Rouen Vs. Mallard, cont....

[BackYard Sheena]

Some may remember me as I have been collecting input as to if my lil baby is a Rouen or a Mallard (or even a cross as has been suggested???)



I believe we are around 8 weeks old and I took a picture yesterday to show some friends how much rain (please excuse the mess, it was a rough storm and my land was only cleared of trees last year so we are still trying to grow grass) we got from a storm that passed through and WOW in this picture I think I have a mallard. That tiny little black spot between my pekins lol I have been told the tertial coverts look like a male. I guess it could still be a cross since it did have a partial second stripe on the face.

I really am not really afraid of it flying away as it is very close to my pekins and I am in the process of making a luxury duck home (this home is temporary) but I am wanting to keep their home covered with netting or something because we do have hawks in the area that all my neighbors have warned me of getting a hold of their ducks and chickens. As I have mentioned this bird wasn't marked by the hatchery to indicate if it was a mallard so if it turns out it is indeed a mallard what do I do?? It's past 6 weeks old...I certainly don't want in trouble :\

 

[cymbaline]

That little thing has got to be a mallard. None of mine are marked either...so far no trouble from anyone yet.
Has your little one started quacking yet? That would be the easiest and probably more reliable way to determine gender. I can share some videos if you're not sure what it should sound like.

 

[BackYard Sheena]

That little thing has got to be a mallard. None of mine are marked either...so far no trouble from anyone yet.
Has your little one started quacking yet? That would be the easiest and probably more reliable way to determine gender. I can share some videos if you're not sure what it should sound like.

No voice change from that one yet. The other two quack and make a lot of noise (when they see me, they all are quiet if I am in the house). I thought for sure pekins were a boy and girl until the "boy" started quacking too a couple weeks ago, but it has a feather that some days wants to curl up but other days doesn't. I joke saying it doesn't know what it wants to be

But the "mallard" still peeps, it is a silent froggy peep right now but my pekins did that before they started quacking too. Maybe I will go and try to catch it, seems like picking up my pekins and getting them excited caused their quacks to start up when they were at that voice stage lol

If it's not too much trouble for you to share those videos then please do, I am still not even sure about my pekins to be honest LOL They both quack but they don't sound the same but yet neither sound close to what I've heard online for drakes :\

 

[cymbaline]

Yeah, getting them separated will get them started yelling pretty fast, lol. The first one I ever heard was when one of my babies was 4 weeks old or so...she fell off the couch and quacked. I didn't believe it at first, lol.
If it's 8 weeks old and not quacking yet though, I'm gonna lean towards it being a boy. They seem like they peep a lot longer before they transition into the raspy quacks.
Here's one of my little girls at about 6 weeks. At the beginning she's still kind of peep-y, then she gets loud! lol

And here's an older boy, about 3 months. You can hear another boy in the background most of the time, and a girl at the beginning.

Hope this helps!

 

[BackYard Sheena]

Yeah, getting them separated will get them started yelling pretty fast, lol. The first one I ever heard was when one of my babies was 4 weeks old or so...she fell off the couch and quacked. I didn't believe it at first, lol.
If it's 8 weeks old and not quacking yet though, I'm gonna lean towards it being a boy. They seem like they peep a lot longer before they transition into the raspy quacks.
Here's one of my little girls at about 6 weeks. At the beginning she's still kind of peep-y, then she gets loud! lol

And here's an older boy, about 3 months. You can hear another boy in the background most of the time, and a girl at the beginning.

Hope this helps!

Thank you a bunch, it really does Now I am leaning back towards I have two boys then. My boy pekin sounds a lot like that but it's higher pitched. It really sounds like he's fussing me out when he sees me lol it's not really raspy but it's not the "honk" I get from my girl.

I tried to get a hold of my mallard but it is just so darn quick and it started raining on me, I'll try again this evening

 

[cymbaline]

Thank you a bunch, it really does Now I am leaning back towards I have two boys then. My boy pekin sounds a lot like that but it's higher pitched. It really sounds like he's fussing me out when he sees me lol it's not really raspy but it's not the "honk" I get from my girl.

I tried to get a hold of my mallard but it is just so darn quick and it started raining on me, I'll try again this evening

My little girl in the first video is like that - so freaking fast! I felt bad calling her various expletives as I chased her around my house and yard, lol, so I started calling her a little turkey, and turkey-bird (or sometimes a turd, haha). And it stuck, lol - her name is Turkey. I half-joke that I think that's why poor Ruby got all the boys mating her was because they couldn't catch Turkey either, lmao. Even in that video, the other two babies had already willingly gone back in the house, and she ran off. I guess she realized they weren't right behind her anymore so she started honking. Silly duck.

 

[BackYard Sheena]

My little girl in the first video is like that - so freaking fast! I felt bad calling her various expletives as I chased her around my house and yard, lol, so I started calling her a little turkey, and turkey-bird (or sometimes a turd, haha). And it stuck, lol - her name is Turkey. I half-joke that I think that's why poor Ruby got all the boys mating her was because they couldn't catch Turkey either, lmao. Even in that video, the other two babies had already willingly gone back in the house, and she ran off. I guess she realized they weren't right behind her anymore so she started honking. Silly duck.

I've called mine turd a couple of times too haha!!! didn't get much more than a silent peep still out of it!!! I guess it's back to the drawing board for names cuz I was going to name it something starting with the "roo" sound for rouen but now i need to think mallard LOL. maybe speedy for the quickness lol