Sex Linked Duck Breeds

[bacres]

I know you can tell some breeds genders by what color they are at birth. Can you do this with snowy call ducks? I have 1 baby that is a yellow color is it a boy or girl?

 

[Ducks-R-Us]

No, you can not tell their sex by their color - I just got 5 and they all are yellow with a dusting of black and have a dark bill.

 

[canada-goose]

The only sexlinked breed that I know of is the Gold Star hybrid.

 

[CityChicker]

There are sex-linked colors and some breeds created from them. Certain varieties can be bred in sex-linked matings and then, of course there are sex-linked hybrids as well. Basically, the two sex-linked dilution genes in ducks are Brown (the more common) and Buff. There are numerous potential sex-linked matings that can be done, basically any drake that carries Brown or Buff on any hen that is Black or Grey (Mallard). Unfortunately, there is no way to do a sex-linked Snowy (unless of course, you add Brown or Buff).

 

[1lpoock]

I've heard if you cross a dark campbell drake and a khaki campbell duck, you get sex-linked babies, or maybe its the other way around?

 

[CityChicker]

It is the other way around, but yes- that is a sex-linked mating.

 

[bacres]

This maybe getting a little off topic but, can you breed any other color with Snowy?

DucksRUS may I ask where you got your Snowy Calls?

 

[Ducks-R-Us]

Johnson Waterfowl in Middle River MN -
Back to the subject, after reading Dave Holderread's book - he says you can guess the sex of snowy's with a 80 to 90% success by their bill color - Males have a dark bill - where the females will have a lighter bill with a dark tip. If this is true, I have 3 males and 2 females.

 

[bacres]

Running downstairs to look at bill color.....

GIRL, I want this to be true!!!!!
Super dooper happy!

 

[Sweetfolly]

Quote:
That's the same way you can generally sex Welsh Harlequins during the first few days after they hatch, right?
Dark bill = boy, light bill = girl?

I have 4 Harlequin eggs that I picked up at a swap in the incubator right now, and they all look great and are due to hatch on the 18th - but, I only want to keep one girl!

I always get the dark/light, boy/girl thing mixed up, because generally once the ducks are mature, the females will have a darker bill, whereas the male will have a yellow bill - which is the opposite of the bill color difference when they hatch...