Do I have males?

[axlelove]

I am a proud owner of four beautiful ducks. 2 Welsch Harlequin, named Harley and Quinn, and 2 Fawn runners, Thelma and Louise. smile.png
I am raising them for their egg production (all female), as well as for loves. I joined this site so that I can make friends as well as learn more about my babies along the way.

Most recently my girls started laying. I was so excited! I had found four eggs so I had assumed they had all started laying at the same time. I'm not so sure this is the case any longer. I've been getting double yolks, and varried sizes. Now I've consistently have been getting two eggs a day. Which leads me to believe two aren't laying.

One of my harlequins started charging recently, not very often, and not to terribly aggressive. Isn't that the behavior of a male? I had requested all female when I got my babies. Is it possible I might have a couple males?

 

[sallysinnamon]

Do any of them have a curly feather on their tail? Do they all quack? A female quacks and a boy sounds like he has laryngitis..

If they all quack and are all girls, there's a chance they are not just laying everyday, or all aren't laying yet.

 

[axlelove]

Do any of them have a curly feather on their tail? Do they all quack? A female quacks and a boy sounds like he has laryngitis..

If they all quack and are all girls, there's a chance they are not just laying everyday, or all aren't laying yet.

Well I thought they were all quacking... Although I have heard a raspy sound in the midst of them all wicking about together. I don't see the curly feather at their tail feathers either. Thank you for your help!

 

[313759]

From this angle they all look female. Look for curly tail feathers and for raspy sounding quacks

 

[Ren2014]

Your WH are definitely girls. Black beaks. Do they have dark legs? When they first start laying you will see odd things (dbl yolks, two/day, skip a day, etc.) until their ~hormones all work themselves out.

They are all beautiful!

 

[axlelove]

Your WH are definitely girls.  Black beaks.  Do they have dark legs? When they first start laying you will see odd things (dbl yolks, two/day, skip a day, etc.) until their ~hormones all work themselves out.

They are all beautiful!

Thank you so much!
The WH don't have dark legs at all, and I think with all the advice I've gotten, I think it's just a matter of wether or not they're all laying. Thanks so much!

 

[Ren2014]

Thank you so much!

The WH don't have dark legs at all, and I think with all the advice I've gotten, I think it's just a matter of wether or not they're all laying. Thanks so much!

I have a WH that looks like a drake. She has the drake feather and partial green head. But she quacks and isn't interested in mounting the girls. I really need to separate her to see if she's laying.

 

[sallysinnamon]

I have a duck that laid for years and this year changed colors and grew a drake feather. Craziest thing

I have a WH that looks like a drake.  She has the drake feather and partial green head.  But she quacks and isn't interested in mounting the girls.  I really need to separate her to see if she's laying.

 

[Ren2014]

I have a duck that laid for years and this year changed colors and grew a drake feather. Craziest thing

O wow, this is good to know. I've been really scratching my head about this one.

 

[Orca5094]

I have a duck that laid for years and this year changed colors and grew a drake feather. Craziest thing

Me too! I have a female Cayuga that laid eggs her first year, but this year she's grown a drake feather and gotten in much brighter green feathers. She also has not laid at all this year. I have heard of this happening with birds before (males/females changing into the opposite sex's plumage, behaviors, etc), but had never witnessed it myself before. So strange, but kind of cool at the same time.