Show off your house ducks!

[Amykins]

my 5 week old grey feather quacks very very hoarsely sometimes. I can't really tell if its developing or a male. Out of the rest of my flock they all still peeping. why 6 week old teachings still don't have the slightest. I'm very very jealous of you all! it would be really nice to know so that it matters I would love them just the same

most of the members of my flockf.

I have zero credibility on this, since I thought Wobbles was a girl (in my defense, I've never had call ducks before and SEVERELY underestimated how vocal they were, I thought males were quiet and that was that) and he went through, like, five different voice changes before his rasp finally set in. And it happened literally overnight. He went from loud peeps to softer peeps, to what sounded like a female if she had laryngitis, to a REALLY high pitched whistle, and finally to the rasp. His tail feather curled about a week later.

So best I can say is, wait and see, you don't have much longer to go now!

 

[Reese7383]

I have zero credibility on this, since I thought Wobbles was a girl (in my defense, I've never had call ducks before and SEVERELY underestimated how vocal they were, I thought males were quiet and that was that) and he went through, like, five different voice changes before his rasp finally set in. And it happened literally overnight. He went from loud peeps to softer peeps, to what sounded like a female if she had laryngitis, to a REALLY high pitched whistle, and finally to the rasp. His tail feather curled about a week later.

So best I can say is, wait and see, you don't have much longer to go now!

Other than the pekings, I have no idea of the breeds except the 3 smallest rouens or mallards....

I know, I'm just so impatient. I figured at 5/6 wks I'd see some sort of tail curl..
We may be looking at name changes...

 

[Amykins]

Other than the pekings, I have no idea of the breeds except the 3 smallest rouens or mallards....

I know, I'm just so impatient. I figured at 5/6 wks I'd see some sort of tail curl..
We may be looking at name changes...

You may be looking at 10-12 weeks. Some curl early, some curl late, I dunno what else to tell ya.

 

[Reese7383]

Noooooooo!!!!!! I can't stand it that long!

 

[LadyHawkeAvry]

Noooooooo!!!!!! I can't stand it that long!

Most breeds have the voice change well before the tail curl. My Pekin boys didn't get their drake feathers until they were over 4 months old. We voice sex everyone at about 8 weeks. It's really easy then, because even though, like Amykins says, drakes go through several voice changes, the ladies will have that distinctive quack. We just pick everyone up and listen to what they say to us! If you are deaf in one ear after, you've got a hen! I have 4 different duck breeds here at the moment, not counting the scovies because they are "quackless" (and technically geese by taxonomy), and shortly after the girls get their quack, the boys get this peeping sound that sounds like corduroy rubbing on itself, followed by the classic drake "grunt" a few weeks after that. My Saxony teens went through their voice changes before the drakes began to get their mature plumage. They still have heads like hens now, but they sound like drakes!

 

[Amykins]

Now that we have a frame of reference, it's sooo obvious Bean is female. She trills just like a baby goose!

Speaking of Bean, we had an accident today ;; I was playing with her on the bed and she just ran right off the side, right where Wobbles was waiting! He grabbed her between her wings and would NOT let go and she kept screaming and screaming...when I got him off her she ran right out the door and toppled down the stairs, and he flew right after her!

I finally cornered her under the sofa, the poor thing...there's no blood thank goodness, but oh man, she gave me such a scare! I was worried she'd had hurt herself when she took that tumble, my stairs are really steep! I'm sending Hils out to get a baby gate first thing in the morning. I want Bean to be able to run around in safety.

 

[LadyHawkeAvry]

Now that we have a frame of reference, it's sooo obvious Bean is female. She trills just like a baby goose!

Speaking of Bean, we had an accident today ;; I was playing with her on the bed and she just ran right off the side, right where Wobbles was waiting! He grabbed her between her wings and would NOT let go and she kept screaming and screaming...when I got him off her she ran right out the door and toppled down the stairs, and he flew right after her!

I finally cornered her under the sofa, the poor thing...there's no blood thank goodness, but oh man, she gave me such a scare! I was worried she'd had hurt herself when she took that tumble, my stairs are really steep! I'm sending Hils out to get a baby gate first thing in the morning. I want Bean to be able to run around in safety.

I'm so glad she is OK! (And we must have videos of the Bean trill!! I need my Bean fix!)

...and to everyone else - keep those ADORABLE pictures coming! I personally never tire of looking at ducks!

Time to go spend some quality time with Missy - the incubator room is too hot for her - with 2 incubators, the hatcher, 2 brooders and all the electronics in here it's like one giant brooder! She has been hanging out under an end table in the living room. My daughter's graduation party is tonight, so no fun at the waterfalls today, but I can at least get her a cool shower and a soak with her bath toys!!

 

[Amykins]

Congrats for your daughter, that's awesome! Give both her and Missy a hug for me. I'll have some bean vids this evening as soon as hubby uploads 'em.
And yeah, few things will freak a duck mom out than seeing her baby wailing and rolling down the stairs

 

[SilkieSensation]

My little fatty is almost 3 weeks, and turning white! Pretty sure it's a she, and when she's calm, her voice is starting to get hoarse... Start of a quack?

My little fatty is almost 3 weeks, and turning white! Pretty sure it's a she, and when she's calm, her voice is starting to get hoarse... Start of a quack?

Awww so cute!! My Pekin (definitely a duck) started quacking around 4-5 weeks. My Cayuga (I'm thinking drake) still isn't quacking, he still sounds like a baby but is getting a bit of a rasp sometimes.

my 5 week old grey feather quacks very very hoarsely sometimes. I can't really tell if its developing or a male. Out of the rest of my flock they all still peeping. why 6 week old teachings still don't have the slightest. I'm very very jealous of you all! it would be really nice to know so that it matters I would love them just the same

most of the members of my flockf.

I have raised about a dozen different breeds of ducks over the years. I can tell you that most breeds have a noticable difference in voice right from hatch if you listen closely. I always confirm by vent sexing, but the voice gives them away 95% of the time. Girls are almost always higher pitched peeps than the boys. Any rasp to the voice at all tells of a male. Females will have a sharp squeak as their adult voice comes in.

 

[Amykins]

Got your Bean fix right here!