How to tell ducklings gender?

[FathertoFeathers]

My local tractor supply store is getting their ducklings in and im quite excited! But I would really like it if most of them were female (I know its not 100% certain). I don't know if tractor supply will sell straight run ducklings or if they're sexed but either way I would still like to know the best ways! Thanks in advance!

 

[Texag87]

TSC is always duckling roulette. There is no way to tell without vent sexing and that is not going to happen in the store. Most people report that the straight runs from TSC are biased toward drakes. We hit a jackpot getting 5 ducks and 4 drakes.

 

[FathertoFeathers]

TSC is always duckling roulette. There is no way to tell without vent sexing and that is not going to happen in the store. Most people report that the straight runs from TSC are biased toward drakes. We hit a jackpot getting 5 ducks and 4 drakes.

Crap! Not what I was hoping for.

 

[DiYMama540]

Agree with @Texag87 , you're lucky if they even have them separated out by breed! Usually it's just one tank full of ducklings, all different breeds and gender.
Still a good way to go though, I would prefer people who know what they're getting into buy them all instead of all the families that come through just wanting a cute duckling!
In about 3 months Craigslist will be full of free ducks

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

Most of the time farm-store ducklings are sold as "straight-run" - meaning unsexed.
The truth is that most buyers order female ducklings at the hatcheries, so they sort out all the girls that have been mail-ordered and "throw" the rest into that "straight-run" bin.
The duck/drake ration should be 50:50, but in fact in farm stores you will more likely get a 20:80 ratio. Some hatcheries literally send their "trash" to the farm-stores.

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

Agree with @Texag87 , you're lucky if they even have them separated out by breed! Usually it's just one tank full of ducklings, all different breeds and gender.
Still a good way to go though, I would prefer people who know what they're getting into buy them all instead of all the families that come through just wanting a cute duckling!
In about 3 months Craigslist will be full of free ducks

I will take them ALL! - I need more DUCKS! -> My Drake/Duck ratio is 1:2.5... Ok, Limpy is a nice guy, so maybe 1:2.8 but still 2-3 ducks short.

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

Last Sunday at the local Rural King: »Poppa make sure that the b*tch is somewhere else, wanna grab a duckling so that [kids-name] can hold it! … [kids-name]! Don't squeeze it! No!«
I had to walk away to avoid a brawl but alerted the »bitch« (whom i happen to know very well!) to what these people were doing. - Shortly after over the PA: "[Manager's Name] please to the life-poultry department!"

Some people!

 

[DiYMama540]

Ugh...I have to avoid the farm stores with chicks...I may be able to hold my tongue, but these evil eyes don't lie!!

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

That was a very rare moment where i was hoping for a really stinky duck-egg fart but could not deliver.

 

[FathertoFeathers]

I know that as they get older people look at size or the leg thickness as a factor but could I do this when they are this young?