male female signs

[m2wandc]

I have read that male tails typically curl...but I am not finding at what age do you notice the curling?

Also I have read the females quack...but does that mean the males don't quack at all? or just less?

My two ducklings are about 3 weeks (maybe 4 weeks) old now...and I'm wondering when I'll know if I have two females, two males, or one of each???

I hear quacking, I hear whistling, I don't see curly tails but they do arch their tails upwards when they wag them. One looks like it might have some green coming in on it's head. They (I think) are black & white crested swedish ducks.

Any tips on identifying sex I'd love to hear...also at what age do they start to lay eggs? Do they need nesting materials? Right now, they are in a dog run with a dog house and a kiddy pool...soon they will go in with the chickens (but not until the baby chicks are big enough to go in with them as well...they are buddies with two baby chicks...brooder companions)

 

[srpaint]

This is my first time having ducks so I do not have much experience but this is what mine are like. The quack is the females. The whistle is a male. I have 3 mallards that none of them have a curl that I can see. But I can tell from the quack that I have 1 female and 2 males. They are about 11 weeks old. The females quack just got very "know" within the last 2 weeks. I have 3 pekins that are 11 days younger then my mallards. Again I have 1 female and 2 males. On these the 2 males clearly have the curled drake feather. They have had it fro several weeks. I would say at least 2 weeks. The female is my loudest duck so far. I have 5 cayugas. I think I have 2 females and 3 males. Only going off the quack. They are about 7 weeks old. They have just started quacking in the last 4 or 5 days. No curled tail feather that I can see.

 

[CrazyCatNChickenLady]

A sticky at the top of the duck index:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=181147

Mine are about 12 weeks old and they are going through their last molt and are also growing their drake feathers in. I could tell the difference between males and females by about 7-8 weeks old. Females have a loud quack. Males have a raspy wheezy quack.

 

[gofasterstripe]

You should be able to tell for sure by week 6 if they quack ot whistle. They will feather out by week 8ish then molt! It will then take another month or more for them to get their adult feathers in and their drake feather.

 

[mandelyn]

The whistle thing has me confused. My Saxony was whistling, or so I thought (but I'm pretty sure she was!) every time I walked down the basement steps, up shot her head real tall and "Whooooop" high pitched whistle noise. My oldest duckling that hatched first whistled too! Both are girls, the first born the loudest, most demanding, sassy girl I have. I was going along saying my Saxony was male for awhile because of the whistle thing I was hearing, until I accidentally scared them with a ball for the dogs and out came the loudest QUACK out of all 4 that I hatched.

The dropped off Pekin is a boy. For sure. He's got a frog in his throat. He's getting a little mean. Tries to take your whole hand when you offer him a treat, the girls are dainty with hand feeding.

You can't go by feathering until they start growing their adult feathers. First they get a coat of baby feathers.

All I know is someone was whistling before the Pekin came into play. I haven't found homes for any I hatched, just 4 of the 5 that were dropped off here. And they didn't get dropped off until mine were 3 weeks old. I kept the Pekin since I thought it was a girl initially. But he was at that tough stage of the voice not quite being changed, I thought he was getting ready to quack, not rasp.

Unless there is another type of whistle I never heard, I'm either learning to vent sex or I'll wait until they're 6 weeks old and scare the quack out of them. Grabbing one and walking off with it is usually sufficient to get a quack of protest.

 

[m2wandc]

They are 5 weeks old now...I thought they were younger, but just checked the calendar.

They both whistle and they both quack. A local duck hunter told me that the whistle depends on the breed...that some breeds ALL the genders will whistle???

They seem to have mostly what look like adult feathers...smooth and tinged with irridesant (sp?) greenish coloring on the head.

So if I'm reading this right, you are all saying these are not their 'adult' feathers, but more will come later.

What age do they start laying?

Thanks for the link ... I'll go check it out, didn't find that before, but it was LATE at night and my mind was shot.

 

[m2wandc]

Quote:
Thanks again for the link...that was very kind of you.

It was helpful...I clicked from there to the audio of the duck's quack...and so far we have both those sounds coming out of each, so I'm guessing we just need to buy a little time before it will become more noticable....

I still didn't find anything on egg laying time frame...what age would a swedish start laying? Because IMHO, that is the one sure fire way to know the sex...ha, ha...

Also, do they need anything special in way of nesting boxes, coop, ??? do they just lay on the ground.....so far my ducks are preferring the dirt ground and I'm not sure if that is normal or if it's because I'm not giving them what they need to feel more cozy and comfy???