sexing mallards

[hdowden]

6.5 weeks old (i will try and post pics every week to every other week to show how they are changing, im pretty sure i have a hen and drake)...also please keep in mind that the drakes first feathers will appear as a hen thank you.

drake on the left hen right (now yall can correct me if im wrong)...please keep in mind that i am only 65% sure this is a pair, they could turn out to be both hens or both drakes. thank you

(6.5)

(7 weeks) hen left drake right

 

[Apyl]

To me it looks like both hens. But I am only going by what my mallards are looking like right now. I have 2 that are 10 weeks old and 5 that are 8 weeks old. So far with the females we can see their color stripe on their wings without them moving their wings. Now with the boys we cant see the strip until they move their wings and the feathers on their back close to their bum have a creamy grey color versus the brown feathers of the females. Also the ones that are showing the females characteristics that I mentioned have a deffinit "quack" while the boys has a quiet raspy noise. Now I am far from being an expert with this being our first flock. I am only going by what I see with my mallards and what I'm assuming to be boy/girl characteristics.

It is fun to watch them grow and change and to guess who is a boy or who is a girl lol. They change so much day to day and all look so much alike.

 

[Missy60]

Mine are going on eight weeks and I think one is a duck but not really sure about the other. Not to hijack but I would be interested in joining your thread. I havent go any close up pics yet but I will. Are you planning on clipping their wings?

 

[hdowden]

im going by the coloration of their wings and sound in their voices...now i am only 60% sure i have a pair lol

 

[hdowden]

Mine are going on eight weeks and I think one is a duck but not really sure about the other. Not to hijack but I would be interested in joining your thread. I havent go any close up pics yet but I will. Are you planning on clipping their wings?

not planning on clipping, im gonna have a pen built here soon that they will be in. kids want to show them so the wings cant be clipped

 

[Going Quackers]

I was just reading last night about beak colour in Storey's guide to ducks... i'll have to go re-read...

 

[Apyl]

I was just reading last night about beak colour in Storey's guide to ducks... i'll have to go re-read...

Boys get a greenish beak while girls get an orange/yellow beak. Also ducks unlimited has a reall good page about mallards as well.

 

[Going Quackers]

Boys get a greenish beak while girls get an orange/yellow beak. Also ducks unlimited has a reall good page about mallards as well.

Thank you, couldn't find the darn page again lol

 

[hdowden]

yea thats true i forgot all about their beak color lol. im going to try and take pics every thursday and add them to show how they change from week to week

 

[fowl farm]

I fail at the voice thing. Maybe mine are all girls. When do males get their 'drake tail feathers'?