ROYALY CONFUSED! Video added on pg 2, help?

[nettie]

I ordered to female runners, one black (vinny) and one blue (ollie) from metzer farms back in march. Both were sexed, but we all know the sexing on a female isn't always exact. They are about 7 weeks old now.

My duck Vinny has been quacking since she was 4 weeks old. IT's started as a little chirp but now it's a full blown quack. Ollie had yet to quack, just peeps. So we assumed that we just got unlucky and ended up with a male. Oh well right.....?

Well today, i picked up ollie out of the tub and gave him to my finace David (ollie is HIS duckie) to put him back into his house. I grabbed Vinny, who is my duckie, out of the tub for a quick snuggle in a towel to dry off. While holding Vinny, who was being very quiet, in the bathroom... I heard a loud continuous quacking sound coming out of the office!!!

It sounded exactly like Vinny. My other two full grown runners were in their pen in the studio, but they have deep quacks (and I know their quacks by ear. They do live in my house and i listen to them quack daily). the quack i heard was distinctly baby quacking that sounded like Vinny. I got so confused I pulled vinny up to my eyes to make sure it was her... I thought maybe i got confused and put Vinny back first. But no.... It was Ollie making that sound. Of course when we went to go look at Ollie he/she is peeping.

I'm so CONFUSED!!!!

Ollie hasn't made the sound since, but we are going to try again tomorrow after bath to see if ollie quacks again for Vinny.

Since they are the same age and the same breed, shouldn't they start quacking around the same time? I mean it's a 3 week difference... Is Ollie still most likely a boy who just got loud for a second? Do boy ducks go through any sort of voice change that could sound like quacking?

 

[shelleyd2008]

Boy ducks don't quack. I would say that Ollie is just a quieter duck, and only wanted to quack because Vinny wasn't there. If Ollie were a boy, she would not quack at all, just peep very loudly. So lucky you, you have a quiet girl!

 

[cgjsmith]

I had several females last year who were much quiterthen the others i think it has something to do with dominance but could be wrong it could just be personality LOL Crystal

 

[nettie]

it's so weird.... It's been nothing but peeps until last night... When i pick ollie up, sometimes s/he'll make a "wonk" type noise.

But i haven't heard that quacking since... I'm hoping for a quiet girl, we really didn't want any males. If ollie is a boy, i'll have to build another pen for him. ugh...

Vinny still peeps a bit, like a squeaky sound when she's not quacking... Ollie's peep still sounds like a baby peep.

I am still confused

 

[shelleyd2008]

If Ollie is a boy, there will be absolutely NO 'wacking' coming from his/her mouth!! The fact that she did 'wack' at you means she is a girl! So chill and enjoy

 

[Giddyup]

I would be too, even the the thread is all over. when we had runner ducklings it was easy to tell as soon as they started quacking who was who. The females "wacked" loudly and the boys had more of a whisper/very quiet sound. I think I know the rumbly "wonk" and I've only heard that in the males. THey could get loud when separated. My vote is you have a male...do you know how to vent sex? I found it much easier to do with runners as a beginner.

 

[cowman910]

i have two mallard ducklings and they both have a soft cheep. are they boys or girls?

 

[nettie]

Quote:
My little ollie is so feathered on the bellie that i have a hard time even finding the cloaca. When i find it, i can't get the feathers out of the way.

Ollie did make that louder noise again today... Not as loud or as clear as vinnie, but definitely louder than a peep. That little duck has me so confused!

 

[shelleyd2008]

If it sounds like a quack, then Ollie is a girl. The males make a whispery kind of sound, I wish I had an audio of it. It is very different, and they don't start that until they are older, at least 3 months or so in my experience. Until then they just peep like a baby. If Ollie were a boy, and was mad at being alone, she would have been peeping for Vinny instead of quacking.


Don't you love youtube? This is a drake's quack http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJVwvq5z3MI

And a duck's quack

 

[nettie]

I've heard adult males before, my duckies Peter and Sammy's adopted mom Claudia (allaboutdemchicks) has several males. They sound like broken squeaky toys... But Ollie is a conumdrum... It's nothing but peeps, the same as when s/he was a baby... Just these random bouts of making a louder noise. It doesn't quite sound like Vinny's baby sounding quack, but it doesn't sound whispery like a boy duck should. Ollie hasn't made a single noise other than peeping until the other night and they are almost 8 weeks old. Ollie's only made the noise maybe 3 times so far...

I'll try to get it with my camera...