How can you tell a male from a female Indo-female?
An interesting question facing the farmer is: how to distinguish an Indo-duck? This is not necessary for fun, but for proper care of young animals. Not every household owner knows how to distinguish a female from a male, and therefore makes many mistakes in keeping poultry. It is not difficult to distinguish between a drake and a duck, because birds of the same breed lead a different way of life and even look different. Learning to distinguish between different-sex birds is the primary task of the novice farmer.
How to distinguish an Indo-female male from a female
External differences
Determining the sex of a young Indo-woman from the first day after birth is difficult. It is difficult to distinguish the belonging of a duckling, such a task for a beginner seems daunting. Some people manage to plant the young in the cages by eye and offhand, and then act according to the situation, however, a reliable way to clarify the sex of a chick at an early age will take only a few minutes from a person. All a farmer needs is observation and patience.
However, before you act, you should figure out why this lesson should be given so much attention? The sexed breed is a big plus for the farmer. The advantages of breeding poultry by gender are as follows:
- The duck is a peaceful, calm bird that does not try to leave the master's yard. There is no need to clip her wings. The male will run away constantly. Females keep in open enclosures, but a different fate is in store for a duckling of the opposite sex. Males are not only cut off their wings, but also equip them in closed cages or in a courtyard with a high fence.
- The male duckling is characterized by strong immunity, which resists various infections and viral diseases. Males do not need to be vaccinated too often, but females are shown injections first.
- The weight of the drakes is several times greater than the body weight of the ducks. Indo-ducks are fragile birds, they do not become overgrown with a large layer of fat. The diet of birds of different sexes is also different. Separating birds by gender will save a person extra money on pet food.
- Egg production. The most important condition for breeding an Indo-female is the number of eggs carried by females. The correct ratio of males and females will increase the egg production of a flock of poultry.
As for the eggs, it is impossible to find out the sex of the future chicks. How to determine the gender of an Indo-woman who has already grown up? To save costs and rational use of resources, the farmer separates the young stock as soon as possible. Some of the secrets of experienced poultry farmers will come in handy for a beginner.
Differences between female and male
Sex determination of a new brood is carried out in the first three months of life of young chicks. The first thing to look at is the behavior of the young. The plumage of males grows faster; this feature is also noticeable in the first days of the chicks' life. The color of feathers in females is dimmer, because Indo-ducks are paired birds, it is the drake that attracts the duck, and not vice versa.The head of the drake is massive, and the neck is shorter. Girls are more sophisticated, with a thin, elongated neck.
The so-called crest on a male's neck helps to distinguish a duck from a drake. You cannot find such a beard on the body of females. Important signs that will help you quickly divide the young into two enclosures:
- On the tail of the drake, the feathers are twisted upwards, while in the females the tail is absolutely even.
- The plumage of males is faster, and by three months of life their down and feathers are fully formed.
- If you weigh healthy individuals of the breed, then a duck will be twice as light as even weak drakes.
- The forehead of males is hollow, and the beak is triangular (the appearance of the beak of a duck is completely different).
- A hump forms on the beak of adult males, which is clearly visible upon closer inspection.
- By the massive forehead, you can easily identify the drake and duck.
- Indo-women have a narrow body.
- In males, the legs are massive, thickened (males cannot be weak, because their role in the flock is to protect offspring and ducks).
Identifying a bird by its appearance is the simplest and fastest, but even with careful consideration of the birds, you can easily make a mistake. How to distinguish an Indo-Duck from a Drake by a behavioral principle? Breeding ducks is a simple activity if you prepare for it well in advance.
How males and females behave
A photo of an Indo-female, which is easy to find in any encyclopedia or on the Internet, will help to distinguish young animals by their appearance. The exact way how to find drakes or duck in a close-knit domestic flock will take more time. The farmer needs to observe the behavior of the adults. If the photo does not help to find the differences, then the habits of males and females are clearly visible on the video. Different-sex individuals differ slightly, but an observant person will be able to notice the distinctive features. As for Indo-yats, it is not possible to find a duck by behavior (under the age of 2 months).
The leader in the flock is always a male, the female never seeks to lead a group of birds. Its main task is to lay more eggs and provide the flock with healthy offspring. In flight or during a walk, the duck keeps to the side or at the very end of the key. Males differ in more aggressive behavior, especially in cases when a person interferes in their life. Leaders often fight over food, grab food.
Experienced farmers can distinguish ducks by their voices: females quack loudly, and drakes mostly just hiss (the difference can be clearly seen in the video about the life of Indo-ducks).
Males exhibit special behavior when the breeding season comes. Drakes have a calm, even caring attitude towards the duck. In the female, changes in appearance do not occur, but in the male antennae or beard appear.
It is much easier to understand what sex a bird has before planting females on the nests. To distinguish the sex of young animals, generous farmers buy special devices that attract only individuals of the same sex.
Sex differences
There are known unpleasant cases when ducks formed pairs in improperly equipped domestic flocks. The dominant female climbs on a rampage even to drakes, behaves aggressively and stops rushing. The same situation can happen with males when there are not enough females in the flock. It will be possible to avoid negative events for the economy if the young animals are planted in different cages in time.
Skillful farmers are able to tell the sex of a diurnal duckling. Virtuosos of their craft massage the anal passage of a bird. The appearance of a small pseudopenis indicates that a future drake is in front of the farmer. Young females have no obvious sexual characteristics, so they cannot be detected (small balls appear during the check). The method came from Japan and is not considered the most popular. The chances of seeing the sexual characteristics of a duckling with this massage are 100%.Knowledge of the structure and behavior of a flock of poultry is useful information for both the experienced farmer and the novice.
Farmer's Tricks
Every farmer has at least one trick in stock to help maintain the farm. It is easier for some to recognize adults by voice and habits, while others are guided by the nature of the bird. An embittered female is a rarity, and therefore, if an individual behaves hostilely, this is a drake, the leader of a large flock. An experienced farmer will say without hesitation that males have a color that is at least a couple of shades darker, but grayer than that of ducks.
During the movement of the flock, the drake guards the weak birds and walks at the very end. The female is missed first, which is considered the main distinguishing feature in the behavior of domestic birds. When the period for planting ducks comes, there is no doubt, because the maternal instinct wakes up in females, they begin to lay nests and prepare for hatching offspring. The drake protects the brood hen all month while it sits on the eggs.
Indo-ducks are hardy birds that do not need special care.
Breeding poultry is easy. The farmer provides good care and balanced nutrition. Distinguishing between males and females is necessary until the young have grown up. Improper placement of birds leads to a decrease in egg production, conflicts between males and weakness in ducks. Taking care of future offspring and the health of birds on the part of humans will help to avoid problems in the farm. A fun and interesting process will help you distinguish chicks and optimize the productivity of the master's yard.