Pekin ducks
can be friendly and social pets, but determining their sex is difficult.
Pekin ducks are among the most popular pet ducks because of their friendly and social demeanor. If you're hoping to breed your ducks or to produce eggs, you may be interested in determining the ducks' gender. This can be a difficult task, and the best way to sex Pekin ducks is typically using behavioral clues.
Instructions
Behavioral Clues
1. Pay attention to quacking. Adult male Pekin ducks will generally only make a very soft vocalization, if they even vocalize at all. Female ducks, however, generally become louder as they mature. Their vocalization also sounds more like the stereotypical quack of a duck.
2. Watch for nesting behavior. Female ducks will begin to lay eggs as soon as they reach sexual maturity. Even if these eggs are not fertile, your duck will still seek a quiet location to nest. If your duck is gathering straw, plants or other items and hording them in a particular area, she is probably a female.
3. Observe your duck in a group. When living in groups, males tend to chase females. You can gain valuable insight into your duck's sex based on who is chasing and who is being chased.
Physical Clues
4. Check for curled feathers at the base of the tail. These are known as drake feathers and are typical of male ducks.
5. Note the color of your duck. Males are frequently more brightly colored, especially along the beak and feet.
6. Take your duck to a veterinarian. Sexing ducks based on their genitals (found in the area known as the duck's "vent") is not possible for a novice to do. A good avian veterinarian, however, will quickly be able to check your duck's vent and tell you if you have a male or female.
Tags: your duck, Pekin ducks, duck vent, ducks will, Female ducks, friendly social