It's called a male duck. An overview of drakes: the importance of male ducks in nature. Differences between females and males of different breeds

The husband of a duck is what many jokingly call drakes, but not everyone can say with certainty exactly how they look and how exactly they differ from females. In some breeds of ducks, it is quite easy to distinguish a female from a male, but not in all cases these features are obvious, so it is difficult for beginner poultry farmers to find a male among the general flock. To do this, it is necessary to study some structural features of the body of ducks and drakes - we will talk about this today.

The male is commonly called a drake. This definition should not be confused with a separate breed or subspecies of poultry. This is just a term indicating the gender of an individual.

Male duck - drake

External differences between females and males

Females and males have some differences in appearance, by which they are determined:

The complexity of determining ducks and drakes only by body weight lies in the fact that the weight of females is not always less. First of all, it depends on the type of feeding and care for birds. Some female individuals are too well-fed, and in order not to confuse them with males, all sex determination methods must be applied in combination.

Important! You can determine the sex of a duck using a special ultrasonic device. To begin with, it is tuned to certain frequencies that birds of one sex or another cannot tolerate. When you turn on the device, they will begin to get restless.

Video - How to distinguish a drake from a female

Differences in behavior

There is one more no less effective method sex determination in birds - observation of behavior. Usually males do not try to go ahead of females, more often they are missed. Some drakes can behave very aggressively - the wayward character is manifested in the dominant individuals in the general flock.

Conflict situations mostly happen only between males, because females have a calmer disposition, they do not tend to fight with other individuals. characteristic behavioral signs appear only at the age of 8-12 weeks - ducklings of either sex are also not prone to interspecific aggression.

However, even by such features, it is impossible to accurately determine the sex of a bird. In some cases, if the flock is formed incorrectly, the females can behave like drakes, and it will be most correct to determine the sex of the ducklings by sex, even before the resettlement of the birds.

Sex characteristics

Experienced farmers prefer to determine the sex of individuals precisely by gender, because this method is considered the most reliable. Thanks to obvious sexual differences, it is possible to find out the male or female identity of even daily chicks.

Table 1. detailed instructions by gender

Step, No.	Description	Photo
1	You need to take the bird and put it on its back on a flat surface.
2	Then you need to slightly pull the skin near the cloaca towards the sternum.
3	You need to take a close look. The drake has a small appendage called the vestigial penis. In females, two rounded outgrowths can be seen at this place.

This method of determining sex seems quite simple, but a poultry farmer without relevant experience will not always be able to determine the drake by the cloaca. But over time, you can master this technique, after more than a dozen birds have been examined.

Differences in voice

Not all farmers listen to the sounds that poultry makes. But it is worth noting that ducks are characterized not only by the quacking sound. Birds communicate information to each other with the following sounds:

• cackle;
• hiss;
• whistle.

With such signals, individuals communicate with each other, sometimes they sort things out. Females and drakes have a different structure of the trachea, so females can only quack, and males hiss, sometimes whistle. You can notice such features already on the 30-40th day of life.

Differences between females and males of different breeds

Many ducks have individual breed characteristics that make it easy to distinguish a drake. We'll have to carefully examine the individual and observe the behavior.

Table 2. Difference between females and males different breeds

Breed	Distinctive features
	The drake has rounder feathers at the ends of the tail.
	Muscovy ducks (indoutok) have characteristic difference in the form of a reddish growth above the beak. In addition, spots are located on the side of the head. In females, these growths are quite light in color and the spots are barely noticeable. In addition, drakes have a larger physique.
	The drakes and females of the Beijing breed have a white feather color, so they are not distinguished by this feature. In addition, there are only minimal differences in body weight between individuals - about 200-300 grams. Therefore, males are distinguished, as in the case of the Bashkir duck, by the structure of the tail feathers.
	It is these individuals that can be most easily distinguished by body weight. Because the difference in weight between the female and the male is 1.5-2 kilograms. In addition, the drake has stronger paws.
	Recognizing wild males is quite simple. Because they, unlike females, have a colorful plumage. And females, in turn, often have brown plumage.

Why should you find out the gender?

Probably, every poultry farmer knows that in order to achieve maximum productivity when growing birds, it is important to distinguish them in a timely manner by gender. It can be concluded that sex determination is necessary for the following reasons:

Males require enhanced nutrition for active growth, therefore, when compiling a diet, it will not be superfluous to know the gender of the birds. If ducks are bred for eggs, then it is females that are fed much more nutritious and varied.

Choice of breeding male

The selection of breeding males is an important event on which the health of the brood and the overall productivity of the poultry farm will depend. Choose breeding male needed even among small chicks. Usually healthy individuals are active, they are already somewhat larger than females, have a good appetite and push weaker and smaller chicks away from the feeder.

Drakes are planted in a separate poultry house, starting from the age of 150-170 days. They reach sexual maturity closer to 7 months (some breeds a little later), so it is recommended to choose males a few months older than females.

When choosing a drake for further breeding, you should pay attention to the following criteria:

• skeletal strength;
• degree of muscle development;
• uniform plumage throughout the body (there should be no bald spots);
• the width of the sternum and the severity of the keel;
• body weight of at least 4-5 kilograms (depending on the characteristics of the breed).

In addition, some poultry farmers, when choosing a drake for breeding, are advised to pay attention to the color of the plumage. It is believed that purebred birds have a solid color (black, white, gray, blue, brown). While variegated feathers are a sign of numerous crosses.

Use of a breeding male for breeding

Fertilized eggs can only be obtained by mating males and females, but individuals of some breeds may show little sexual activity (for example, musky ducks). The maximum fertilization of eggs is observed in spring period year (more than 98%), and in summer it decreases significantly (50%).

Usually drakes are used for breeding no more than three years in a row. After that, their sexual functions begin to decline, and the herd should be renewed.

Why is there no sexual hunting in drakes?

Usually all healthy males have clear signs sexual hunting, because of which they begin to "trample" females. The absence of such behavioral features often associated with the season ( estrus attenuated in autumn and winter). However, this process can be influenced by excessive weight gain or starvation, in which the male lacks vitamins.

Sometimes these signs are absent in females and males when forming a new herd, until they get used to each other. Therefore, you will have to wait some time for the drake to begin to show activity. If a young male is not interested in females for a long time, it is changed.

Feeding drakes

Drakes are grown for further breeding or for the purpose of obtaining meat. In both the first and second cases, birds need a balanced diet.

There are the following types of feed for males:

All these components must be present in the daily diet of birds. Their exact number will depend on the purpose of breeding individuals (for meat or for a tribe), as well as on the season (in summer, birds consume more green food).

Cereal crops

Cereals are considered the basis of the diet of any poultry, and ducks in particular. They contain valuable nutrients, and they should be included in the feathered menu regardless of the season.

The benefits of cereals for the body of birds:

Important! All grain crops are absorbed by the body of waterfowl by more than 80%, which is much higher than that of chickens.

succulent feed

Succulent feed is the main diet of poultry in the summer season. This allows you to significantly reduce the cost of grain, because often birds are released for independent walking in a clearing (it is better if it is near a reservoir).

Components of succulent feed:

Important! When feeding drakes for meat, birds should not be released too often for independent walking - this is how they waste energy and lose body weight.

Feed of animal origin

Wild ducks often feed on various insects, molluscs, and other aquatic life. Therefore, it is allowed to introduce feed of animal origin into the diet of poultry:

1. Fish flour. Quite a popular bird feed product with a long shelf life. Proper Concentration fish meal in the diet allows you to quickly gain body weight.
2. Meat meal. This product begins to feed week-old young. Due to this, individuals are poisoned for slaughter already at the age of 60 days.

Some farmers prefer to include dairy products in the feathered menu. This includes cottage cheese (low-fat) and whey.

Mineral Supplements

Mineral supplements are necessary to normalize the work of the digestive tract in birds and to strengthen the skeleton, therefore, the following components are introduced into the diet of individuals:

Important! Mineral components must be given to individuals in limited quantities. Excess calcium will lead to problems with the digestive system.

Summing up

To increase the profitability of the farm, it is important to know some of the nuances of keeping birds, and to distinguish them by gender. Otherwise, proper nutrition will ensure maximum productivity of drakes.

Video - Drake

Many people at least once in their lives have seen ducks and drakes on lakes, ponds and other bodies of water.

At the same time, you can meet both nondescript birds with brown feathers, and beautiful representatives with gray-white plumage and a green head.

Due to the different colors, males and females can be distinguished, but this is far from the only difference.

General information

The duck family includes more than a hundred different species, of which more than thirty genera are easy to find on the territory of Russia.

Among these species is the subfamily of true ducks. It is further divided into 5-8 subgroups, whose representatives have the most characteristic features.

These include ducks:

1. Earthy.
2. Diving.
3. River.
4. Brilliant.
5. Stream.
6. Marine.
7. Steamboat ducks.
8. Savki.

Domestic ducks are descended from the mallard or mallard species. wild duck. They are bred in many countries and are traditionally divided into:

1. meat;
2. egg;
3. meat-egg.

Important: only females are called ducks - males are called drakes.

Ducks are small birds with a short neck and membranes. They have a variety of feather colors, many have a so-called “mirror” on their wings - a spot of blue color, which helps to recognize "your" species.

Coloration depends on gender and is expressed during the breeding season, when males become brighter than females and attract attention. In summer and autumn, molting occurs, during the latter, due to the change of flight wings, ducks cannot fly for some time.

feed on aquatic plants and seeds, do not mind eating shellfish and insects. The weight of poultry is up to 3-4 kg in drakes and about 3-3.5 kg in females. The latter are able to bring up to 250 eggs per year, wild species more "humble". Mostly females incubate eggs, they also raise children.

Why you need to know the differences

In order to correctly count the birds in the household, the owner needs to know exactly the difference between females and males.

This will help not only to establish their number, but also to choose a farming model and form the most optimal ratio of individuals. It is important to remember that:

1. Males are more aggressive and conflict, more likely to fly away and have good disease tolerance.
2. Males weigh more than females - this is important when trading duck meat.
3. For good reproduction, there should be 3-4 females per male.

Differences between two individuals may lie in external signs and behavior. Some difficulty is the recognition of gender in ducklings, since they do not yet have clear signs.

Gender (click to enlarge)

There are 4 ways to recognize the gender of ducks:

1. External differences

External differences include:

1. Plumage: in males it is brighter, especially in spring, during the mating season, and drakes also have a small “beard”;

Note: in the household, identical white birds are often found, which cannot be distinguished.

1. Females look smaller and more elegant than males: they have a round head, a shorter neck, and less developed paws. Their weight reaches 3 kg, the weight of males reaches 5 kg - such data is given for the Favorit breed;
2. The tail of drakes is round, in ducks it is sharp;
3. The drake's beak has a small outgrowth on top;
4. The forehead of a duck is narrow, the entire head with a beak resembles a trapezoid in shape, in a drake the shape looks more like a triangle (expands from the beak);
5. differ in growths on their heads: in the drake they are larger in size.

It is important to remember that this method is not reliable, since external structure birds can change a lot due to diet and other reasons.
For example, a lack of nutrition can lead to a decrease in the male, and its excess - to the enlargement of the female.

1. Japanese method

The Japanese version of medical recognition, based on differences in the reproductive system, is recognized as more truthful. Drakes have a so-called pseudopenis - a small fold about 3-4 mm in size. To find it, you need to take the bird to left hand, turn her head towards you and open the anus with your right fingers, then turn. In females, it will be possible to detect flat spherical growths, in males - a rudiment of a spiral member.

1. Differences in behavior

This method is more suitable for experienced poultry farmers who can distinguish the behavioral characteristics of their pets. These include:

1. Aggressiveness of dominant males: it manifests itself in frequent fights for females and food;
2. When a flock gathers together, the females usually walk in front, while the males are located on the side to the side;
3. Drakes hiss and whistle more often, and ducks quack.

It is important to remember that due to improper maintenance or care, the bird may develop homosexuality, and it will begin to copy someone else's behavior. For example, a dominant female will start to fight or run away to the drakes, and a passive male will cling to the opposite sex.

1. Differences in ducklings

While the ducklings are small, it is rather difficult to distinguish females and males in them: the first external signs will begin to appear only at the age of 2-3 months. The Japanese method described above remains the most reliable method.

In second place is the ultrasonic method. To do this, you need to purchase an ultrasonic device and, choosing the frequency, track when ducks come running, when drakes come running.

Cleaning sewer pipes at home:

1. Folk way

Folk remedies offer to follow the behavior of ducklings in a flock: like adults, drakes are more pugnacious. An interesting option is the following method: you need to grab the duckling by the paws and lower it upside down. The boy will start to break free, the girl will remain hanging.

Accurate determination of the sex of birds will help to properly distribute food and choose the direction of development of the economy. It is important to remember that each breed of bird has its own differences, which may not coincide with the general ones. You can learn about them from the video or by comparing photos of drakes and ducks.

How to distinguish a duck from a drake, see next video expert advice:

In some species of birds, the male from the female is quite easy to distinguish. As for ducks, such differences are not always obvious. If you do not know certain nuances, then in most cases it is impossible to determine the sex of ducklings, however distinctive features outwardly and in character still exist. The following information will help you easily distinguish a girl duck from a boy duck.

What is the name of a male duck

A male duck is called a drake. And this is not a separate breed or subspecies, but just a term for a male duck.

They differ from females in a number of ways.

Did you know? Newly hatched ducklings take for mother the creature that they see immediately after hatching.

How to distinguish a male from a female

Today you can find a lot of tips on how to recognize a drake and a duck. But when it comes to practical application, it becomes clear that these signs are not so many.

The most difficult thing is to look for males and females among ducklings. It is necessary to distinguish between chicks by sex, since it is necessary to correctly select the sex ratio in the agricultural population.

The ideal proportions for raising birds for meat or for eggs vary somewhat. However, their correct selection will help to achieve maximum efficiency.

The most accurate methods are the following recognition methods.

By appearance

Main visual differences drakes from ducks are as follows:

• in males, the plumage is brighter than in females, which most often have a gray, dull color;
• males are always larger than females;
• males usually have a wide forehead in the shape of a triangle, females have a thinner forehead with smooth outlines, more like a trapezoid in shape;
• males have a small crest on the neck;
• in males, the tip of the tail is rounded, the tail of ducks is almost always straight;
• males have a larger beak;
• drakes are decorated with a feather beard.

By voice

It is worth paying attention to the sounds that birds make. Ducks usually quack and drakes mostly hiss. Moreover, the voice of the female is always louder (this is how she attracts ducklings), and the voice of the male can be heard extremely rarely.

Important! IN wild nature drakes are much larger than ducks, but in poultry this condition is not always observed. Sometimes males are smaller than females - it all depends on the conditions of cultivation and nutrition.

For the genitals

Unlike other birds, drakes have anatomical differences from ducks. It is in males that a large penis is located in the walls of the cloaca. It may not be immediately noticeable, although it is quite impressive in size.

During nesting or during the mating season, the genital organ can turn outward, although it is this dignity that seriously complicates the life of a bird, because its length is sometimes equal to the length of the body itself.

Differences between a duck and a drake in terms of genitals

Male habits

In the duck gang, you can see that the females do not try to be leaders at all: they always keep either somewhere on the side or behind. And this rule is observed not only on a walk, but also in flight.

Often, even when breeding poultry, aggressiveness on the part of drakes is noted. They often start fights for females or food.

Important! behavioral traits, like external features, by which sex is determined, appear only 2-3 months after birth.

In order to attract a female, the drake constantly curls around her, comes into conflict with other males. Marriage games may be accompanied by serenades and dances. The duck itself can become the initiator of mating.

In addition to the fact that drakes fertilize females, they have no other meaning in nature. From a practical point of view, they have healthy, tasty meat and warm fluff, which is used to make clothes.
In Peking ducks, the drake has curls at the tip of the tail, the duck does not.

How to choose a male for a tribe

Correct Definition gender will allow you to correctly determine the feed and choose the direction of development of the house. In order to choose a good drake, you should consider its structure.

It is desirable that the bird meets the following parameters:

• flat, wide, without curvature of the keel - it should be parallel to the ground;
• the chick must be healthy - healthy drakes behave noisily, actively, their plumage near the cloaca is clean and dry;
• you need to purchase only individuals over the age of 7 days - by this age the ducklings have time to get stronger.

Did you know? Some determine the sex of ducks in a funny way: they take the duckling by the paws and lower it upside down. The boys will break free and turn their heads, and the girls will remain hanging quietly.

As you can see, it is not difficult to detect the differences between a drake and a duck, you just need to look closely at the birds.

How to distinguish a drake from a duck: video

Many breeds of ducks are difficult to separate into females and males. If you do not delve into how to distinguish a duck from a drake by specific features, it will be extremely difficult to determine. It will be especially difficult to determine the sex of small individuals. There are character traits not only in appearance, but also in behavior.

Briefly about the difference between adult ducks by external signs

It is very important to learn how to determine the sex of ducks, as this will help to select the right ratio of females and males in the flock. Of course, the required ratio depends on the purpose of the poultry: for the purpose of obtaining meat, for egg production or breeding a new generation. In any case, the correct selection will lead to increased productivity.

What are the external characteristics of male ducks:

• bright plumage, more saturated than that of females;
• large parameters;
• the frontal bone is wide and has the shape of a triangle;
• a crest is visible on the neck;
• large beak;
• feather beard.

The frontal part of the male immediately expands sharply from the beak, but the female duck has smooth features, and the frontal part has a trapezoid shape.

Note! It is also worth knowing the name of the male duck - the drake. As a rule, they have larger parameters, but due to growing at home, exceptions are possible. Sometimes drakes grow smaller than ducks. This is due to the conditions of the contents and the characteristics of the selected diet.

The main differences between musky duck drakes and females

Muscovy duck is popularly called mute duck. This breed By outward signs differs significantly from its other tribesmen: a wide chest, powerful wings and limbs.

The name of the breed did not just come from the word "musk". It is believed that members of this species adulthood begin to secrete fat with a specific musky smell through the pores.

How to distinguish a duck from a drake

Musk birds are popular among poultry farmers for a number of reasons:

• nice delicate taste meat that is considered dietary;
• the possibility of using eggs in cooking;
• the Indian does not need to equip the reservoir on the site;
• birds are homebodies, which minimizes the risk of losing a member of the flock due to a sudden departure.

External differences between drakes and ducks

Main external differences male and female individuals of this breed do not differ from other species and are as follows:

• Size. The male duck is always larger than the female. The difference in weight can range from ½ kg to 1 kg. The body of the drake is much wider, and rib cage more developed.
• Feather color. Drakes look more noticeable against the background of females. And this is no accident, because for the female the most important thing is to take care of the offspring and protect them, and a bright color can only attract ill-wishers. Males have a very bright color that attracts females.
• Features of the structure of the neck. Females have a graceful and embossed neck, and in drakes this part of the body is more developed: strong and wide.

Upon reaching Muscovy ducks at the age of three months, all of the listed external characteristics begin to appear, and it will be possible to determine their gender at a glance.

Important! Another very noticeable feature is the skin of birds. In the male sex, it is coarser and has a rich bright red color. It even hangs a little over the eyes of males.

How to distinguish females from drakes by behavior

When determining the gender of birds, it is worth paying attention to their behavior. The most important difference here is that the “husband” of the duck always lets his companion go ahead. This applies to both walking on water and flying. The drake is kept behind or slightly to the side. During the period when the females incubate the eggs, the males alternately let each other pass forward.

In addition, it is worth noting that drakes behave quite aggressively in a flock. They fight with other males for food or for the attention of females.

It is easy to isolate drakes during the breeding season. They acquire new plumage and treat their chosen ones with special care. New signs may appear that were previously invisible. These include a beard or mustache. To attract the attention of a female, the drake constantly revolves around them and arranges conflicts with other males. mating season ducks often passes with songs and dances.

Note! Not only the male can initiate the creation of a new "cell". Sometimes females push drakes to mate.

Of particular importance in determining the sex of ducks are the sounds that these birds make. Females have a loud voice, but males tend to hiss. Female ducks are not in vain endowed with a loud voice, because thanks to it they gather ducklings in a heap. But from drakes it is extremely rare to hear any sound.

Important! At wrong mode feeding and adverse conditions same-sex couples can sometimes form. In such unions, the dominant female completely repeats the behavior of any male.

Disadvantages of sex determination by the appearance of a bird

Of course, the method of determining the sex of a bird by appearance has a number of drawbacks. And this is not surprising, since each breed has its own characteristics and distinctive features. This applies to such features as the size and musculature of birds, color and plumage, behavior.

Also, do not forget that the listed features may vary depending on the conditions of the birds. For many poultry farmers, the color of the opposite sexes does not differ at all, and the size of the males is much smaller than that of the female.

To accurately determine the gender of ducks, you need to combine several signs into one. Such work can only be carried out by an experienced breeder.

Only an experienced breeder can distinguish

How to determine the gender of a duck

If everything is clear with sex determination in adult ducks, then how to determine the sex of seemingly absolutely identical ducklings is not. This is very difficult, because external differences ducklings don't.

How can you distinguish ducklings by gender by the most common method:

• You need to very carefully take the chick by the paws and place the head down. In this position, the female will hang calmly and motionlessly, but the male duck will twist its head with all its might, trying to examine the space.
• Even small males are quite aggressively trying to constantly get into a fight and generally behave very actively.
• At the youngest age (1 day), one can try to determine the sex based on anatomical features. The drake is characterized by a spherical expansion in the lower part of the larynx. It is located at the beginning of the chest.

little duckling

Thanks to the timely (early) determination of sexual characteristics, it becomes possible to fully develop and form the correct livestock. But not always the use of one method is enough. Experienced poultry farmers use 3 methods at once: the above-described palpation of the larynx, observation of the behavior of small ducklings and the Japanese method.

The latter method was developed in Japan in the 20th century. For him, the proportion of small daily ducklings, goslings and chickens is suitable. The method consists in a visual examination of the cloaca and the identification on the inner wall of the genital tubercle, which differs significantly in both shape and size in the female and male. Currently, this method is very popular all over the world and is called ventsexing.

Important! The use of this method by inexperienced farmers threatens to injure a small chick or become infected with intestinal infections.

Ventsexing is carried out in ducklings aged from 6 to 16 hours. By this time, they are already well dried out, the umbilical cord is healed. A longer period leads to a gradual smoothing of sexual characteristics.

To determine the gender of a duckling using the Japanese method, follow these steps:

1. take the chick and put it in your left hand, pointing towards you;
2. do a tummy massage
3. very carefully with your fingers right hand open the anus and turn it out;
4. the female has spherical growths in this place, but the boy is characterized by the presence of a rudimentary penis.

This method can accurately determine the sex of a bird, but it is only suitable for experienced poultry farmers. After all, the technology requires the utmost accuracy and experience in carrying out the inspection.

Features of sex determination in different ducks

For some breeds of ducks, the listed signs of difference do not always help determine the sex. Especially it concerns external characteristics birds.

Favorite breed

Most often, ducks of the favorite breed have a dull color of feathers, while drakes are brighter and more noticeable. They are characterized by a bright color and a crest of long beautiful feathers. In addition, males have a long beard. Their size is much smaller than females. You can also distinguish the sex by the back of the bird: the twisted tail, which always catches the eye, indicates that it is a male.

When determining the sexual characteristics of the favorites, you should also pay attention to the following signs:

• behavioral features of animals: during walking, males of any breed let the duck go forward, while they themselves remain behind;
• females in the livestock behave calmly and restrained, but males are active and arrange conflicts with other males;
• female ducks are less susceptible to diseases, but males have less strong immunity;
• in flight, the female keeps ahead of the male.

Of course, the listed signs cannot exactly guarantee that a certain representative of the favorite breed belongs to one or another gender. Accurate distribution will require the experience and knowledge of the farmer.

domestic ducks

Bashkir

An adult duck of the Bashkir breed has a dense, elongated body, which is covered with feathers and down. Paws are short, strong, painted in Orange color. The chest has a concave forward shape, the head is located on a fairly short neck. The beak of the Bashkir females is flattened and has a yellowish tint.

Little Indo-chicks have exactly the same appearance, regardless of gender: brown color for a colored breed and white-yellow color for a white breed. Therefore, at this age, it is not possible to determine the sex by external signs.

At the age of 4.5 weeks, the plumage of the drake begins to acquire a sulfur-gray hue. The female remains brown. Therefore, it is possible to distinguish a male not only by large parameters, but also by a distinctive bright color. Thanks to these characteristics, Peking ducks can also be distinguished.

By color

But how to distinguish the Bashkir duck from the drake white color, because the differences in appearance They dont have? Here you can start only from the size and voice. Adult ducks quack loudly, but the male only makes hoarse sounds in response.

mandarin duck

For mandarin ducks, sex determination is not difficult. Males can be seen even from afar, because their plumage is particularly bright. Females, on the other hand, have less bright plumage, but, despite this, they look very elegant and beautiful.

For such a significant difference there is a certain period - marriage. Upon completion, the males lose their bright color and look less defiant.

For your information! During molting, all male mandarin ducks huddle in flocks and try to hide from prying eyes.

Mallard

The difference between a mallard and any other duck is that it is able to adapt to various weather conditions. In addition, this species has the largest size.

Duck and drake are very different from each other, so many do not consider them to be representatives of the same species. It is these inexperienced poultry farmers who are looking for the answer to the question: what is the name of the male duck of this breed. Therefore, there will be no problems with determining the sex:

• The plumage of the female mallard has a discreet Brown color allowing her to camouflage herself in the wild. The tummy has a more saturated color. The beak is painted olive or dark gray, and the legs are red.
• The male mallard looks more flamboyant. The head and neck are dark green. There is also a prominent border on the neck. The breast is chestnut in color, the beak is olive, and the legs are orange.

Little ducklings are all the same and have a brown discreet color.

Determining the sex of a duck is most often carried out on the basis of external and behavioral characteristics. But this method is not always effective. After all, such data depend on the breed of birds, their living conditions and nutrition. For ducklings, this method is not at all effective, since at birth they are all the same. To distinguish a drake from a duck, you will need experience and knowledge about these birds, which are briefly presented above.

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 host 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. Different deformation of the body is not allowed in breeding ducks.

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.