Can a female duck have a tail curl??

[Andrea PNW]

I'm so confused right now as I try and sex my ducks .... Ruthie is in fact female despite her tail curls right???

 

[Fuchsia]

Females can have a curly tail, my WH female had one for a while, she is definitely a girl!

 

[Andrea PNW]

Ok. I thought so. Thank you!

 

[Jenwisp]

Our mallard males had female coloring and drake feathers for a while until they came into their mature colors.

Is she quacking or croaking?


Edit to add: I just looked at your pictures again and it looks like her tail is darkening and her underbelly is starting to fade to gray. That's what ours did. They had the curl before their colors changed.

3 of these revealed as boys. The black cayuga cross even quacked prior to coming clean!

 

[Duck mommy 2019]

it’s possible but you have a drake for sure

 

[Andrea PNW]

Our mallard males had female coloring and drake feathers for a while until they came into their mature colors.

Is she quacking or croaking?


Edit to add: I just looked at your pictures again and it looks like her tail is darkening and her underbelly is starting to fade to gray. That's what ours did. They had the curl before their colors changed.

3 of these revealed as boys. The black cayuga cross even quacked prior to coming clean!

View attachment 2388633

Problem is she is a rescue so I don't know how old she is. Someone dumped her by herself at a water reservoir. She had 3 zip ties around her foot. After about a week of concerned FB community postings about this poor lone pet duck that was abandoned I finally went to assess the situation. She essentially walked right up to me and I picked her up and that was that. She's def older than my 3mo olds. She taught them how to get in the kiddie pool for their first big swim, smacks them around a little bit and she's got a well-healed puncture in one of her feet. So I'm gonna say she might be an old broad.

 

[Andrea PNW]

it’s possible but you have a drake for sure

Wait - ruthie with female coloring but has a butt curl IS a drake?

 

[Andrea PNW]

Wait - ruthie with female coloring but has a butt curl IS a drake?

I didn't know a duck could look like a mallard/rouen hen but be a drake! Honestly if ruthie was a drake it would make my life a million times easier.

 

[HappyDuckie]

What does his/her voice sound like? Quacking or raspy?

 

[Andrea PNW]

What does his/her voice sound like? Quacking or raspy?

She sounds more quacky but honestly I don't know. I took some video today (with audio) that I'll upload to youtube so y'all can hear them. I called my local vet and they told me they don't sex ducks. Lol