The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Community => Introduce yourself => Topic started by: diana22 on July 26, 2010, 06:30:53 pm
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i am based in hertfordshire and really need some help, this is my first lot of ducklings and i have 31 that need to be sexed so i can start selling them - they are getting too big for the area i have them in!!!!!!!!!!!
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Hello and welcome Diana22 from still drizzly southern Scotland. How old are your ducklings? Drakes tend to have bigger feet than ducks, which is fairly obvious from a young age, then they are just bigger, and longer in the body. It's a while since I kept Muscovies but I remember that when they develop their red bits on the face, the drakes ones are bigger and more pronounced than the ducks, but I don't remember at what precise age that happens.
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The ducklings are at various ages between two weeks and seven weeks old - think i need to find someone who can sex them properly so no mistakes are made!
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Their voices are a giveaway but you need to be watching them when they 'quack', and with a breed that all look very similar it might be difficult
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Muscovies don't quack ;D
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I have been rearing Large white Muscovy for a few years and can't tell the difference between the sexes until they are a few months old. You think you know. Then one will have a growth spurt and seem to become male when I was convinced it was female. Ducks are notoriously hard to sex. I can remember see a programmme on TV where they employed Chinese skilled workers brought in just to do the job. True they don't quack they just hiss and squeak :)
LB
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Just a thought but my "duck expert" will pick up a duck if it is silent he assumes its male, females make a lot of noise. It works 100% (for him) with Aylesburies and Runner ducks.
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because the are all different ages i cannot really go by size and they are all still at the peeping stage so cannot go by their noises either :-[
really need tofind someone who can do it properly, didn't think it would be so difficult to find someone and its so frustrating
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Maybe no one wants to offer to do it, because they may be wrong? :) It is frustrating when you need to know before advertising them. Hope you find someone.
I find it hard with my young silkies - they seem to be turning into males at an alarming rate now.......two are crowing, and thats how I know they are boys.
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HM what a great tip,i had my 8 Aylsburys up for sale with not a clue to what they were someone has just been and bought 2 they wanted 1 female and 1 drake after looking at pics all day i thought there were 7 female and 1 drake,so picked up the female what a racket then picked up what i thought was a drake as he had much more of a curly tail then the others and bingo no noise.
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Its how my very knowledgeable friend sexes his (and mine). :D