How do you tell a ducks gender?

[OkieChickenGal]

I was wondering, how do you tell if a duck is male or female?

 

[shawluvsbirds]

Best way to tell is by their voice. A girl will have a true QUACK a drake will have a raspy smokers cough sound
Also If they are old enough and not in the middle of a molt, a drake will have a curl on their tail called a drake feather.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Depends on the breed. Mallard based breeds are often different colors between the sexes, and the drakes will develop a drake feather on their tail. Muscovy are different sizes, with males being about twice the size of the females.

 

[OkieChickenGal]

Thank you for your replies! How can you tell an Indian runner and a Pekin?

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Thank you for your replies! How can you tell an Indian runner and a Pekin?

Generally by 10 weeks of age the females will start to quack, while the males will still whisper. Eventually the males with get their drake feather, I believe after 6 months.

 

[shawluvsbirds]

Thank you for your replies! How can you tell an Indian runner and a Pekin?

http://www.majesticwaterfowl.org/artquacks.htm
Here ya go

 

[OkieChickenGal]

So a drake won't get his drake feather until after he's 6 months old?

 

[shawluvsbirds]

So a drake won't get his drake feather until after he's 6 months old?

It may develop sooner than that but you should able to tell by voice a lot sooner than that

 

[Quacking Pigeon]

With Mallard derived ducks, drakes will have a curled tail feather whilst ducks won’t. Also drakes go through a raspy stage (puberty) when they are getting their voices whilst ducks would but it isn’t as raspy for a long period of time like drakes.

With Muscovies a key factor is size difference, depending if you have mammoths or standard size difference can vary. Young ducks will grow their wing feathers faster then drakes and overall will be productive before drakes. Also a good working drake is around a yr old. Some of the key characteristics of drakes is a lot of red (can’t spell the proper term) around their face, thick legs, large bodies etc.