't know why this is so, and maybe it's just mine, but they are from different hatchings and sources, and it has run true for 'em all.
I got Cayugas because even the females are quieter than many other duck breeds. The gals are louder than the drakes, yes, but the Cayuga girls only seem to quack when they are extremely annoyed with something, and not all the time. They will quack loudly for maybe two or three quacks and then stop. The rest of the time, they gabble in conversations. The drakes are always gabbling, like old men walking and talking to themselves.

The neighbor's little mallard hen is REALLY loud, and quacks loudly quite frequently. She can drown out any of my Cayuga girls!

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