Mandarin Duck thread ( for posting pictures and discussing)

[Buck Oakes]

how young can u tell boys from the girls

 

[BYC-user-174785]

They hatch during the spring, and by mid summer to early fall I can visually tell which ones are male and female for sure before I start shipping them out.

 

[Buck Oakes]

so 8 weeks?

 

[chickenzzzz]

is it too late for mandarins to lay now? mines still didn't lay yet and i don't know if there is time for them to lay now. have all your mandies laid eggs?

 

[TheYeldman]

Can tell males and females when they get real feathers. The males' beaks get redder and their legs get more yellow than the females'

 

[Buck Oakes]

thanks

 

[Buck Oakes]

will their voices change as well? i read that the females make more of a peeping sound

 

[TheYeldman]

The females make a kind of honking noise while the males are a bit more whistles and quieter. You probably won't really notice that much though as they generally don't make much noise anyway. Best to look how the legs and beaks change. The males will then start getting a few blue feathers and stuff on their backs

 

[Buck Oakes]

okay thanks

 

[3BirdGirlz]

is it too late for mandarins to lay now? mines still didn't lay yet and i don't know if there is time for them to lay now. have all your mandies laid eggs?

My yearling hen is just starting to lay. I thought she might not, but I noticed her bottom under her tail start to hang/swell and knew she was close.