Author Topic: Duckling Voices (Read 2365 times)

HesterF · « **on:** June 10, 2013, 12:42:23 pm »

I'd read that duckling voices 'break' at about six weeks so you can differentiate ducks & drakes. However, I've got an eight week old (feather wise looks like a duck) that is still peeping and a bunch of 2 1/2 week olds inside, some of which are starting to make slightly lower noises - sort of half quacks. Does it vary by breed (the young half quackery are Cayugas, the older peeper is a Silver Appleyard)?

Thanks,

Hester

Eastling · « **Reply #1 on:** June 10, 2013, 01:46:45 pm »

I have four runners and a

who are just over two weeks old and out in the garden run today,so I can air the kitchen!!

Some of them are making peeping sounds and the odd deeper sound.
Will be interesting to see what people think.

graham-j · « **Reply #2 on:** June 11, 2013, 09:32:37 am »

Hi,its not something I have worried about until they are adult.The ducks are generally kept for laying and the drakes go for meat.
To many drakes will injure the ducks through constant mating,so be careful.

Graham.

HesterF · « **Reply #3 on:** June 11, 2013, 10:11:12 pm »

That's mainly why I'm interested. I'm hoping to keep one drake from each breed and all the ducks but it would be good to know what balance that's going to leave me with...

H

jaykay · « **Reply #4 on:** June 11, 2013, 10:16:38 pm »

The drakes sound like they've got sore throats - from quite early on.

My dad, the duck whisperer, can pick up a duckling at a day old, get it to talk to him, and tell if it's a duck or a drake

I have to have them a week old before I can hear the difference.

Beewyched · « **Reply #5 on:** June 11, 2013, 11:06:38 pm »

Quote from: graham-j on June 11, 2013, 09:32:37 am

Hi,its not something I have worried about until they are adult.The ducks are generally kept for laying and the drakes go for meat.
To many drakes will injure the ducks through constant mating,so be careful.

Graham.

Yep - we had a duck drown because of too many overly amorous drakes

Only had experience with Campbells (khaki & white) & can usually hear the females at 3 weeks old.

HesterF · « **Reply #6 on:** June 11, 2013, 11:30:51 pm »

Duck whisperer - love that! Maybe that's what the lower voices are now - the drakes rasping. Certainly up until a few days ago they were all high pitched peeping but maybe this is the drakes' voices breaking. I'm used to the adult voices but these are not like my adult drake rasping - or the ducks quacking for that matter (and the big duckling is certainly still peeping). If I get a chance tomorrow, I'll try and separate out the ones that are lower to see if I can tell a physical difference too.

H

Beewyched · « **Reply #7 on:** June 12, 2013, 09:59:23 am »

It is more likely to be the females that are rasping - it's a bit like with teenagers - just that the girls go through it not the boys!

lokismum · « **Reply #8 on:** June 15, 2013, 12:08:23 pm »

i went to quite a large scale breeder for my first 4 ducks
oven
ready
Christmas
and dinner
obvious to say the lived to a ripe old age despite the names lol
he told me the same thing about the differant quacks
and said he had picked me out 4 good ducks
turned out to be 3 drakes and 1 duck