In a bit of a predicament

[Miss Lydia]

@CrazyCrttr75 can you tell us the age of your new duck please?

 

[CrazyCrttr75]

@CrazyCrttr75 can you tell us the age of your new duck please?

Sry I've been out and about today. I don't know what her age is. She was given to me and supposedly, they "found" her and it wasn't theirs to begin with. I'm thinking she is pretty young. Maybe a couple months old or so but that is a complete guess on my behalf. I can understand the confusion on gender. Believe me. At first, I told my hubby, that is a male. We're not going to be able to keep it, because we already have a male and just the 2 females. He said, how do you know? I said, it looks like it is starting to get a neck ring. That is a male thing. And look at that bill. It is green. Definitely a male. But as time went on and I heard it quack and looked at the size of it's bill, legs and feet, I started to rethink that. The bill is small and narrow. Not longer and wider. The legs are thin, not thick. Small feet. And like I said about the quack, it is not raspy or frog croaking (is what my other males reminded me of) sounding. It is a deeper quack but loud and clear. It is more like my rouen Xena's quack. And I remembered that when my little mallard Luna was young, she had a dark green bill like that before it faded and became more female looking. Is 2 tone now. Xena's bill didn't do that, only Luna's. So maybe that really dark green bill is a mallard trait. Idk. For a male duck to start developing the neck ring and plumage, they would have to be how old? When was that duck contest? Noah had just started getting his at that time. I want to say he was 10-12 weeks old? He was just old enough to enter the contest. His drake curl was already established and you could definitely voice sex him by that time. So if her voice was to change, surely it would have already done so, yes? I wonder if she is a mix and not just 1 breed and that is what is causing the confusion? Maybe I can try and get a video of her quack so ya'll can hear her. Like I said, I can definitely understand the question as to gender. I am by no means an expert on ducks lol.

 

[casportpony]

I just went and looked at my ducks, and none of my drakes have a bill colored like your duck, but none of my females look like that either.

The white feathers on the neck don't look like the typical drake neck ring feathers either, they just look like random white feathers, she also has other white feathers, but not sure what that means (in peafowl, it would mean pied or split to white).

You say she quacks like a female, and has other feminine attributes, so I think I will have to trust your gut feeling that she is a hen.

 

[Miss Lydia]

I Agree I go with your knowing since you also have other ducks to go by. Love to see pics of all your ducks.

 

[CrazyCrttr75]

Ya know, I went outside and I was going to try and get video before it got dark. None of my ducks would cooperate. I caught and picked up Annabelle (that's what we're naming her) and nothing. Not even a grunt. I'm like, come on, I know you have a voice. Lets hear it. Nothing. So I catch and pick up Xena. Nothing. Oh my gosh! Don't do this to me now. Talk to me! Nothing. I pick up Noah. The same thing. Nothing. Luna (and she is the most talkative of the group)... nothing. They are stinkers I tell you! It has been so muddy and rainy here, they are all a mess. Their pool area is a mud pit. Their pool itself is brown and muddy and disgusting and they love it. I need to refresh all of their waterers and pool and I will get some updated pics then.

 

[chickens really]

Sry I've been out and about today. I don't know what her age is. She was given to me and supposedly, they "found" her and it wasn't theirs to begin with. I'm thinking she is pretty young. Maybe a couple months old or so but that is a complete guess on my behalf. I can understand the confusion on gender. Believe me. At first, I told my hubby, that is a male. We're not going to be able to keep it, because we already have a male and just the 2 females. He said, how do you know? I said, it looks like it is starting to get a neck ring. That is a male thing. And look at that bill. It is green. Definitely a male. But as time went on and I heard it quack and looked at the size of it's bill, legs and feet, I started to rethink that. The bill is small and narrow. Not longer and wider. The legs are thin, not thick. Small feet. And like I said about the quack, it is not raspy or frog croaking (is what my other males reminded me of) sounding. It is a deeper quack but loud and clear. It is more like my rouen Xena's quack. And I remembered that when my little mallard Luna was young, she had a dark green bill like that before it faded and became more female looking. Is 2 tone now. Xena's bill didn't do that, only Luna's. So maybe that really dark green bill is a mallard trait. Idk. For a male duck to start developing the neck ring and plumage, they would have to be how old? When was that duck contest? Noah had just started getting his at that time. I want to say he was 10-12 weeks old? He was just old enough to enter the contest. His drake curl was already established and you could definitely voice sex him by that time. So if her voice was to change, surely it would have already done so, yes? I wonder if she is a mix and not just 1 breed and that is what is causing the confusion? Maybe I can try and get a video of her quack so ya'll can hear her. Like I said, I can definitely understand the question as to gender. I am by no means an expert on ducks lol.

Appleyard Drake I was thinking. Takes awhile till voice is correct.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Ya know, I went outside and I was going to try and get video before it got dark. None of my ducks would cooperate. I caught and picked up Annabelle (that's what we're naming her) and nothing. Not even a grunt. I'm like, come on, I know you have a voice. Lets hear it. Nothing. So I catch and pick up Xena. Nothing. Oh my gosh! Don't do this to me now. Talk to me! Nothing. I pick up Noah. The same thing. Nothing. Luna (and she is the most talkative of the group)... nothing. They are stinkers I tell you! It has been so muddy and rainy here, they are all a mess. Their pool area is a mud pit. Their pool itself is brown and muddy and disgusting and they love it. I need to refresh all of their waterers and pool and I will get some updated pics then.

LOL they always know.

 

[CrazyCrttr75]

She is so cute! Please keep us posted! And what have you named her?

We have decided on the name Annabelle

 

[casportpony]

We have decided on the name Annabelle

That's a lovely name!

 

[Miss Lydia]

I love it.