Sexing Swedish ducks

[Sumo]

Have a successful batch of swedish ducks - 10 in all - but I'm a bit stuck on sexing them - cant believe they grow so fast- hatched turkey chicks in the incubator on the 25 october 2011 with them and they are ages away from being full grown

hxxp://i43.tinypic.com/29vjlo7.jpg

Hope this is alright as i can't post a link. Just change the x's to t's and you will be able to see the picture.

Thanks

 

[Oregon Blues]

The best I've been able to do with Swedish is to voice sex them. About 6 weeks the ducks start to quack and the drakes sound like a ratchet. The drakes will get the curled drake feather in their tail but not until after butchering age.

The drake feather isn't 100% reliable. It can be pulled out and some drakes don't have a drake feather when they are in eclipse plumage.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Quote:
Can't see the pic. but just wanted to say

 

[70%cocoa]

They are too young to tell from things like bill colour. But the females should be quacking.

Often, the ones with fully orange legs are males.

Next time you can try vent sexing. It's easiest at one to two days old. This link should take you to a good video of how to do it: http://www.metzerfarms.com/SexingVideo.cfm?CustID=567068
I had a go with mine and I only got one wrong out of 7 (a drake that I thought was a duck).

 

[duckdad]

70%cocoa :

They are too young to tell from things like bill colour. But the females should be quacking.

Often, the ones with fully orange legs are males.

Next time you can try vent sexing. It's easiest at one to two days old. This link should take you to a good video of how to do it: http://www.metzerfarms.com/SexingVideo.cfm?CustID=567068
I had a go with mine and I only got one wrong out of 7 (a drake that I thought was a duck).

Thats the video that I learned from...it was actually pretty easy,. I did one at 4 or 5 days...not bad. The secret is in how you hold the duckling so its not squeezed too hard while you;re manipulating the vent. My duckling got thru it ok, although she was mad for 3 months after that and throws a fit if she even thinks you;re going to flip her over....

 

[Sumo]

Thanks for your help