muscovy male or female?

[amartinlb]

First time duck owner. My 4 muscovy ducks all hatched around 5/23 so not quite 2 months old. One is huge - obviously a male. One is small obvious female. However the other two have me stumped. Both are bigger than the small female - one a quarter size bigger - the other - bigger than that one but none as huge as the big one. The feet are both bigger than the small one but not enormous, kind of these two are the same size feet. The tale of one is bigger. Are they like humans - all sizes? Or, is the one just small? I know after everyone is done growing it will be more obvious to me - like my chickens are but as a newbie are there any other markers?

 

[newchickmom09]

Pics would help us. If you can take a pic of them all together.

 

[Bear Foot Farm]

Males are usually at least twice as big as a Female
If you have 3 closer in size, I'd guess they are all Female

 

[ilovemuscovy]

males usually have bigger feet/heads
but honestly sometimes it's just hard to tell
in one of my recent flocks i thought that for sure one was going to be a drake because it was the largest (much much larger) and i was kinda upset because this meant that i would only have one female.. out of 7. but it seems as if my prayers were answered because slowly the REAL drakes surpassed the size of the alleged drake.. and it turns out he was a she the whole time

sometimes you just don't know until they grow out a little

 

[MDC]

There can be differences in strains / types of duck. A photo would be nice, ducks s/b relaxed and not being chased, all ducks in same photo, in profile, if possible, and not too close of a shot - it doesn't hurt to have some background in the photo.

There are several differences in gender. Drakelets bodies are going to be longer, front to back, than ducklets (best seen in profile). They will have a more prominent breast (best seen in profile). Their feet will be larger. They will get the pink beginning of caruncling sooner where the bill meets the face. Their primary wing feathers will grow in slower. Ducklets are smaller, more compact, their underbelly will be more 'round' (best seen in profile), as opposed to elongated like the drakelet. Drakelets have larger/longer tails. Ducklets tails are more rounded and shorter. They will get their primary flight feathers in sooner.


***ETA spelling corrections, although in my defense it was a single error (scene rather than seen) that I just happened to copy & paste repeatedly!! lol

 

[amartinlb]

Thank you everyone for your help! I was going to take a picture after work today but we had a sudden freak summer storm in NJ and a 70 foot part of healthy tree fell across my chicken/duck yard knocking down the wire fence and vegetable garden.

Thank god it didn't kill any of them as the large heavy end came down in my black rubber maid duck pond! I couldn't Believe it wasn't crushed. It bent slightly but held the tree! I had to put everyone in the shed and dog run so they wouldn't wander away. I will check head size and just wait another few weeks - everyone should be full size at 3 months Right?