Hen or drake?

BelovedBirds

Crossing the Road
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So! This is a post about my duck, Dougie. Despite the male sounding name, I felt pretty certain that she is female- and have already been advised so by one other indivual-
but my mum noticed a tail feather looking like it might be curling, and although I think it's nothing, I want to be sure...
So she is about 13 weeks now, and has been getting her adult feathers in recently. She is VERY quiet. Her sister is very noisy, but Dougie is VERY quiet. She makes very soft sounds, and very, very rarely quacks. Only about three times in her life. Only if I take her sister away for a couple minutes, without me or her sister, she will call for her.

I have seen some behaviours which I believe are related to mating. Recently, for the first time, she climbed onto my lap, grabbed my clothing in her beak, held it tightly, and began pacing leg to leg with a sort of wiggle. She has never hurt me, and generally has a quiet and sweet personality, nibbling me very gently. But this was a first! I figured it was either dominance or mating behaviour and since researching I believe it is simply hormones.

She is slightly smaller than her sister, and her sister is the dominant one of the pair, hence my believe she is female.
Her "quack" is a little raspy, very different than her sister's but not enough so to be a male "squack" I think.
I will attach a link to a video of her quack and photos of her tail (I apologise as it hardly shows up at all, its the very tip, starting to lean in as though it could be starting to curl). (She moved every time I tried to take a photo from the side but will try again later).

She is an aylesbury mix, I believe crossed with pekin.

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Cofirmation would be VERY appreciated!
 

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That sounds like a female quack to me. 😌
It was probably on this site somewhere but someone mentioned their hen had some curly tail feathers too but was obviously female. Maybe it just happens sometimes?
 
That sounds like a female quack to me. 😌
It was probably on this site somewhere but someone mentioned their hen had some curly tail feathers too but was obviously female. Maybe it just happens sometimes?
Thanks for the feedback! I've heard of females having curls! I think it's to do with imbalanced hormones, perhaps testosterone- Which seems would be most likely to be if the feather curls further-
Perhaps that could explain the mating(?) behaviour? I forgot to mention, she was a lone duckling for the first few days and did imprint on me
 
Thanks for the feedback! I've heard of females having curls! I think it's to do with imbalanced hormones, perhaps testosterone- Which seems would be most likely to be if the feather curls further-
Perhaps that could explain the mating(?) behaviour?
Oh yeah, definitely.
 
Shes so pretty is she Alysbury? looks to have a pink bill. I heard female quack too.
Thank you, she is!
Aylesbury mix, yes! I hatched them both from supermarket eggs, so I have reached my conclusion based on research- I strongly suspect mixed with pekin for egg production, which her sister looks a lot like, but they could be mixed with something else!
 
This is my duck, Pigweed's, tail curl. She's a girl. I've seen eggs come out of her vent. I have an x-ray of her with an egg inside her.

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I've had a flock of 6 female ducks and they all mated with each other everyday. It's pretty normal.

My other duck, Nettle hardly ever quacks, and her quack sounds much different than Pigweed's. So there can definitely be voice differences among females. Though, Pigweed has the traditional QUACK QUACK QUACK!!

I can't watch your video because I'm at work, but I'll try later!
 
That is precious! And they are also going to look at you as their mate so don't be surprised when they begin to lay down for you. I have young hens doing it to me everytime they see me. I stroke their back they get up and shake just like they have been mating pretty funny.
 

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