Oh wow if its the same duck on the left as the 1st set of pics I'm actually not sure. From the size in that most recent pic I am now leaning towards boy. Again though, the only surefire way to know is going by sound. Not sure how many ducks you have total but just keep in mind if you do have 2 drakes it would be a good idea to have at least 6 hens for them.
Duck or drake
- Thread starter Will L
- Start date
MotherOfDuckens
Songster
- Jun 24, 2020
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Based on the pics and my experience, "she" looks more like a drake to me - especially in the most recent pic of her next to the lighter duck in the weed bin. She/he reminds me of two drakes I had, except they had about as much caruncling as she does by the time they were 6 or 7 mos old. They had curvier bills, thinner legs, smaller feet, v-shaped tails, shorter bodies, shorter mohawks, were fairly small (5-6 lbs), and they tended to step on their feet as they walked - all signs (I had read) that they were ladies. Eventually they only hissed and huffed, and once mother nature told them to go sow their wild oats it became pretty clear that we had drakes on our hands.
Different lines vary in size and amount of caruncling, but your new one does look much larger than your smaller brown duck in the plastic bin. Did you get a chance to see any of the brothers or sisters that hatched out with the one you were given? It's a lot easier to tell if you can see them next to a duck or drake from the same clutch. The drakes will be obviously larger than the ducks.
I would say keep an eye on him/her and listen for vocalizations. Since he/she is a year and a half it's not quite the waiting game as when you're dealing with a duckling. If you hear anything other than a hiss, or she lays an egg, you've got yourself a duck! Otherwise, you have an unfortunately tricky situation on your hands. Ending up with surprise drakes was how my flock grew this last time.
Different lines vary in size and amount of caruncling, but your new one does look much larger than your smaller brown duck in the plastic bin. Did you get a chance to see any of the brothers or sisters that hatched out with the one you were given? It's a lot easier to tell if you can see them next to a duck or drake from the same clutch. The drakes will be obviously larger than the ducks.
I would say keep an eye on him/her and listen for vocalizations. Since he/she is a year and a half it's not quite the waiting game as when you're dealing with a duckling. If you hear anything other than a hiss, or she lays an egg, you've got yourself a duck! Otherwise, you have an unfortunately tricky situation on your hands. Ending up with surprise drakes was how my flock grew this last time.
Looks like a drake to me compared to your buff hen.
A year and a half or is it more like
or 6 -8 months? At 1 and 1/2 a hen could easily have that much red on her head. She would also be laying eggs or at least would have last summer. The change in caruncles would make me guess this is a male less than a year old. It is old enough to tell by sounds. A hen can make several noises, but will save the hissing noises for when it is irratated. If it is male by this age even if it is less than a year it will only making huffing/hissing noises.
or 6 -8 months? At 1 and 1/2 a hen could easily have that much red on her head. She would also be laying eggs or at least would have last summer. The change in caruncles would make me guess this is a male less than a year old. It is old enough to tell by sounds. A hen can make several noises, but will save the hissing noises for when it is irratated. If it is male by this age even if it is less than a year it will only making huffing/hissing noises.
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