What is the name of a female duck. Duck - description, species, where it lives, what it eats, photo. The color of male ducks during the mating season

To many poultry farmers and residents countryside 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 growing this bird for a long time can quickly and without errors determine the sex.

There are a lot of recommendations and tips on the Internet on how to distinguish a drake from a duck. When it comes to the 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 gender in ducks.

Indians. Duck or drake?

The main advantages and difference in appearance

Why is it necessary to distinguish ducks by gender? In fact, experienced farmers do their farming by gender.

What is taken into account:

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

According to sexual dimorphism, ducks differ in their plumage. Like many animals, the female does not have a bright color, most often it is a 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 on the neck has a long and bright crest. One of the differences is the beard, which female ducks are deprived of.

The tail is also slightly different. If you look closely at the very tip, you will notice that in males the feathers are twisted upwards (usually such a tail is in the Beijing and Bashkir breeds), while in females the tail is straight. Feathers in males are already twisted from 3 months. The drake weighs almost twice as much as the female. So, if the male has a weight of about 5 kg, then the female is up to 3 kg. The forehead of the drake is wider, and the beak resembles a triangle. Females, on the other hand, have an extension of a trapezoidal character.

Additional external differences females from males:

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

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

The behavior of males and females: what is the difference

In a flock of ducks, you can see that the weaker sex is not a leader and always goes somewhere on the side or behind. This happens both in flight and on a walk. 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 quacking of the female is difficult to confuse with the hiss and whistle of a duck.

Muscovy ducks (drake - top)

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In young chicks, sex is more difficult to determine. Usually only at the age of 10-12 weeks does sexual dimorphism begin to appear. For many poultry farmers, gender is an important consideration when buying poultry. Therefore, many have adapted to use a special ultrasonic device that can attract individuals of only one sex.

If you hold the duckling upside down by the legs, the female will be motionless, and the young drake will make attempts to look around. Of course, this does not give a guarantee in determining the sex, but it's worth a try.

If ducks are not properly fed 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. That is why the behavioral method of difference is unreliable.

Differences in gender

It turns out that if you really want to, you can even distinguish the sex of daily chicks. To do this, you need to take the duckling with your left hand (with your head towards you) and massage his anal passage. If a small pseudo-penis appears (about 3 mm in size), then you probably have a young drake in your hands. If nothing like this appeared, then this is a female. For 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 doing the process. Only an experienced specialist will be able to determine the gender with 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 affects the reproduction of birds, it is on them that development depends. meat direction or egg.

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Video: Determination of the sex of goslings (similarly with ducklings)

The male duck - the drake - belongs to the same species as the female, but it is not difficult to distinguish them visually. This can be done by both a professional (hunter, farmer or duck breeder), and a simple layman. To determine who is female and who is male, just look at the color of the bird's plumage.

The male duck, the drake, belongs to the same species as the female.

Usually domestic ducks, which are familiar to humans, have to be distinguished, but other species can also be found in nature. For example:

• Bashkir breed;
• musky;
• mergansers;
• river;
• Indians.

In order to visually distinguish a male from a female, you should pay attention to the size of the bird. Females are somewhat smaller and can weigh up to 3.5 kg, while the male is larger, more powerful, has more weight(about 4 kg).

The male is also distinguished by a brighter color to attract and charm females during the mating season. the main task ducks are a continuation of the genus, so they are distinguished by dull gray plumage, so that in conditions wildlife or in the household not to attract attention, to protect eggs and chicks. Among other external differences that you need to pay attention to in order to distinguish a duck from a drake, it is worth noting the following:

1. The male has a crest on his neck, in which there are bright, long feathers.
2. The presence of a beard in a drake.
3. Males have rounded feathers at the end of the tail, while females have a straight tail.
4. The long neck, head, wide body help to recognize the drake at first sight.
5. The male has a wide forehead, which begins to expand from the beak (triangular shape). In females, this part of the body looks like a trapezoid.

Attention must also be paid to the sounds that the bird makes. Quacking usually comes from the female, and only hissing from the drake. The quacking of ducks is always loud - this is how it attracts ducklings, and the voice of the male can rarely be heard.

Hunters, for example, recommend paying attention to how the male behaves among others. Drakes can let the females go forward, while they themselves stay behind. Only when the duck begins to incubate the eggs do the males let each other pass on water bodies or when flying.

Gallery: drake and duck (25 photos)

Differences between a duck and a drake (video)

Sexual characteristics at an early age

With ducklings, the situation is somewhat different. Only at 2-3 months you can see the differences. On farms, ultrasound is used to separate ducklings. Only individuals of one sex react to a certain frequency, while others are afraid of signals and try to hide. This method is used to distinguish females from males and seat them in different cages.

Mallard offspring can be turned upside down. If the duckling looks around, then it will be a male, and the female will just hang without moving. Behavioral moments are very important, but it is worth considering their certain subjectivity. For example, the leader drake is already visible in early age: he fights, does not let other males near the “girls”, makes more noise than others, that is, he tries in every possible way to stand out.

But females can also differ in dominant behavior. They can also imitate behavior during mating, which is associated with the joint keeping of ducklings. The behavior of females can also be characteristic of drakes, so you should not focus only on the behavior of chicks at an early age.

Help can be provided by examining the chick. The drake has a small penis that looks like a few folds. The organ is visible if you press a little on the anus. In ducks, this organ is not developed. Therefore, experts examine the genitals of ducklings already on the 8th day after hatching.

The drake can be defined in another way. For example, raising the tail and pointing it towards the back. Thus, in representatives of ducks, the genital organ is visible. If it is not there, then this is a female duck or indo-duck.

Mallard males and females (video)

Determining the sex of an indo

Indo-duck drake (as the large breed is called) will look different from the offspring of ordinary mallards. Boys are larger than girls, and this can be seen visually a few days after the chicks have hatched. Behaviorally, all males are the same. They are pugnacious, brisk, nimble, the male is the first to be near the drinker or feed, pushing the others. But it is worth paying attention to how other ducklings treat the male. If they listen to him, then this is a clear leader, who will then lead the pack.

In the event that a male chick is chased, then he will not become a leader. And this may not be due to the nature of the male duck, but to the underdevelopment of the genital organs or other physical features. Ducklings feel this very well and immediately identify the weak. At the age of 3-4 months, the difference between babies becomes more noticeable. Ducks weigh about 3 kg (maximum), and Indo-duck drakes can gain up to 6 kg.

Indo-duck chicks do not have a characteristic growth, which appears somewhat later. In a young drake, only a small part of the head will grow, and in an adult, almost all.

Reasons for separation:

1. Rational distribution of feed. Males need to be fed more and more often, and females on a different, individual schedule.
2. Separating birds helps protect ducklings from diseases, as drakes have stronger immunity.
3. Females in the "female" company are more calm, do not enter into conflicts, do not want to fly.
4. You can adjust the number of drakes and females on the farm to get more eggs and ducklings.
5. You can get more meat from males if the farm is focused on meat production.
6. For selection, it is necessary to select drakes and ducks, dividing them into flocks. One drake - for 3-4 females.

Thus, it is not difficult to find visible differences between a drake and a duck. You just need to look closely at the offspring. The leader of the pack is always visible. In flight, while swimming or walking, he leads both adults and kids.

Everything today more people stick to proper nutrition giving preference to environmentally friendly products. Many people raise ducks for dietary meat, non-GMO homemade eggs, and a variety of other chemicals. It is very important to be able to determine the sex of the bird. Given that the duck and drake are representatives of the same species, not every newcomer to poultry farming will be able to distinguish them. In fact, this is quite simple to do if you know about the sex differences in birds. Poultry farmers and hunters solve this issue very quickly and accurately.

Why distinguish ducks

All experienced farmers run their household, be sure to separate the bird by gender. This takes into account a number of points:

• Female ducks are completely non-conflict, unlike drakes.
• Males are endowed with strong immunity and are more resistant to various diseases.
• Males gain weight much faster, and it is more than that of females.
• When breeding poultry, it is necessary to maintain the ratio - there must be one drake for four ducks. This is a 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 pronounced bright color, her feathers are gray, dull in color. But the males are gifted by nature with a very beautiful outfit, which helps them attract individuals of the opposite sex. A rather long crest on the head of a drake can be seen even from afar. Some domestic breeds are characterized by a single 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 the neck - in males it is wide, while in ducks it is thinner and more delicate.

The head of females 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, several feathers on it are twisted up, while in females it is completely straight. This feature is manifested from the third month.

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

However, it also happens that, due to the diet or conditions of detention, it is not always possible to determine the sex of ducks by the signs 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 is always a dominant male in the pack. After watching him, you can easily identify the rest of the males, because it is them that he will not allow to the feeder and constantly fight with them. And females, on the contrary, pays 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 at a short distance ensures her safety.

The difference between the male voice

It is not necessary to see a bird to determine its gender. It is enough just to listen. An 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, not embarrassed. The drake emits only a dull hiss and whistle.

Differences in sex organs

By all the signs listed above, it is possible to recognize a female from a male after the chicks reach at least three months of age. For daily ducklings, they are uncharacteristic. They can identify the male by the genitals. A very rare difference, absent in most other birds, is the drake - it is a pseudopenis that can turn outward. From it you can find out the sex of the bird already 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 appears only two millimeters long, then this is a drake, and only spherical growths will be visible in the female.

If you do this procedure for a very early dates, and even for the first time, it is not always possible to distinguish, since the genitals of the chicks are very small in size. After a few weeks, they become larger, and then it is possible to determine the sex with confidence.

How to select ducks for a tribe

Both drakes and females must be in good health, meet all standards a certain kind: size, weight and color of feathers. Not allowed at breeding ducks different deformation of the body.

In most breeds, puberty occurs only at the age of six months. They start laying eggs, then incubate them and

Not only the conditions of keeping ducks, the quality of feed, but also the ratio of females and males affects the quality of eggs. Therefore, the ability to distinguish where the duck is and where the drake is is one of the most basic that a novice poultry farmer should acquire.

In many breeds, the differences between a duck and a drake are not obvious. If you do not know what signs you need to pay attention to, it is impossible to separate males from females in most cases, it is especially difficult to determine the sex of ducklings. However, there are character traits appearance and character that make it possible to distinguish a duck from a drake. Once having learned to reliably determine the sex of ducks, in the future you can always do it without much difficulty.

It is very important to be able to determine the sex of a bird, since it is necessary to correctly select the ratio of drakes and ducks in the livestock. Ideal amounts of the first and second when grown for meat and for obtaining a large number eggs for the purpose of producing offspring are different, but in both cases, the correct selection of proportions will help maximize productivity.

Drake plumage is brighter than ducks

Pictured is a male and female Muscovy duck

The drakes of a wild duck have bright plumage.

Characteristic external differences of drakes:

• brighter than in females, plumage;
• larger sizes;
• a wide forehead has the shape of a triangle;
• tuft of feathers around the neck;
• large beak;
• feather beard.

Despite the fact that drakes are characterized by larger sizes, when kept at home, this rule is not always followed. Sometimes the male may be smaller than the females, this largely depends on the conditions of detention and diet. The forehead of the drake expands sharply upwards from the beak, while in females its outlines are smoother, and in shape it is closer to a trapezoid.

Reference. A portable device that generates ultrasound allows you to quickly determine the sex of ducks. Empirically, you can choose a frequency on it that will be unpleasant for individuals of a certain sex. In this case, when you turn on the device, they will move to the side.

Another way to determine the gender of a duck is to observe its behavior. The drakes let the females go forward, keeping behind and a little to the side.

They are also usually distinguished by their noisiness and pugnacity. This behavior is especially characteristic of the dominant male in the population, which always seeks to emphasize its dominant position.

At the same time, he will direct his aggression precisely at other males. Ducks, unlike drakes, do not tend to conflict, they have a calm nature and try to fly away much less often.

However, by these features it is far from always possible to correctly determine the sex. If there is an incorrect ratio of drakes to ducks in the stock - and the ideal ratio is 1:4 - females can behave like males, and vice versa. Behavioral features, as well as features of appearance by which sex can be determined, appear only in the second or third month of life.

Determining by gender is the most accurate way to find out if a drake is in front of you or a duck. In this way, you can even find out the sex of one-day-old chicks. You need to take the bird and put it on its back, okay, and then with the other hand gently grasp the skin from the cloaca towards the abdomen.

The male will show a small vestigial penis, or pseudopenis, while the female will have two round, spherical growths. Despite the seeming simplicity of this method, it is quite difficult to master it, but after gaining some experience, every poultry breeder can handle this task.

The difference between the male voice

You can also determine gender by voice. Females are much more noisy, they quack sharply and loudly. While for males, a low whistling hiss is more characteristic. With the help of such easy way you can quite reliably distinguish a drake from a duck, but you should not rely on it alone.

Important. In order to definitely avoid confusion when determining gender, you should always focus on several methods.

Since differences in appearance and behavior become clearly visible only in the third month of life, determining the sex of ducklings is especially difficult task. It is best to use the method described above for this, which involves examining the genitals.

The accuracy of this method is about 99%, but in order to apply it, you need some experience. It is often difficult for beginner poultry farmers to cope with such a task. Once you know the gender of the ducklings, for your own convenience, you can attach marks to them so that in the future you will always know whether it is a male or a female.

Many breeds have their own characteristic features that are characteristic of them, by which a drake can be distinguished from a duck:

It is often very difficult to determine the sex of a duck by one or two of the above signs. In the case of domestic ducks, due to the conditions of keeping and nutrition, females often acquire certain traits of males, and vice versa. Therefore, it is not surprising that even farmers who have kept ducks for more than a year sometimes get confused on this issue.

As a result, the ratio of birds of one and the other sex in their population is far from ideal, as a result of which productivity drops, and some poultry farmers are trying to get offspring in a situation where in fact their flock is only males or only females. In order to avoid such mistakes, it is necessary to determine the sex not by one, but by several signs.

In the video, the farmer shares a simple and effective way how to distinguish a drake from a duck.

After the problem is solved, a special label can be attached to the duck, which will avoid confusion in the future. With a careful and responsible approach to business, you will always know how many ducks and drakes are among your livestock, and this will allow you to get maximum amount meat and eggs.

Let's talk about the name of the male duck. bird boys play important role in breeding, fertilizing female birds. In addition, they care for and protect the offspring and the female hatching it. Hatched ducklings can also count on the help of their father, at least in the first days after birth. Males stand out appearance, behavior and dimensions. The choice of the manufacturer depends on the quantity and quality of the new duck stock. Details in the article.

Characteristic

A duck boy is called a drake. It will not be difficult to distinguish it from a duck if you use the methods described in the article.

The male duck has important difference from the female - a spiral-shaped genital organ from 1.5 to 3-4 millimeters long, depending on age.

When excited, it increases in size, sometimes equaling the length of the body. This feature complicates the life of drakes, making it difficult to fly and move on water or land.

The male duck has other distinctive features:

• Bright plumage color. During the mating season, it becomes even brighter - this helps the drakes to attract females for mating.
• The body of males is larger than that of females. The weight of a wild male reaches 2-4 kg, domestic - 5-6 kg.
• A long neck with a tuft of a brighter color than the rest of the plumage.
• Head with a wide forehead, triangular beak, it has a beard.
• Some drakes have "curls" at the tip of their tails.
• Behavior dominant, sometimes aggressive. Males are able to arrange a fight for a female or food.

Differences between domestic and wild birds

The behavior of males change based on the habitat - whether they live at home or live in the wild.

In nature, drakes protect the nests where the females incubate the masonry from the attack of predators: birds, foxes, martens, snakes. In a home environment, this is not necessary.

Domestic drakes are trusting and are not afraid to approach people. Separate types wild birds, for example, mallard, are also suitable for humans. However, for them it sometimes ends badly. Due to the extermination of ducks by people for fun or subsistence, some wild species have become on the verge of extinction.

The nutritional characteristics of domestic and wild birds do not differ much. However, domesticated ducks do not have to look for food around the clock - they are fed by the owner. On the other hand, they are able to feed on their own, as well as wild males: crustaceans, grass, duckweed and other food found on pastures and in reservoirs.

Description of wild males

The wigeon has a light body and a head with brown plumage. Males are cautious, shy, often hide in reeds and other secluded places, fly fast. Therefore, hunting for them is difficult and reckless for hunters. More information you will find in the article.

The teal has several subspecies: cracker, whistle, kloktun, marble and others. IN autumn period drakes become common Brown like the females. You can learn more about this variety of wild ducks in the article.

Distinctive feature male killer whale - black legs and beak. The plumage is inconspicuous, which makes them look like females.

During the mating season, the male pintail does not change the color of the plumage. It remains inconspicuous, as in females.

From wild to domestic

The mallard is a common species of wild duck. Drakes have bright plumage with a white stripe around the neck. They are careless and naive, so they become an easy target for hunters. Mallard males and females have long been kept at home. The features of their domestication can be found in the article.

Indiana is called differently Muscovy duck, due to the release of fat with a musky aroma. The drakes of this breed have big weight, unpretentious, rarely make sounds. Another feature of males is strong immunity. They live long and rarely get sick.

Peking duck is often kept in personal subsidiary farms. The males of this breed are similar in color to the females. You can distinguish them by weight: drakes reach a mass of 4 kilos, while ducks - no more than 3.5 kilos. In addition, boys are more restless than girls, and often conflict with "competitors". Other common domestic breeds are described in the article.

Drake selection per tribe

At right choice pedigree drake of an Indouka, Pekingese or any other breed, you can count on getting strong and healthy offspring.

Males play an important role in the economy. Starting from the fertilization of females to obtaining fresh, healthy meat and warm fluff. When choosing drakes for a tribe, be guided by the following parameters:

• The body of the chick should have the correct proportions - a straight keel without curvature.
• Healthy males are active and noisy. Lethargic or aggressive birds are not recommended.
• It is better to choose weekly drakes - by this time they will get stronger and show character.

Do not forget about the ratio in the duck tribe: there is one drake for three females. The distribution of feed and keeping conditions depend directly on the number of drakes in the household.

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