My Mallards

[hdowden]

How old are they their bill says you have both males and females...try to find my thread i have going called sexing mallards it might help although mine are just 7 weeks but i will be putting pics up every 1-2 weeks to show their changes as they get older

 

[fowl farm]

If I got a recording of their voices, would someone be able to tell if it was a drake or hen?

 

[fowl farm]

How old are they their bill says you have both males and females...try to find my thread i have going called sexing mallards it might help although mine are just 7 weeks but i will be putting pics up every 1-2 weeks to show their changes as they get older

I think they're 7 weeks(?)

 

[hdowden]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/668106/sexing-mallards

 

[fowl farm]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/668106/sexing-mallards

The 7 week old pics didn't show up on my computer.

 

[jessiduck]

The one in the first picture looks male to me! He/she is getting some green on the head!

 

[fowl farm]

The one in the first picture looks male to me! He/she is getting some green on the head!

They all have green caps when you're up close or they are in bright sunlight (like in the pic). I noticed that all the ducks have that, plus their back ( below the wing) feathers tips are green too.

 

[jessiduck]

Ah! So that's the cause!


Maybe they're females then?
I guess we will find out sooner or later !

 

[Going Quackers]

How old are they their bill says you have both males and females...try to find my thread i have going called sexing mallards it might help although mine are just 7 weeks but i will be putting pics up every 1-2 weeks to show their changes as they get older

Yes that, their is something in Storey's guide to ducks about bill colour for deciphering mallard genders.

 

[hdowden]

a yellowish orange (can also contain some red) bill tipped with black (males) as opposed to the black/orange bill in females.

During the final period of maturity leading up to adulthood (6–10 months of age), the plumage of female juveniles remains the same while the plumage of male juveniles slowly changes to its recognizable colors. This plumage change also applies to adult Mallard males when they transition in and out of their non-breeding plumage at the beginning and the end of the summer moulting period. The adulthood age for Mallards is 14 months and the average life expectancy is 20 years