*~*Runner Duck Club*~*

[PeepnQuack12]

May I join??

 

[YoungsDucks]

My girls are still in their gawky teenage phase, but agreed, so good for mental health. They are hilarious! They like to walk into the house and swim in one of the bath tubs. Then the blondes like the blow dryer (on very low and only warm) after.

 

[petesgirl]

I think all 3 of mine are boys. What are your opinions?

 

[TracyLovesDucks]

I think all 3 of mine are boys. What are your opinions?

Yep, without a doubt

 

[petesgirl]

I kept thinking I heard a distinct "quack" but have been hearing it less and less. I think it was wishful thinking! Now I will have to get more, but what if they turn out to be boys also?!

 

[YoungsDucks]

I kept thinking I heard a distinct "quack" but have been hearing it less and less. I think it was wishful thinking! Now I will have to get more, but what if they turn out to be boys also?!

I was able to get females as opposed to a straight run from the barn where I got my ducklings. They were only a day old, so it seems that some places are able to differentiate. Good luck!

 

[TracyLovesDucks]

You can order sexed females from many hatcheries. I got my females from Metzer Farms located in California. They will ship them to you.

 

[Kinmera]

How do I tell males from females in ducks? And how quickly can you figure this out if your a freshman to raising ducks.

 

[TracyLovesDucks]

How do I tell males from females in ducks? And how quickly can you figure this out if your a freshman to raising ducks.

With ducks, the noises they make distinguish males from females. Females make the loud quacking sound, while males make a froggy, raspy noise. With my runners, they all started out peeping as ducklings, then the quacks developed first (around 4-7 weeks old) while the males continued peeping for a while longer until they finally got their male voice.

Also with my runners, the males are quite larger than the females as adults. When they were ducklings, the alpha male grew to be bigger than the others as well around 3 weeks old (before any other signs of sex).

Finally, coloring can also signal male or female. WIth my fawn and white runners, the males have more brown feathers that are darker than the females.

I think there is a whole thread on sexing ducks (in the sticky section of the ducks forum).

Edit: Woops, I forgot to mention the sex feather. Males will eventually get a tail feather that curls up towards their lower back. I am still waiting for this in my drakes (4 months old), i expect to see it within the next month.

 

[petesgirl]

Hi thanks for the info. We adopted some more ducks, not fully feathered but one if them is holding its rear end in and seems a bit weak. I checked the vent and it is not plugged. Any ideas? What should I do? Seems to be running around OK but gets wobbly when preening.