Duckling delemma :S

[WinstonTweezers]

Hi I am getting two new ducks I have no exppirence but happy to learn
I was wondering how I will tell the difference between the to female ducklings I am getting thanks to anyone that has a way to help me tell them apart
I am so exited they will be here on Wednesday !!

 

[peterlund]

Personality. Or spray paint!

Enjoy your ducks!!

 

[DuckLover179]

Are you talking about sexing, or banding? For banding, just put zip ties on their legs. They sell colored ones at home depot.

 

[WinstonTweezers]

thanks I will pick some up and thanks for the spray paint comment pretty funny ha ha

 

[JP101010]

you can tell the female from the males at about a few months of age when they get their telltale "sex feathers" in the back by their end of the rump you will see curled up feathers or not. Curled = Male Straight = Female..... as far as telling them apart i wouldnt tie anything around their legs , because there is a big risk of injury and they grow so fast that it may get way too tight too quick and you will be unable to get scissors in there to cut it . if you absolutely needed to tell everyone apart ( ie- ones not gaining weight , for feeding purposes etc) then i would use a DOT of water based paint on top of their head. Im sure spray painting them with oil based wouldnt be safe and application with aerosol could pose respiratory concerns for the little duckling.. and also they cannot go swimming for at least a week, until their oil glands fully develop to make them waterproof . with their mother in the wild they can go swimming within a day because they are coated from touching and being underneath momma. When we first got our ducks we had no clue so we went to the public library and checked out every book about ducks lol and we were very glad we did. I fed the ducks at the park bread when i was a kid , so if we didnt read up on pet duck care , we would have made them very ill .

Good luck! they are alot of fun! what kind are you getting?

 

[DuckLover179]

Quote:
Zip ties are one of the most common banding methods. It's 100% safe, as long as you do it correctly. Loose enough to not cut off the circulation, but tight enough to not get caught on the back toe. You have to change it often, because they grow very fast.

 

[WinstonTweezers]

I think that they are a mixture of Peking and something else not quite sure

they are for laying and helping out with the bugs and dandieloins if they go well

I will get another female and a male

 

[DuckLover179]

Pekins are awesome! I have two, and they are sweethearts.