To maintain productive poultry stock, you should control how many ducks there are per male. But, for this you need to find out what differences exist between a male and a female. A successful poultry farmer simply needs to know how to distinguish a duck from a drake.

How to distinguish a duck from a drake - appearance

A male can be distinguished from a female by appearance, namely:

• plumage color;
• size;
• head shape;
• beak;
• tail.

Drakes have brighter colors than ducks. Their elegant colors are dominated by rich colors. The plumage of ducks has a faded, non-provocative color. Also, the characteristics of plumage colors depend on the breed and type of bird. Males are significantly larger than females. Drakes grow up to 5 kg, and ducks up to 3 kg. Pay attention to the birds' necks. In females it is gracefully curved, thinner and shorter than in males. Ducks have a rounder head. Males have a longer and thicker neck, and an oblong head. Drakes have growths on their noses. If you carefully look at the tails of birds, you can see with the naked eye the differences between a male and a female. The drake has curled feathers at the end of the tail, which create a ring, while the females have a straight tail. But, it is worth remembering that drakes and ducks can really be distinguished by external signs from 2-3 months of age. And the accuracy of the determination is approximately 80%.

How to distinguish a duck from a drake - behavior

Drakes and ducks also differ in behavior. Males, like true gentlemen, let the females go ahead, and they themselves walk, swim or fly behind her, protecting her. Only during the period of incubation of eggs, males can accompany and let each other pass. More often than not, the most pugnacious bird is the dominant male. Skirmishes can be over the female or food. For successful breeding of livestock, it is necessary to adhere to the correct layout; it is advisable to select 3-4 females for 1 male. Even an inexperienced birder will be able to distinguish a duck from a drake by their voice. Ducks make quack sounds, and males hiss and whistle. Due to improper diet or inappropriate maintenance, birds can turn into homosexuals. A duck can adopt the behavior of a male, and he can adopt the behavior of a female.

How to distinguish a duck from a drake - sexual characteristics

Drakes have a pseudopenis, the presence of which can be verified by dilating the cloaca. To determine the sex of a bird, it is necessary to slightly widen the anus; if there is a rudimentary spiral-shaped penis measuring 1.5-2 mm, then it is a drake. If you see flat, spherical growths, then this is a duck. You can also lift the bird's tail and the cloaca will open, or massage it. This method can determine the sex of even day-old ducks with high probability.

How to distinguish a duck from a drake - other methods

There are other methods for distinguishing males from females such as:

• ultrasound;
• turning over.

Using ultrasound, you can separate females from males. To do this, you should adjust, using the selection method, the ultrasound frequency, which will attract individuals of one sex and drive away the other. The owner needs to seat the selected birds as he needs. The inversion method is also used. To do this, pick up the duckling, holding it by the legs, and turn it over. At this moment, the bird’s action is recorded. If she hangs calmly upside down, then she is a female. When the duckling begins to turn its head, look around, and struggle, it is definitely a male.

It is extremely important to distinguish a duck from a drake, because the success of keeping these birds depends on it. There is a correct distribution of food, planning of breeding, and also with an increase in the number of males, meat income increases, etc.

That's all today more people adhere to proper nutrition, giving preference to environmentally clean products. Many people are engaged in breeding ducks in order to obtain dietary meat, home-grown eggs that do not contain GMOs and many other chemicals. It is very important to be able to determine the sex of the bird. Considering that the duck and the drake are representatives of the same species, not every beginner in poultry farming will be able to distinguish them. In fact, this is quite easy to do if you know about the sex differences in birds. Poultry farmers and hunters resolve this issue very quickly and accurately.

Why distinguish ducks

All experienced farmers manage their farms, always separating poultry by gender. A number of points are taken into account:

• Female ducks are completely non-confrontational, unlike drakes.
• Males are endowed strong immunity and are more resistant to various diseases.
• Males gain weight much faster, and it is greater than that of females.
• When breeding poultry, it is necessary to maintain the ratio - there must be one drake for every four ducks. This is very important condition for egg productivity.

Differences in appearance

First of all, you can distinguish ducks by their plumage. Like many other birds, the female does not have a distinct bright color; her feathers are gray and dull in color. But males are very naturally gifted beautiful outfit, which helps them attract individuals of the opposite sex. The rather long crest on the drake’s head can be seen even from a distance. Some domestic breeds are characterized by a single color color - males and females can be completely white.

Another way to distinguish a drake is a bright wart on the beak, which is absent in females. You can also recognize it by its neck - in males it is wide, while in ducks it is thinner and more delicate.

The head of female individuals is smaller and has a rounded shape, but in drakes it is oblong.

The tail also has significant differences. If you look closely, you can see that in drakes it has several feathers curled upward, while in females it is completely straight. This feature appears already from the third month.

The size of birds also has a lot important. The male individual is almost twice as large. If a female weighs about three kilograms, then even 5 kg is not the limit that can be achieved with good care drake. The photo below demonstrates this difference very clearly.

However, it also happens that due to diet or living conditions, it is not always possible to determine the sex of ducks based on the characteristics listed above. It happens that females grow much larger than drakes.

How to distinguish females from drakes by behavior

There are some features in the actions of birds that directly depend on their gender. There will definitely be a dominant male in the pack. After observing him, you can easily identify the rest of the males, because it is they who he will not allow to the feeding trough and will constantly fight with them. And to the females, on the contrary, he devotes his Special attention, skips ahead. Regardless of whether the ducks are in the air or on the water, the female is always in front, and the drake is on a short distance ensures her safety.

The difference between a male and his voice

You don't have to see the bird to determine its gender. It's enough to just listen. Experienced Hunter knows how to distinguish a duck from a drake, even if the birds hiding in the reeds are not visible. The female quacks loudly, without embarrassment. The drake emits only a dull hissing and whistling.

Difference in genitals

Based on all the characteristics listed above, it is possible to distinguish a female from a male after the chicks reach at least three months of age. They are uncharacteristic for day-old ducklings. The male can be identified by their genitals. The drake has a very rare difference, absent in most other birds - it is a pseudopenis, capable of turning outward. Using it, you can find out the sex of the bird within a day after hatching. It is enough to stretch the skin around the cloaca a little and direct it towards the tummy. If a spiral-shaped penis only two millimeters long appears, then it is a drake, and in the female only spherical growths will be visible.

If you do this procedure very early stages, and even for the first time, it will not always be possible to distinguish, since the genitals of the chicks are very small. After a few weeks, they become larger, and then the sex can be determined with confidence.

How to select ducks for breeding

Both drakes and females must have good condition health, meet all the standards of a certain type: size, weight and color of feathers. Various body deformations are not allowed in breeding ducks.

In most breeds, sexual maturity does not occur until six months of age. They start laying eggs, then hatch them and

Not only the living conditions of ducks, the quality of food, but also the ratio of females and males affects the quality of eggs. Therefore, the ability to distinguish between a duck and a drake is one of the most basic skills that a novice poultry farmer must acquire.

For those involved in bird breeding, it is important to know the number of males and females in a duck flock. The difficulty is that ducklings do not have distinct sexual characteristics. In this article we will talk about how to distinguish a duck from a drake.

In order to distribute chicks according to gender, pay attention to the following points:

• external differences;
• characteristic features in behavior;
• sexual characteristics.

For some varieties, you can easily distinguish a duck from a drake in appearance. The first thing you need to do to separate females and males is to take a close look at the birds: drakes are always larger than ducks. In addition, males are colored bright color and compared to females they look quite elegant. Although the color is determined by the breed. Ducks have duller and muted tones in their plumage. On the neck of the drakes there is a spectacular crest of long beautiful feathers of bright color. Males also have a “beard.”

The head of drakes is longer, with a wide forehead, expanding from the beak in the shape of a triangle. Females have a trapezoidal extension. The skin over the beak is bright red, and there is a knob-like growth above the beak. Already at three months, drakes can boast tail curls (several feathers that curl into a ring).

However, all these differences can be noticed already in a fully formed individual. The color of feathers may vary among different breeds. For example, both sexes of domestic ducks have snow-white plumage.

Character and behavior

Regardless external features and color, you can try to distinguish females from males by behavior. The males have clearly gentlemanly habits; they always try to let the ducks go ahead and stay behind. But while the females are incubating the eggs, the drakes let each other through in turns. Sometimes it happens that males copy the behavior of females, and they, in turn, behave like males. Thus, this method, like the others, does not provide a 100% guarantee.

If you carefully watch the ducklings, you will definitely notice an active little fighter and impudent one. This is definitely a drake. His brethren are also not difficult to spot, as he will not allow them to compete with him and get close to the food.

The male is also easy to spot mating season when it transforms: the plumage acquires a brighter color and becomes lush. He tries his best to win your heart beautiful lady, becomes a very attentive, caring and gallant partner. He will always be close to the duck, not allowing anyone to get close to it.

Sexual characteristics

In males, you can notice a fold measuring 3–4 mm, which is called a pseudopenis. To detect it, you need to make several massaging movements in the cloaca area. If after the manipulations nothing similar appears on the pseudopenis, then you have a duck in your hands. This method of distinguishing sex is suitable even for ducklings that are one day old.

How to distinguish by voice

When identifying gender, you can use voice prompts. If you think that quacking is all they can do, you are wrong. Ducks are talkative and cheerful. They can cackle and trill, laugh and even swear. Males have an expansion in the trachea that increases the volume of sound. However, drakes are not as talkative as ducks. They mostly hiss and whistle.

Since the volume of sound differs between the sexes, the ultrasound method can be used to separate genders. Each floor has its own sound frequency. By placing individuals near the ultrasound machine alternately, it is possible to seat individuals of different sexes in separate cells.

Determining the sex of the duckling

Since external differences and behavioral characteristics appear in ducklings upon reaching three months of age, determining the sex of a duckling is not an easy task. Some owners use the ultrasonic method, which we discussed above. The device, tuned to different sound frequencies, attracts males and females separately. To avoid confusion, individuals of different sexes should be marked in a certain way.

You can use gender identification, the so-called Japanese method. For this purpose, the duckling is taken into left hand and point your head towards you, massaging your tummy. Using your fingers, you first carefully open the anus, and then turn it inside out. In ducks, only flat spherical growths can be observed, and in males, a rudimentary penis. This is a fairly accurate method, but it all depends on the experience of the poultry farmer. In addition, you need to be extremely careful not to harm the chicks.

You can also use “grandmother’s” methods. To do this, take the duckling by the legs and turn it upside down. The duck will hang motionless, but the drake breaks out and spins. When the chicks are 7 days old, males can have a thick neck and a larger head, while small ducks have a thinner neck.

Differences between breeds

Different breeds have their own characteristics that can be used to determine sex.

Muscovy ducks can be divided by gender based on their external characteristics. The male is larger, with a well-developed chest. The color is bright and attractive. Females have more modest plumage. Unlike males, they have a thin, graceful neck. Males also have large red, distinct spots on the sides of their heads, as well as a red growth on their beak. Males have a strong and muscular neck.

Males from females in Peking and Bashkir ducks can be easily distinguished by the feathers curled on the tail. Wild ducks have very clear differences in color - males are bright, and females are dull gray. Males of the Favorit breed have larger paws (like the whole body).

Kira Stoletova

Every poultry farmer who raises ducks should know about the number of males and females that he keeps at home. But not everyone knows about the features of the difference itself. Every poultry farmer should understand the question of how to distinguish a duck from a drake, because without knowledge of 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.

Why should you know the gender of ducks?

Determining the sex of ducks allows the poultry farmer to correctly form a flock. Separation and accounting is carried out based on large quantity factors and rules that are followed to achieve high egg production rates 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 forecasts for further breeding and receiving benefits in the form of eggs.

If the main task of the farm is related to the production of meat, the calculation is carried out strictly based on the mass of individuals. Thus, boys are larger in size, and, accordingly, their weight is larger, so on such lands, farmers prefer to keep more drakes than ducks. But all this activity must bring benefits constantly. To this end, sex determination skills again become necessary. For consistency of reproduction, the number of girls should be 4 times greater than males.

Gender of young animals

For all novice poultry farmers who create a duck flock at home, you should know how to distinguish ducklings by gender. Day-old ducklings can be distinguished using this method:

• take the chick in your hand;
• lightly press on the cloaca;
• move your finger towards the breast.

From the first day of its existence, the male has a small point near the anus. This method makes it visible to the human eye. The presence of a bump on the body indicates that it is a boy. The absence of a pseudopenis is a sign that the bird in front of the person is a girl.

There is another popular way to determine the sex of a duckling. It is connected with the behavior of the bird. Determining the sex of ducklings occurs in this way:

• the duckling is taken by the legs;
• turn upside down;
• look at the behavior of the bird: ducklings that behave calmly are ducks, the male immediately has a desire to look back, and he turns his head.

Determining the sex of ducklings by their behavior is used by both beginners and farming professionals. Distinguish a drake from a duck even in at a young age allows them to be noisy in a flock. The boy's voice is loud. Male ducklings always get into a fight first. Ducks are calm and try to avoid conflicts. This will be noticeable even during feeding. Male ducklings already 2-3 weeks from birth show their qualities as a leader and try in every possible way to keep other ducklings away from the feeder.

There are no other methods to distinguish a duck from a drake. Sex determination in young animals is limited due to the fact that their physiological age does not allow this to be done.

Differences between adults according to external characteristics

It’s easy to learn how to distinguish a drake from a duck if you understand external signs individuals. So, you can determine the sex of a bird by its size. The male has a larger body (sometimes 2 times larger). 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 its plumage:

• The male's plumage is bright and colorful. The duck's color is inexpressive, sometimes monochromatic.
• Among the Indian duck breed, the skin of the drake 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 breeds of ducks, several feathers stand out on the tail of the drake. Female ducks do not have this feature.

It is also easy to distinguish the sex of a bird by the presence or absence of a growth 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 ducks is short and graceful. The male's differences in these characteristics are shown in the PHOTO. Little ducklings do not have such differences. These methods are only suitable for adult ducks.

What distinguishes drakes from ducks is also their tail. The plumage at its end has a rounded shape. It is not difficult to identify a female among the entire flock: the feathers on her tail create straight lines.

Disadvantages of determining sex by the appearance of a bird

The main disadvantage of how to distinguish a drake from a duck by appearance is the dependence on the breeds of the birds themselves. This applies to muscles, plumage, color, and sometimes even character. Each variety appearance is different, moreover, it largely depends on the care of the entire flock, as well as on its feeding. In one host, the color of the male is the same as that of the female. In another, the size of the drake becomes smaller than that of the duck. For a beginner in farming, the appearance of the birds will not be the main criterion for distinguishing a young duck from a drake. It is possible to accurately determine the sex only by complex characteristics, which can only be used correctly by poultry professionals.

Differences 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 prefer to stay behind whenever the opposite sex is nearby. If the ducks are hiding or hatching eggs, the males move freely, letting each other pass ahead.

There are also exceptions in behavior caused by improper keeping of birds or feeding habits.

Determining gender in such conditions is difficult, because representatives of both sexes begin to copy each other’s behavior. Among the females there are also dominants who often show aggression towards members of the pack. They also let the rest of the “women” go ahead and fight with the males for food and supremacy in the pack. This phenomenon is also noticed in males. Copying the behavior of the female makes them timid and avoids conflicts. Among males, signs of homosexuality may also appear. Most often this is observed when the ratio of females and males is incorrect.

Accurately identifying the sex of a duck and understanding how to correctly distinguish a drake from a female duck is not an easy task, but it is necessary to do it, as this can affect the reproduction of birds. This is especially true for novice poultry farmers who have difficulty solving this problem. Experienced farmers know how to distinguish a drake from a duck; in such cases, they advise hanging special marks on the birds indicating their gender. A special video will show you how to make marks. Their use will save a person from confusion in the future and will help maintain the correct sex ratio.

To many poultry farmers and residents rural areas It is important to be able to distinguish a drake from a duck. At first glance it seems that this is impossible. This is especially difficult to do with newly born ducklings. People who have been raising this bird for a long time can determine the sex quickly and without errors.

There are a lot of recommendations and tips on the Internet on how to distinguish a drake from a duck. When it all comes down to practice itself, it becomes clear that in fact, there are not so many differences, especially when it comes to chicks. Let's find out what methods are used to identify the sexes of ducks.

Indian girls. Duck or drake?

Main advantages and differences in appearance

Why do you need to distinguish ducks by gender? In fact, experienced farmers farm according to gender.

What exactly is taken into account:

• female ducks do not strive to fly away, unlike males, they are not conflicting;
• males have strong immunity;
• the male duck is hardier than the female, more resistant to disease;
• drakes weigh much more than females;
• Egg productivity will depend on the sex ratio (1:4) - there should be more females.

In terms of sexual dimorphism, ducks differ in their plumage. Like many animals, the female does not have a bright color, most often it is gray and dull color of feathers. The male, on the contrary, is gifted by nature with bright and colorful colors to attract the opposite sex. The drake has a long and bright crest on its neck. One of the differences is the beard, which female ducks lack.

The tail is also slightly different. If you look closely at the very tip, you will notice that in males the feathers are curled upward (usually this is the tail of the Peking and Bashkir breeds), while in females the tail is straight. Males begin to curl their feathers from the age of 3 months. The drake weighs almost twice as much as the female. So, if the male weighs about 5 kg, then the female weighs up to 3 kg. The drake's forehead is wider, and the beak resembles a triangle. Females have a trapezoidal expansion.

Additional external differences between females and males:

• the beak of drakes has a growth located upward;
• the bones of the forehead are more massive in males, expanding from the beak;
• the head of females is rounder than that of males;
• the neck of females is shorter and thinner;
• the body of females is narrower;
• the leg muscles are not as developed as in males.

It happens that external differences are practically not noticeable. This will depend on the conditions in which the birds are kept and their diet. It even happens that females are found larger than males. It is also not always possible to indicate the exact sex of ducks by plumage. Color depends on the species and breed. For example, domestic ducks are characterized by the same color for both males and females - white.

Behavior of males and females: what is the difference

In a flock of ducks, you can notice that the weaker sex is not the leader and always goes somewhere to the side or behind. This happens both in flight and while walking. Poultry farmers often notice aggression from drakes. Dominants often fight for food or females with other males. Experienced farmers have learned to distinguish a drake from a duck by its voice: the loud quack of a female is difficult to confuse with the hissing and whistling of a duck.

Muscovy ducks (drake - top)

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During the breeding season, it is quite easy to identify the male. He feathers all over and becomes attentive to his chosen one. Additional sexual characteristics may appear that were not previously noticeable. For example, if he previously did not have a beard or mustache, this all appears during the mating season. By using these methods, birds attract the opposite sex. In order for the female to pay attention to him, he constantly hovers around her and conflicts with other contenders. Mating games may be accompanied by dancing and singing. It is worth noting that not only the drake can take the first step towards “acquaintance”, but the female can also initiate mating.

In small chicks, sex is more difficult to determine. It is usually only at 10-12 weeks of age that sexual dimorphism begins to appear. For many poultry farmers, gender is an important consideration when purchasing birds. Therefore, many have adapted to using a special ultrasonic device that can attract individuals of only one sex.

If you hold a duckling upside down by its paws, the female will be motionless, and the young drake will make attempts to look around. Of course, this does not guarantee gender determination, but it’s worth a try.

If ducks are not fed correctly and kept in inappropriate conditions, same-sex pairs can form. The dominant female can even completely copy the behavior of the drake. Males can also form pairs with each other. This is why the behavioral method of differentiation is unreliable.

Differences by gender

It turns out that if you really want to, you can even distinguish the sex of day-old chicks. To do this, you need to take the duckling with your left hand (head towards you) and massage its anal passage. If a small pseudopenis appears (about 3 mm in size), then you probably have a young drake in your hands. If nothing like this appears, then it is a female. In female representatives, small balls (like growths) will be visible.

Duck or drake - sex determination

This method is called Japanese. It gives a 98% guarantee. But everything will depend on the correctness of the process. Only an experienced specialist will be able to determine the gender using this method with 100% accuracy.

When a farmer knows how to distinguish ducks by various characteristics, he begins to rationally plan nutrition, feed distribution, and egg productivity. All this knowledge influences the reproduction of poultry; the development of meat or egg production depends on it.

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Video: Determining the sex of goslings (similar with ducklings)