at what age will I be able to tell gender in pekins and mallards?

[tazzy]

I have two mallards and two pekins, all straight run. When will I be able to tell gender? We got them on Tuesday last week and they were 1-2 days old at that point. So now they're 7-8 days old.

 

[ChickenWendy]

i dont know about the mallards except that at some point when they get feathers they will look very different. but the pekins develop a drake tail around 4-6 months old. that was the only way i could tell. it's a feather that curls up and it is in their tail feathers. it's only one and you will notice it because it's the only one that curls. but it takes literally 4-6 months. either that or wait for them to lay eggs.

 

[xfilesnumber1fan]

Know nothing about Pekins but I couldnt tell my mallards until they got the curl tail feathers AKA ( sex feathers ) and the heads turned green around 4 months old...Before that they looked female..They look female right now because they are molting and have lost the curl and green head..I can tell the boys from the girls now because the boys are alot bigger than the girls.....They are full grown but last spring they were all the same size.....

 

[nettie]

when i had peter the pekin (who's actually a girl) I started hearing noises that sounded like quacks at 2 1/2 weeks old. They sound like little "Waaahts". baby boy duckies shuld just keep peeping

 

[shelleyd2008]

My pekin girlie started quacking at 2 weeks old. My rouen and cayuga girls waited till more like 4 or 5 weeks. If you aren't hearing quacks by 5 or 6 weeks, then you probably have all boys

 

[Ducklove334]

at 10 weeks it's deffinate for both, if it's a girl it'll be quacking, and if is a boy, it'll have a whisper quack type thing, much quieter, both of my new duckies are girlies, Jumper has been "quacking" for about a week now, and Junna has just started, they'll be a month old this thursday

 

[Duck Keeper]

Listen for the "QUACKS"!

 

[Wifezilla]

My babies are still peeping. They are only 2 and 3 weeks though.

I hope at least one is a girl

 

[tazzy]

thanks! this info is very helpful! so I listen for the quacks. I can do that.

 

[TheDuckCrew]

by 10 weeks at the latest, pekin girls start to QUACK and the drakes keep a whispery chirp almost. at first, i just thought the girl was older and developing faster because i didn't notice a change from baby chirps to older drake chirps. i'm not sure about mallards.