Adopted this duckling about five weeks ago from someone that made an impulse purchase at atwoods. They were keeping him inside in one of those 16 inch tall hamster/gerbil play cages. Duck and owners were not happy. Anyway, can anyone help to identify what breed/sex it is. I don't think its a drake. But my vent sexing skills, on an uncooperative duck, are not to be trusted. I think the duckling is around 9 - 10 weeks old. Until the last week it has spent most of its time hiding in the barn behind whatever it could find to stay out of the way of my chickens. That's why its been named Fraidyduck.
Looks like a hen black duck, like the wild ones to me... hopefully someone can give you a better answer..
By the size I would say it is a Rouen, not a Mallard. I dont see any green showing but it its still young and by that age should able to be voice sexed, so pick it up and if it honks loud, its a female and if it has a low raspy sqeek, its a male. I'm glad you got it.... a duck in a hamster cage ???????? GOSHHHH. I have a simialar story. My cousin's girlfriend was in college and she bought a baby female Rouen from a feedstore and kept it a her dorm room bathtub until the college found out about it and she had to get rid of it so they brought it to me, and it was already grown at this point. It was just sad though, she had no idea she was a duck and took forever to realize it and join in with my ducks, and took another forever to get to where she would go it water. She eventually got her identity together though and was happy and raised a brood of ducklings while I had her. Now shes livin it up at my aunts house that with the other three ducks and two geese that I sent over there and they have a bunch of big ponds, unfortunately all I had for them is a lame kiddy pool. So her life turned out great and hopefully your little duck's will too.
I'd guess a Rouen. I don't know about voice sexing, we sexed our hatch this year by bill color when they were a little older............sorry, can't remember when they started to change. The female's bill is darker, about the color of yours, actually. The males get a brighter greenish yellow. My sons and I sexed ours when they were maybe two months old, and confirmed when they molted out at 3-4 months? Sorry, I'm a little fuzzy on dates If it's a hen, they lay huge green eggs and go broody once or twice a season. They're also NOISY! My honey sneezes in the house and from outside we hear the peanut gallery....HONKHONKHonkhonkhonk. Every time.
I don't know what breed it is, but it looks like a drake to me. In the second pic, it looks like a little curly feather on the tail. Even though it has female colors, it is Fall and it would be in an Eclipse moult.
