Do Blue Swedish Drakes Have Drake Feathers

[deenamr]

I am so confused and I think my ducks are more so. I have 4 ducks all about 9 months old. 2 white pekin drakes, 1 silver appleyard duck and one blue swedish mystery. Starting at about 4 months of age the 2 white pekins were mating the blue swedish and paid no attnetion to the silver appleyard. The silver appleyard started laying eggs about 4 months ago. The blue swedish has not layed any eggs and is now attempting to mate the silver appleyard. I am very confused about the sex of the blue swedish. If it is a male would it have a drake feather? And why were the white pekins mating it on a regular basis for months. Today for the first time I saw the pekins mate the silver appleyard. I am starting to think I have a whole bunch of confused ducks.

 

[stumble_n_mumble]

id love to know the same exact thing

 

[goosedragon]

Quote:
I think you will learn That all drakes do not have the drake feathers visible at some time during a molt. I don't know the molting pattern for swedish so can not say for sure. in other cases ducks and drakes will pull the drake feathers off a drake. Rule is that if it has drake feathers it is a drake, absence of drake feathers doesn't prove it is female.

 

[deenamr]

Quote:
I think you will learn That all drakes do not have the drake feathers visible at some time during a molt. I don't know the molting pattern for swedish so can not say for sure. in other cases ducks and drakes will pull the drake feathers off a drake. Rule is that if it has drake feathers it is a drake, absence of drake feathers doesn't prove it is female.

so would the males mate with another male?

 

[goosedragon]

Quote:
I think you will learn That all drakes do not have the drake feathers visible at some time during a molt. I don't know the molting pattern for swedish so can not say for sure. in other cases ducks and drakes will pull the drake feathers off a drake. Rule is that if it has drake feathers it is a drake, absence of drake feathers doesn't prove it is female.

so would the males mate with another male?

Yes! they would and they do. Have you never heard the expression odd duck?

 

[froggie71]

You should be able to tell by the quack if not by the tail. The female has a much louder quack and the male is much quieter. As stated the drake should get the drake feather, but Swedes are one of the slower maturing ducks. Good luck it's fun trying to figure out their sexes.

 

[protodon]

I have full grown blue swedish drakes and yes they do get the curled feather. Mine had that by at least 3 months.

 

[newchickmom09]

My black swedish mix got his drake feather at about 3 months old. I could tell my female and male apart by there quacks. Only my female quacks and my male does a raspy noise.

 

[Dances with Ducks]

In the "sticky" topics at the top of the list of threads on the duck forum you will find a topic on sexing ducks. In the first post there is a link which will take you to some recordings of drake and duck voices. Here is a shortcut: http://www.majesticwaterfowl.org/artquacks.htm

 

[TK Poultry]

in swedes the males have green bills and the hens have blue or black bills depending on color but no matter what color you drake is he will have a green bill early on