sexing wh by bill color?

[dutchhollow]

Keep reading you can do this, but how? I picked up four picked up two with darker shading on the head and two lighter ones, but the bills all looked similar, a few had more pinkish then dark grey maybe?

 

[ChickenToes]

The males should have a solid dark colored bill and the females will have an orange bill with a dark tip. Or do I have that backwards?

 

[dutchhollow]

Hum, maybe I will try a picture, and maybe I will run back today and get some more!!

 

[Dances with Ducks]

Here are a couple of links that show the difference between ducklings and draklings.
http://rudugastsideal.com/fowl/livestock_ducks.htm
http://www.muscovyduckcentral.com/thefarm/welshharlequin.html

 

[dutchhollow]

Well, after checking that pic in the link, I freaked out and ran back and bought the last five (three of them have pinker bills then the ones I got yesterday). Anyone else have these and is that a surefire way to sex them? These are a little older then the ones in the picture on the link they are two weeks old now and those look newly hatched, how fast do they change? I can sell the extra boys at a swap next weekend, but want to be sure not to sell any girls. I will try some pictures later.

 

[Webfoot]

Okay, I hate to be the voice of dissent, but both websites have it backward!

Ducks have dark bills and drakes have light bills. From hatch on.

Webfoot

 

[call ducks]

can this work with call ducks ?

 

[dutchhollow]

Thanks webfoot, I couldn't figure out how the ducks had darker bills as adults, the standard says and males have yellowish bills as adults. And I have seen them both ways on websites, I was getting very confused. Well, I will have to take pics. and see what everyone thinks!
Thanks!

 

[Dances with Ducks]

I don't have any experience with this myself, I have just been collecting information because I may try it someday. Here is what Dave Holderread has to say about it.
"Upon vent sexing the hatchlings, it was discovered that those with the darker bills were almost all males and those with light-colored bills ending in a dark tip were females. . . . after vent sexing thousands of Harlequin ducklings during the subsequent years, I have found that they can be sexed with at least 90 percent accuracy by day old bill color. A few days after hatching, the distinction in bill color begins to disappear."

 

[Dances with Ducks]

Quote:
I really don't think so, it's just a quirk Holderread discovered with Welsh Harlequin. Sorry.