Mallard hen or drake?

[Hball]

I’ve had this mallard since a couple days old. The whole time I have thought female, but have noticed 2 small curled tail feathers and the head has a green sheen. This duck is now 17 weeks old. Please tell me I don’t have another drake bc the sexes are really starting to show now that I have found I have 2 drakes already and what I thought was 5 hens. I thought it was a Rouen but I’m thinking more mallard as he/she is super small compared to all the other ducks, even the light breeds. Also he/she is mouthy like the other hens but it has a raspier sound but doesn’t sound like the other drakes if that makes sense. Lol

 

[Fuchsia]

He looks like a mallard drake. The green head feathers, drake father, and raspy voice are all things only drakes have. Sorry

 

[cheezenkwackers]

I agree. He is very pretty!

 

[New duck mommy 2021]

I see the drake feather in the last pic
The green sheen on head isn’t always a for sure boy as I have a young hen that has it
I thought she was a boy till she started to quack around 5 weeks old. Now 8 weeks she is definitely girl with her quack
But the drake feather is definitely a boy thing

 

[Hball]

Dang it so now I have to get rid of one or two or change them out for females. The two I have left that I got from just a couple days old are both drakes. But the other drake I have that I got at 3 weeks old is super chill. Actually all the males are extremely chill so now it’s going to be hard to determine which ones have to go bc I don’t know if I can house anymore ducks in a 10x10 area. I have 7 right now (3 drakes and now 4 females)

 

[Hball]

I see the drake feather in the last pic
The green sheen on head isn’t always a for sure boy as I have a young hen that has it
I thought she was a boy till she started to quack around 5 weeks old. Now 8 weeks she is definitely girl with her quack
But the drake feather is definitely a boy thing

I will try to get a video of the quack. Very talkative but does have a raspy sound. I thought drakes weren’t very vocal

 

[Hball]

I will try to get a video of the quack. Very talkative but does have a raspy sound. I thought drakes weren’t very vocal

This is the best I could get then he flew away.

 

[Hball]

I see the drake feather in the last pic
The green sheen on head isn’t always a for sure boy as I have a young hen that has it
I thought she was a boy till she started to quack around 5 weeks old. Now 8 weeks she is definitely girl with her quack
But the drake feather is definitely a boy thing

I agree. He is very pretty!

Do you know if the mallard drake is really aggressive during breeding? I am wanting to keep the saxony drake for sure. But now have to decide between the mallard or the golden 300 that looks similar to a khaki Campbell/Rouen but super chill. I didn’t know if mallard were really aggressive since they are so small. The only negative is that he can fly but I can always clip his flight feathers. So I’m stuck bc I want to try and keep two drakes for now and change the third out to a female.

 

[cheezenkwackers]

Do you know if the mallard drake is really aggressive during breeding? I am wanting to keep the saxony drake for sure. But now have to decide between the mallard or the golden 300 that looks similar to a khaki Campbell/Rouen but super chill. I didn’t know if mallard were really aggressive since they are so small. The only negative is that he can fly but I can always clip his flight feathers. So I’m stuck bc I want to try and keep two drakes for now and change the third out to a female.

My drakes have always been Khaki’s or Khaku mixes and they were all pretty aggressive. They are all descendants of Mallards so I think they would all be pretty similar. The advantage is his size. His weight won’t hurt larger females. So, I might keep him for that reason. Genetically, his traits are mostly dominant, wild type, so his offspring will look like him.

 

[Hball]

My drakes have always been Khaki’s or Khaku mixes and they were all pretty aggressive. They are all descendants of Mallards so I think they would all be pretty similar. The advantage is his size. His weight won’t hurt larger females. So, I might keep him for that reason. Genetically, his traits are mostly dominant, wild type, so his offspring will look like

Ahhh such a hard decision!!! Should I wait it out and see how they act or do you think I should go ahead and get rid of one of them and keep 2 drakes with 5 hens or get rid of 2 and just keep my saxony drake with 6 hens? Why does this have to be hard!!! Grrrr but if it’s 3-6 per drake then I could also try to get rid of one drake and trade for a hen and then if 5 hens aren’t enough for 2 drakes then add one more and see if that helps and maybe get by with 3 hens per drake.