Is it possible to vent sex a 5 week old duckling?

[cochins1088]

I have a 5 week old white indian runner duckling and I need to figure out it's sex.

He's super friendly and I'd like to get him/her a mate. Someone nearby is selling some 6 week old white indian runner ducklings and she said she's had a lot of offers so if I want one, I need to decide soon. I only want a pair of the white runners, so is there any way to sex my little guy to find out if he is indeed a boy? I don't have enough time to wait until he/she gets her voice.

I have vent sexed 3 day old ducklings in the past with 95% accuracy, but I was told that you can't sex them after 3 days. Is that true?

 

[shicks0211]

you can vent set him..it's just more difficult because he's larger and they don't appreciate it much..lol..if you have someont to help you it would probably be less stressful on the duck. ..you already know what you're looking for so you should be able to do it quickly.

 

[cochins1088]

you can vent set him..it's just more difficult because he's larger and they don't appreciate it much..lol..if you have someont to help you it would probably be less stressful on the duck. ..you already know what you're looking for so you should be able to do it quickly.

Thanks! I'll try it tomorrow.

So is the whole, "You can't vent sex after 3 days" a myth?

 

[shicks0211]

yes..that's kind of ridiculous..what would happen, their sex organs become invisible? lol I mean what you're looking for is a penis, or lack there of..as they get older that actually becomes easier to see..but harder to get the duck to cooperate. lol I don't typically vent sex mine..i mean I have, and on occasion i do, but to me i don't need to know right away if they're male or female because they free roam and i'm not really breeding them (on purpose anyhow..lol ) so i just wait until they're old enough, and either by the quack or the drake feather i can tell..depending on the breed, with some it's of course the coloring as they get older..and with some you can tell right away by the beak color.

 

[Going Quackers]

Storey's guide speaks of doing it on birds up to 8wks, he has step by step instructions and diagrams.

 

[Shamrock4]

I think its if you vent sex chicks after three days they can prolapse much easier.

 

[chickery-do]

I hope you don't mind me asking you duck ?'s but you seem to know your duck.
My 5 wk old pekins have curled up tail feathers since they came home. Does that mean their boys. One seems like a boy so brave and the other acts feminine.
Can I feed them DEA as I do for internal bugs in my chicks and a dust bath for their body. Is it safe for them?

 

[learycow]

You can vent sex them at any age, even adults. But I only vent sex up to 5 days old. If you do it later on (especially before they are full grown and mature) you risk injuring the reproductive tract. But you can still vent sex them all the same. So yes, you can vent sex the one you have but as someone already suggested, have someone help since the duck is bigger now. Or you can hold the duckling between your legs and do it. But if you know how to do it and what to look for then you should be able to do it quickly

chickery-do, if they have a curly tail feather and a hoarse/quiet quack, then they are males. Females do not get the curly feather and they have a much louder, more shrill quack.

As for the DE, I only use it with my chickens. I have never felt the need to on the ducks as they typically don't dust bathe like chickens do. But you may have to research that one as I do not know if you can feed it to them or not.