Duck ID and gender?

[Bobbie3504]

I inherited 3 Peekings and one unknown brown buck from my niece to add to my flock of 3 peeking and one mallard drake (ALL 8 last springs hatchlings) Finally started getting eggs over the past few days, today a light blue egg was in the mix and a bit smaller than the white, peeking eggs. We THOUGHT the brown duck was a drake, but no tail feather? so it could just be a 'confused' hen. (it's been attempting to mate with the hens) I'm going to thin my flock as there are too many drakes but not sure if this is a hen or drake now!

 

[CoriM]

Well my flock of all girls are constantly trying to "mate" with each other. Not sure if it's about dominance or just the strong instinct to mate. So unless you see the actual parts, don't take that to mean your duck is male.

 

[Ratchnick]

Mallard hen? Just guessing.

 

[Bobbie3504]

Mallard hen? Just guessing.

That was what my niece thought, but there are no blue feathers in the wing... typically mallard hens also have blue and white in their wing but the drakes is more distinctive and it is larger than a mallard. So I think I've ruled that out, unless I get more votes for 'mallard hen' than anything else.

 

[PirateGirl]

https://www.metzerfarms.com/DucksForSale.cfm
Seeing the breed pics side by side might help you.

 

[Clearwater Chicken]

if its a mallard male it would be in the eclipse molt based on the pictures, but i don't think that's right and has there never been the curly feather on the ducks tail? i think its a hen

 

[PirateGirl]

It looks more like a silver appleyard hen

 

[Isaac 0]

Depending on where you are it could be a Mottled duck or a Mallard that hybridized with another duck species. Back toe is intact meaning wild.

 

[Bobbie3504]

if its a mallard male it would be in the eclipse molt based on the pictures, but i don't think that's right and has there never been the curly feather on the ducks tail? i think its a hen

I know it's not a mallard drake. it never has had the drake markings and it's body shape isn't the same as the Mallard, no distinct markings at all really. except maybe the eye marking...

 

[Bobbie3504]

Depending on where you are it could be a Mottled duck or a Mallard that hybridized with another duck species. Back toe is intact meaning wild.

I did look at Mottled... I thought maybe that one, she bought it at Tractor Supply last spring as a 3 day hatchling along with a couple dozen other ducks, it's the only one that survived a hungry fox so she's not sure which one it was. She normally buys runners so this must have been the only one in the tub left and her sone felt sorry for it being alone?