Muscovy Ducks - Male or Female?

[Mmfarm119]

I have 3, 5 week old Muscovy Ducks. I know it may be a little early to tell but any guesses on whether they are male or female?

 

[thelittlegraybarn]

The best way to tell is using their wing feathers. Have any of them started to come in yet?

 

[Mmfarm119]

The best way to tell is using their wing feathers. Have any of them started to come in yet?

All 3 have started getting wing feathers, some are bigger than others.

 

[Isaac 0]

@oldhenlikesdogs or @Miss Lydia , might be able to help.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

5 weeks is a bit young yet. I too look taking feather development at that age which is hard to see in your black ducklings.

 

[Mmfarm119]

5 weeks is a bit young yet. I too look taking feather development at that age which is hard to see in your black ducklings.

Alright, what age is a good age to tell?

 

[thelittlegraybarn]

If you have more than one compare the feathers with. The duck with faster growth will be a female.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Females grow out their wing feathers before males generally. You can usually tell at around 4 weeks. So look at those tiny wing tips and see if there's a difference in growth between them.

By 8 weeks you should start to see body shape, and size differences becoming more obvious. Males will also start sitting down more.

 

[Mmfarm119]

Females grow out their wing feathers before males generally. You can usually tell at around 4 weeks. So look at those tiny wing tips and see if there's a difference in growth between them.

By 8 weeks you should start to see body shape, and size differences becoming more obvious. Males will also start sitting down more.

The wing feathers seem to be around the same length right now. Im sure with time some may be longer than others. And males sitting down?

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

The wing feathers seem to be around the same length right now. Im sure with time some may be longer than others. And males sitting down?

Males get heavy and they lay down a lot more than the females.