Do I have ALL drakes?

[Duckchick2011]

Alright, I'm starting to worry a little bit.

I think all my mallards are drakes! Not that I have a problem with that but I was hoping at least one was female. I wanted peaceful hens and eggs not testosterone driven goof heads.

The reason I suspect all drakes is because they are all developing a light green sheen on their backs, one sounds raspy and has a green sheen on his head already, he is also the biggest.

I could have sworn I heard one quacking though, sooo, I just don't know.

Do female mallard's get a green sheen on their backs when first getting their feathers?

I haven't got a good pic of this new color development yet but will post some the second I do.

 

[squeak1387]

Im not too sure about the coloring on the ducks, but i do know if it quacks loudly its a girl. soon the males should have a curled feather on the tail as well.

 

[bt03]

I don't have mallards but I thought both of my Rouens were hens until Olive started developing a lighter green bill... and her semi-loud quack went suspiciously quieter. Needless to say Oliver is a very handsome drake with a beautiful lighter green beak.

 

[AdamD77]

Quote:
:O You have a "girl" called Olive who turned out to be a boy too!

We kept his name as Olive though, felt too weird calling him anything else!

In response to the question, how old are they? I'm not sure, I've seen wild females who seem to have a slight green shine to them, but not like a males green. I think a photo would really help

 

[FenDruadin]

Age would help a lot with this question, but if they're still young enough to be developing new plumage, then I suspect they're too young to tell by feather color. Even male birds will develop immature plumage that looks like a female before they ever develop male plumage.

Also, if you're hearing quacks, then you have some girls. The quack is a much more reliable indicator than feathers, because feathering can change dramatically over time and due to a variety of circumstances. I'm guessing you've got at least one girl in there.

 

[MissusDee]

Depending on the age, you can kind of tell by the bill too. Voice is better though. The bills get lighter in males, like a dull grey or even greenish, then more yellow. The girls it usually stays darker. It usually starts to fade around 6 weeks or so.