How to tell a female muscovy duck from a Male muscovy duck

[chickenbreeder]

I have 8 Muscovy ducks 2 mated duck's but I have 6 other ducks that are younger duck's and I know you can tell the male from there size from the female but I heard you can also tell a female from the male as the female's chirp and the male's hiss I was just wondering if this was true or not as I was told this.

I want to find out the female's from the males soon as they are still young enough.

so if anyone has a good knowledge of sexing Muscovy duck's please help me if you can thanks

 

[Miss Lydia]

Mine are about 3 months old any guesses on gender?

@becky7575 Both are same age? looks like one on the left is larger? if so that maybe your drake but there are other ways to tell length of head to tail legs being thick and farther apart all lean towards drake, body shaped like football with shorter tail and legs set closer under body means duck. Also drakes hiss and huff and females trill but they may be too young yet for those sounds.

Welcome to BYC

 

[Miss Lydia]

I have 8 Muscovy ducks 2 mated duck's but I have 6 other ducks that are younger duck's and I know you can tell the male from there size from the female but I heard you can also tell a female from the male as the female's chirp and the male's hiss I was just wondering if this was true or not as I was told this.

I want to find out the female's from the males soon as they are still young enough.

so if anyone has a good knowledge of sexing Muscovy duck's please help me if you can thanks

Depends on their age too, mine start making distinct gender noises about the time the drakes start out growing the ducks. How old are the 6 your wondering about.?

 

[chickenbreeder]

the 6 younger Muscovy ducks were hatched last summer hatched around some time in may so I am guessing they are like 5 to 6 months old I don't know the exact date they were born but they are big.

 

[Miss Lydia]

the 6 younger Muscovy ducks were hatched last summer hatched around some time in may so I am guessing they are like 5 to 6 months old I don't know the exact date they were born but they are big.

You should be able to tell by size then along with voice if that age. I have 3 from this years hatch 2 ducks 1 drake and there's no denying who the drake is. I haven't heard my young drake hiss yet but he does make low sounding noises where the girls do chirp. If you can get some pics uploaded I'm sure we can help you figure out drake from duck.

 

[jdywntr]

You'll definitely be able to tell by size by now. My females sometimes make a hiss type sound so I don't think that relying on voice would be the easiest idea.

Post pics of yours when you can. We love pics.

 

[Going Quackers]

It's all size.. here a pair of mine from a few year ago but they were under 1yo when this was taken. ETA; yes vocals but unless you can get girly to quack/honk hard to know for sure, ladies have a large vocal range, chirp, trill, hiss, honk/quack etc drakes simply hiss/huff after they loose the baby chirps.

 

[chickenbreeder]

wow the male's are huge I have a huge breeder male he is very big but very docile he will let you pet him but if you try to catch his female he will chase you and puff his feather's up. Yeah i am hearing a lot of chirps and hisses so I guess I will have to wait till they get old enough to tell there gender. so when doe's a Muscovy duck mature at what age do they mature..



Okay I also have another question can you house chickens and duck's in the same house at night to be pinned up at night it is a nice big pin. Or would the duck's give the chicken black feet. I was told this by a person but thought I would ask here. as they are only pinned up at night during the day they are free ranged as we have coyotes and raccoons and a cougar mother that will try and eat them so we have to pin them up during the night they know where there roosting place is as we feed them in there as well so they are only in there to eat and during the night time.

But I was told that the duck's would give the chicken black feet.


I have had duck's when I was a child but not for years I haven't.

 

[chickenbreeder]

I will try and get pictures of them they are so beautiful I have never seen such a big duck he is huge he has to be at least a 10lb bird or something he is that big.


I haven't named him yet but I call him MR Muscovy and MRS Muscovy as he is attached to the hip as where ever she goes he will follow. I know there is a possibility there is 2 drakes out of the 6 young duck's but I will try and get photo's up .

 

[Miss Lydia]

wow the male's are huge I have a huge breeder male he is very big but very docile he will let you pet him but if you try to catch his female he will chase you and puff his feather's up. Yeah i am hearing a lot of chirps and hisses so I guess I will have to wait till they get old enough to tell there gender. so when doe's a Muscovy duck mature at what age do they mature..



Okay I also have another question can you house chickens and duck's in the same house at night to be pinned up at night it is a nice big pin. Or would the duck's give the chicken black feet. I was told this by a person but thought I would ask here. as they are only pinned up at night during the day they are free ranged as we have coyotes and raccoons and a cougar mother that will try and eat them so we have to pin them up during the night they know where there roosting place is as we feed them in there as well so they are only in there to eat and during the night time.

But I was told that the duck's would give the chicken black feet.


I have had duck's when I was a child but not for years I haven't.

Never heard of black feet, but I have heard of black head, that's something a chicken can pass to a turkey, If your pen is large and there is plenty of space then it would probably be okay to pen chickens and ducks together for the night, problems most folks have when having a drake in with hens[chickens] is the drakes trying to mate with the chickens which is usually fatal for the hen. and also the mess ducks can make inside a pen in short order with food and water. But they do need to be kept in secure housing for their protection. Look forward to pics.