Appleyard ducks??

[Bean]

I have four silver crested appleyards, one male and three females. I sexed them based on the fact that three are freakin loud quackers and one only makes whisper and gasping sounds. The one on the left in the photo is the boy I think, the pic is from a month ago and they look so different now. He has a tiny almost none existent crest on the back of his head, two females have tiny crests on the left sides of their heads and one has a huge full crest. I have never had ducks before just geese and chickens and I am just wondering at what age do they start to get their adult feathers? I am not sure of exact age because they were kind of dumped in my lap with little to no info on them, but they are at least three months old because I have had them since early July, and they were a decent size when I got them. They had no big wing feathers at all when I got them, those started coming in a couple weeks ago. Before they would run with their pathetic little stumpy baby wings just a flappin, so cute!!! How fool proof is the voice thing for figuring out sex? If anything I would have four females and no male if I am wrong. I am so glad I don't have more than one male though. My friend took the four other ducks that came with my guys and they all turned out to be boys, she knows though cause hers are older by at least two months!! Her six bantam cochin chicks that I gave her all turned out to be roos too! Sucks to be her!! Also what entertainment can give the ducks to occupy their time? They are currently housed in the 1/2 acre pen that my pot bellied pig lives in, that has a spare shed for them and one rouge EE rooster that my other rooster kicked out of the chicken house. They have a big plastic kiddy pool with a ramp to get in it, and it is all grass and has some bushes and a tree. They pretty much stay away from the pigs shed, and she doesn't venture far from her mud pit by her shed. Contrary to what everyone assumes my pig is not the one that bugs the ducks, its them that will go and stand in the entrance to her shed and refuse to let her pass, so she screams bloody murder till someone comes and makes them get out!! What else can I do to make my ducks lives better?? Any suggestions/comments would help so much!

Meg

 

[MissPrissy]

I am raising the appleyards also. I got mine from Holderread's and hatched some eggs from BYC members. I have one with a crest (from Holderread's stock). Of all the photos and reading I have done I have never seen one with a crest until I got this one and now you have one with a crest.

I am wondering if this is normal or due to a mixed breed???

 

[Bean]

I don't know where the crest thing came from but three of my ducks have crests. Antoinettes is big and full but Fergie and Willie both have very little side crests, and Edgar I think really wants to have one but instead has like two beige feathers that barely peak out of the back of his head. Today I am not so sure about Willie being a girl, I had originally thought Willie was a he but then I swear he started loud quacking but today I picked them all up individually and only a raspy whispery sound came out just like Edgar who I know is a boy! Well I guess either way time will tell whats what!!