Can these calls be sexed yet??? (pics)

[keyt1969]

I have three almost 5 week old calls that, at first I swore I had two females and a male. Now I'm wondering if I have 3 females and I'm going to need a male??

Duck 1

Duck 2

Duck 3

I realize they may be too young yet but wondering if anyone can tell me yet??

Keyt

 

[katharinad]

You only need a male for fertile eggs. Your girls will lay eggs either way. They don't need the guy. As for sex, you cannot go by pictures. You should know when they are 7-8 weeks old by their voices. The girls will quack loud and heavy when you grab them. The boys will sound like they have a sore throat going.
Keep an eye on number 3. It looks like the wing tip is bending outwards. No sure if it is just the picture, but it could be angel wing. It may also just be a growing thing, since they push wings at some point and the body is a little bit behind. It either is gone a week later or worse. If worse then you may need to wrap the duck to correct it. Angel wing cannot be corrected once full grown, it needs to be address early on while the joints or not fully formed yet.

 

[keyt1969]

Quote:
I was wondering the same thing. Her legs aren't right either. They're bowlegged and seem weak. She runs fine but she walks crooked. I posted elsewhere about this so I'm gonna try some vitamins.

Although they don't quack yet, all 3 are pretty loud when first picked up. I thought they could also be sexed by their tails!?

 

[keyt1969]

If I tape her, what kind of tape should I use? I don't want to hurt her! I was given two 4 month old cayugas last weekend, one with angel wing, so I can't fix his?

 

[The Tinman]

When they get alittle older the male sometime have a tail feather that curls up but by then you can tell by the quack. The females have more of a honk where the males are alot quieter,softer sound. Also the female will have a rounder smaller shaped head. I would guess that duck #1 is female the others male

 

[katharinad]

Niacin, niacin, and niacin. They grow fast and need lots of it in that time. Get some niacin tablets at Walmart and mix 100mg per 1 gallon into their drinking water. Best is to get a bird supplement. I give that water for drinking for the first 10 days, then weekly and then monthly once they are 3 month old. It is really important for strong bones etc. Here is the product I like to use:
https://www.gqfmfg.com/store/comersus_viewItem.asp?idProduct=231 It's a powder and stores well.

Wrapping for angel wing is not that hard, but takes a little bit of practice. You learn really fast how it works right. The 4 month old one may be to old, but I would try it anyway. It is best when the wings lay tight to the body to prevent injuries down the road. You need to go to the feed store and get vet wrap (horse isle). Vets also carry it. It is a stretchable wrap that sticks to itself but nothing else. It comes in various colors. Avoid flashy colors, since it can scare the other birds. I usually use dark green or purple. Here is a pic of a wrapped bird.

The wrapping cost about 2 dollars per roll and one roll is good for two wrapping. Get 3 or 4 rolls. That stuff is good for lots of things so it is good to have. It can be used on humans.

Wrapping is a two person job. One needs to hold while the other one wraps. Place the bird onto a table so the feed have a flat surface to be on. The duck only need to be wrapped for half the day for 3-4 days. Take the bandage off at night so blood circulates freely, plus they usually rest anyway and don't move to much around at night.

Here are the instructions and I'm sorry I don't have images. Fold the wing under and wrap the wing once with the vet wrap. That will keep the wing in a sling and the bird cannot stretch it out. Next wrap around the body close to the feet, and one more time higher up over the chest. This should prevent the bird from pulling the wing up and out of the wrapping. Now you don't want this to be too tight or the birds cannot breath. Too loose and it will pull its wings out. They are Houdinis after all.

You will learn it as you go, and their will be some failure in wrapping. Everyone who does it becomes a pro after wrapping twice. Really.

 

[keyt1969]

Wow, thank you so much!!! I have some of that wrap around here. I get injured a LOT lol. Not sure if I'm gonna try the cayuga, he's huge and I think it would take 5 people to do him he's that wiggly! lol.