For poultry farmers, determining the sex of the duck herd is an important task. Without this, it is impossible to plan business activities in this direction. The task may be complicated by the fact that in a number of duck breeds the differences between ducks and drakes are outwardly very weak. Fortunately, there are a number of signs by which identification of the sex of ducks is possible, including at an early age.
On the structure of the reproductive system (Japanese method)
This method of identification is considered the most reliable, and it is applicable to both immature young animals and adult individuals - it is more difficult to apply to them because of the weight and activity of the bird. To determine the sex in this way should perform the following steps:
- the bird is placed in the palm, with its belly up;
- with the fingers of the free hand, open up the cesspool of the bird and turn it over from the side of the tail;
- in the drake there is a spiral penis, in the female - flat round growths.
Japanese sex determination methodAccording to external signs
The external signs by which the drake can be distinguished from the duck are as follows:
- male plumage is often noticeably brighter than that of females, but this is not characteristic of all breeds;
- the forehead of the drake is wider, more massive, the frontal bone in it expands in the form of a triangle (in the female there is a trapezoidal extension);
- the male has a growth on its beak (this is not observed in all breeds);
- in the tail of the drake there are feathers twisted into a ring, ducks of such feathers are deprived;
- the neck of the drakes is longer than that of the females; moreover, the neck of the males usually has a tuft of feathers;
- males are about 1.5-2 times heavier than ducks.
By behavior
Another way to identify the sex of the duck herd is to identify behavior and ducks. So, when moving the duck flock, the ducks move in front, the males stay behind and slightly to the side. In addition, the males stand out pugnacious, they may conflict with other males for access to the feeder or for the female.
Poultry farmers should consider the peculiarities of keeping ducks such as the Indian runner, Temp, Kayuga, Bashkir, Mulard, Peking (Star-53) and the blue favorite at home.
Grandfather's method
Determining gender by voice is not a very reliable method. However, usually females often quack, their quacks are sharp and loud. Drakes make sounds much less often, mostly prefer to hiss, sometimes switching to a low whistle. 
Grandfather's method of determining sex There is another popular method for determining sex. For this duckling gently take the paws and lowered upside down. If he begins to actively break out, it is believed that this is a drake. If it hangs quietly, it is assumed that it is a duck. There are different opinions on the reliability of this method, but it clearly does not provide 100% reliable identification.
When keeping ducks it is very important to follow the principles of a balanced diet. Read on how to properly formulate a diet for ducks at home, how to feed small ducklings, and also how to independently prepare compound feed for ducks.
Sexual identification of ducklings
It is advisable to determine the sex of the bird early, when it is still a duckling. To do this, use the following methods:
- on the structure of the reproductive system (the method is described above, it can be applied to day-old chicks and it is the most reliable);
- on the behavior of the duckling held by the paws upside down (see description above);
- on the characteristic behavior of males (this method is also described above);
- ultrasonic method - by selecting the frequency of the ultrasound generated by the ultrasonic installation, it is determined which ultrasound is used for the males and for which females.
It is very important to determine duck gender in a timely manner - this allows optimizing the content of this poultry, increasing its productivity, planning further development of the farm.You will probably find it helpful to know how many days a duck sits on eggs, what types of ducks are, why a duck floats on water, and also get acquainted with the rules of breeding wild ducks.
There are a number of ways to determine gender: some of them are quite reliable and yet are simple. But it must be remembered that there are breeds of ducks, to which not all methods of identification are suitable.
