How to Tell a Female Duck From a Male Duck When They Are Small
Some adult male ducks, with their head feathers of iridescent green, are easy to tell from female adults, which have a more subdued coloration of brown and white. In biology, different appearances between males and females of the same species is called sexual dimorphism, and many animals display size, coloration or body part differences between the sexes. However, when ducks have just hatched, there are few visual differences. Vent sexing of ducklings is a definitive method, but takes some practice to perform correctly.
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Instructions
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Grasp the duckling gently in your dominant hand, positioning it so that the duckling is upside down in your palm with its tail pointing towards your finger tips and its head in the direction of your wrist.
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Bend the duckling's tail towards its back, using your index finger on the hand holding the duckling.
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With your thumbs, clear the duckling's feathers away from the cloaca, which is its urinary and reproductive opening.
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Use your thumbs to carefully spread the duck's skin down and away from the cloaca. Ask your helper to position the magnifying glass and strong light so you can see the cloaca clearly. After a few seconds, the thin white or gray tube of the duck's penis should appear if it is male.
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Tips & Warnings
The duck's quack is another way to tell males from females. Male ducks make a quieter, whistling sound, while females have a loud quack or honk.
Certain duck species have different down color in male and female ducklings. For example, the male ducklings of the Golden 300 breed, sold as an egg layer, have black markings on their down. Female Golden 300 ducklings are more brown.
Baby ducks are delicate and rough handling can cause them injury or death. If venting is too difficult, ask a vet or another animal expert for help.
References
- Photo Credit Stockbyte/Stockbyte/Getty Images
