Methods to distinguish a young drake from a duck
Every duck breeder should be aware of the number of males and girls he keeps at home. But not everyone knows about the peculiarities of the difference itself. Every poultry farmer should understand the question of how to distinguish a duck from a drake, because without knowing these basic rules for breeding birds, it will be impossible to calculate the reproductive potential. This information is especially important for beginners who are just starting their farming activities.
How to tell a duck from a drake
Why should you know the sex of ducks?
Determining the sex of the ducks allows the breeder to properly form the flock. Separation and accounting is carried out based on a large number of factors and rules that are followed to achieve high egg production in the future. The male sex is more resilient, but always strives to fly. Ducks are always calm and spend all their time on the ground. Their ratio of 1 to 4 gives the best predictions for further breeding and obtaining the benefit in the form of eggs.
If the main task of the farm is associated with obtaining meat, the calculation is carried out strictly according to the mass of individuals. So, the size of the boys is larger, as well as their weight, therefore, on such lands, farmers prefer to keep more drakes than ducks. But all these activities should bring benefits all the time. For this purpose, gender determination skills are again essential. For consistency of reproduction, the number of girls should be 4 times more than males.
Sex of young animals
For all novice poultry breeders who create a duck herd at home, you should know how to distinguish ducklings by sex. Daily ducklings can be distinguished by this method:
- take the chick in your hand;
- press lightly on the cloaca;
- slide your finger towards the breast.
From the first day of its existence, the male has a small dot next to the anus. This method makes it visible to the human eye. The presence of a bump on the body indicates that this is a boy. The absence of a pseudopenis is a sign that the bird is a girl in front of the person.
There is another way among the people of how to determine the sex of a duckling. It is associated with the behavior of the bird. Determining the sex of ducklings is as follows:
- duckling is taken by the paws;
- turn upside down;
- look at the behavior of the bird: ducklings that behave calmly are ducks, the male immediately has a desire to look around, and he turns his head.
Determining the sex of ducklings by their behavior is used by both beginners and farming professionals. To distinguish a drake from a duck, even at a young age, allows their noisy in the flock. The boy's voice is loud. Male ducklings are always the first to get into a fight. Ducks are calm and try to avoid conflicts. This will be noticeable even during feeding.Male ducklings already after 2-3 weeks from birth show their qualities of a leader and in every possible way try to keep the rest of the individuals from the feeding trough.
There are no other methods to distinguish a duck from a drake. Determination of sex in young animals is limited, due to the fact that their physiological age does not allow this.
Differences in adults in terms of external features
It is not difficult to learn how to distinguish a drake from a duck if you understand the external signs of individuals. So, you can determine the sex of a bird by their size. The male has a larger body (sometimes 2 times). In addition to size, the bird has other features, which are not so difficult to distinguish. The easiest way to determine the sex of a duck is by feathering:
- The plumage of the male is bright and colorful. In ducks, the color is expressionless, sometimes monotonous.
- Among the Indo-Ducks, the drake's skin on the head is stretched, covering the eyes and beak. In a duck, the main difference is the size of the hanging skin.
- In the Peking and Bashkir duck breeds, several feathers stand out on the tail of the drake. The female duck does not have such a feature.
It is also easy to distinguish the sex of a bird by the presence or absence of a build-up on the beak and by the size of the head itself. Several rules are known. The main difference from drakes is the rounded shape of the head. The neck of the ducks is short and graceful. The differences in the male for these characteristics are shown in the PHOTO. Little ducklings do not have such differences. These methods are suitable only for adult ducks.
A feature of the difference between drakes and duck is also their tail. The plumage at its end is rounded. It is not difficult to identify the female among the entire flock: feathers create straight lines on her tail.
Disadvantages of sex determination based on the bird's appearance
The main disadvantage of how to distinguish a drake from a duck in appearance is the dependence on the breeds of the birds themselves. This applies to muscles, plumage, color, and sometimes even character. Each species has a different appearance, in addition, it largely depends on the care of the entire flock, as well as on its feeding. One owner has the same color of the male as that of the female. In another, the size of a drake becomes smaller than that of a duck. For a newcomer to farming, bird appearance will not be the main criterion for distinguishing a young duck from a drake. It will be possible to accurately determine the sex only by complex signs, which can only be used correctly by poultry professionals.
Difference in gender behavior
The behavior of a drake during walks also has its own characteristics, and they will help to distinguish a drake from a young duck. For example, males always try to stay behind females. They can show aggression towards other males, especially if conflicts arise over females. They always prefer to stay behind when the opposite sex is nearby. If the ducks are hiding or hatching eggs, the males move freely, letting each other forward.
There are also exceptions in behavior caused by improper bird keeping or dietary habits.
Determining gender in such conditions is difficult, because representatives of both sexes begin to copy each other's behavior. There are also dominants among females, which often show aggression towards representatives of the pack. They also let the rest of the "women" go ahead and fight the males for food and superiority in the pack. In males, this phenomenon is also noticed. Copying the behavior of the female makes them fearful, avoiding conflicts. Among males, signs of homosexuality are also possible. This is most often observed when the ratio of females and males is incorrect.
Tips from experienced farmers
One of the most accurate ways to determine the sex of a duck is by voice recognition, but it is only suitable for adults, only age can show how to distinguish a young drake. All ducklings up to two months of maturity make the same sounds.If a duck makes a hiss with a slight whistle, a male is in front of the person. This is characterized by the expansion of the tracheal cavity, which is characteristic of the male sex. Females emit only quacking, which is distinctly different from the hiss of males.
Accurately identifying the sex of a duck and understanding how to correctly distinguish a drake from a duck girl is not an easy task, but it must be done, as this can affect the reproductive capacity of birds. This is especially true of novice poultry farmers who have difficulties in solving this problem. Experienced farmers know how to distinguish a drake from a duck, they advise in such cases to hang special tags on the birds indicating their sex. A special video will tell you how to make marks. Their use will save a person from confusion in the future and help maintain the correct sex ratio.