Mallards or Rouen?

[srpaint]

So I am still trying to figure out if I have Mallards or Rouens. I got them at TSC not knowing what they were. Right now I am guessing they are Mallards. I know Mallards are the smaller duck. I also have 3 Pekin ducks. They are about a week and a half younger but are starting to get bigger then Mallard/Rouen ducks. The Pekin bodies are a good amount bigger then the older ducks.Could this be an indication they are Mallards?


From today

 

[Duckles]

Definitely mallards. Cute!

 

[HamandLily]

Mallards indeed - beautiful ducks!

 

[desertdarlene]

At that age, they look like mallards. Rouens usually have a longer, flatter head, too.

 

[Struttn1]

They look very similar to my Rouens which are about the same age. Basing size compared to Pekins is not a reliable way to distinquish rouens from mallards since the Pekins are a considerably larger bird than rouens and mallards.

 

[srpaint]

Thanks for the input everyone! I guess I will find out for sure sometime which they are. I really don't care either way. I just worry of they are Mallards they will fly away. All my ducks and pictures are free range during they day. In the coop at night.

 

[Struttn1]

Watch for them to flap/stretch their wings. Mallards wings grow in proportion to their bodies while Rouens wings will appear very under-developed for the body size.

 

[chics in the sun]

That is good information, thank you Struttn1. My rouens were looking so odd to me with their giant bodies and tiny wings. They are very akward looking at 6 weeks old!

Your mallards are much more proportional, srpaint!

 

[bigalschickenfarm]

We got ours at TSC also, and were told they were Mallards. They did caution us about them wanting to fly away, so we may clip their wings to prevent that. Of course, ours are young enough that we don't know whether we have males or females yet. We will probably eat the males and keep the females for eggs.

That does bring up a question though: Do we need to keep a male for "pecking order" like we do for our chickens or does it matter? We probably won't try to hatch our own, so we don't care if the eggs are fertilized.