How does a drake differ from a duck and what does it look like? How to correctly distinguish a duck from a drake: characteristic signs and effective methods. What is the difference between a female duck and a male

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

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

Indian girls. Duck or drake?

Main advantages and differences in appearance

Why do you need to distinguish ducks by gender? In fact, experienced farmers farm according to gender.

What exactly is taken into account:

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

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

The tail is also slightly different. If you look closely at the very tip, you will notice that in males the feathers are curled upward (usually this is the tail of the Peking and Bashkir breeds), while in females the tail is straight. Males begin to curl their feathers from the age of 3 months. The drake weighs almost twice as much as the female. So, if the male weighs about 5 kg, then the female weighs up to 3 kg. The drake's forehead is wider, and the beak resembles a triangle. Females have a trapezoidal expansion.

Additional external differences females from males:

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

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

Behavior of males and females: what is the difference

In a flock of ducks, you can notice that the weaker sex is not the leader and always goes somewhere to the side or behind. This happens both in flight and while walking. 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 quack of a female is difficult to confuse with the hissing and whistling of a duck.

Muscovy ducks (drake - top)

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In small chicks, sex is more difficult to determine. It is usually only at 10-12 weeks of age that sexual dimorphism begins to appear. For many poultry farmers, gender is an important consideration when purchasing birds. Therefore, many have adapted to using a special ultrasonic device that can attract individuals of only one sex.

If you hold a duckling upside down by its paws, the female will be motionless, and the young drake will make attempts to look around. Of course, this does not guarantee gender determination, but it’s worth a try.

If ducks are not fed correctly 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. This is why the behavioral method of differentiation is unreliable.

Differences by gender

It turns out that if you really want to, you can even distinguish the sex of day-old chicks. To do this, you need to take the duckling with your left hand (head towards you) and massage its anal passage. If a small pseudopenis appears (about 3 mm in size), then you probably have a young drake in your hands. If nothing like this appears, then it is a female. In 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 the process. Only an experienced specialist will be able to determine the gender using 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 influences the reproduction of the bird; development depends on it. meat direction or egg.

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Video: Determining the sex of goslings (similar with ducklings)

Duck's husband - this is what many people jokingly call drakes, but not everyone can say with confidence exactly what they look like 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 novice poultry farmers to find a male among the general flock. To do this, it is necessary to study some features of the body structure of ducks and drakes - this is what we will talk about today.

The male specimen is usually 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 identified:

The difficulty in identifying ducks and drakes by body weight alone is that females do not always weigh less. First of all, it depends on the type of feeding and care of the birds. Some females are too plump, and in order not to confuse them with males, it is necessary to use all methods of sex determination 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 the device is turned on, they will begin to become restless.

Video - How to distinguish a drake from a female

Differences in Behavior

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

Conflict situations mainly occur only between males, because females have a calmer disposition; they do not strive for fights with other individuals. Characteristic behavioral signs appear only at the age of 8-12 weeks - ducklings of any sex are also not prone to interspecific aggression.

However, even based on such features, it is impossible to accurately determine the sex of the bird. In some cases, if the flock is formed incorrectly, females can behave like drakes, and the most correct thing would be to determine the sex of ducklings based on sexual characteristics, even before the birds settle.

Sexual characteristics

Experienced farmers prefer to determine the sex of individuals based on sexual characteristics, because this method is considered the most reliable. Thanks to obvious sexual differences, it is possible to determine the male or female identity of even day-old chicks.

Table 1. detailed instructions by gender determination

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

This method of determining sex seems quite simple, but a poultry breeder without appropriate experience will not always be able to identify a drake by its 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 by more than just a quack sound. Birds transmit information to each other using the following sounds:

• cackling;
• hissing;
• whistling.

With such signals, individuals communicate with each other, sometimes sorting out relationships. Females and drakes have different trachea structures, so females can only quack, while males hiss and 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, which make it easy to distinguish a drake. You will have to carefully examine the individual and observe its behavior.

Table 2. Differences between females and males of different breeds

Breed	Distinctive features
	The drake has rounder feathers at the ends of its tail.
	Muscovy ducks (indo-ducks) have characteristic difference in the form of a reddish growth above the beak. In addition, there are spots 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 build.
	Drakes and females of the Peking breed have 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 their tail feathers.
	It is these individuals that are easiest to distinguish by body weight. Because the difference in weight between a female and a male is 1.5-2 kilograms. In addition, the drake has stronger paws.
	Recognize wild males quite simple. Because, unlike females, they have motley plumage. And females, in turn, often have brown plumage.

Why should you find out your gender?

Probably every poultry farmer knows that in order to achieve maximum productivity when raising birds, it is important to timely distinguish them by gender. We can conclude that gender determination is necessary for the following reasons:

Males require increased nutrition for active growth, so when compiling a diet, it is a good idea to know the sex of the birds. If ducks are bred for eggs, then it is the female ducks that are fed with much more calories and more variety.

Choosing a 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 necessary even among small chicks. Usually healthy individuals behave actively; they are already somewhat larger than females, have a good appetite and push weaker and smaller chicks away from the feeder.

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

When choosing a drake for further reproduction, 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);
• width of the sternum and degree of expression of the keel;
• body weight of at least 4-5 kilograms (depending on the characteristics of the breed).

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

Using a breeding male for breeding

Fertilized eggs can only be obtained by mating males and females, but some breeds may exhibit little sexual activity (e.g. Muscovy ducks). Maximum fertilization of eggs is observed in spring period year (more than 98%), and in summer it decreases significantly (50%).

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

Why is there no sexual estrus in drakes?

Usually all healthy males have obvious signs sexual heat, which is why they begin to “trample” the females. Lack of such behavioral characteristics often associated with the season ( sexual hunting weakens 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, they change it.

Feeding drakes

Drakes are raised for further breeding or for meat production. In both the first and second cases, birds need a balanced diet.

The following types of food for males are distinguished:

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 breeding), as well as on the season (in summer, birds consume more green food).

Cereals

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

The benefits of cereals for birds:

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

Juicy feed

Succulent feed constitutes the main diet of poultry in the summer. This allows you to significantly reduce the cost of grain, because birds are often allowed to roam independently in a clearing (better if it is near a reservoir).

Ingredients of succulent feed:

Important! When feeding drakes for meat, you should not let the birds go out on their own too often - this way they waste energy and lose body weight.

Animal feed

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

1. Fish flour. Quite a popular product for feeding birds with a long shelf life. Correct concentration fishmeal in the diet allows you to quickly gain body weight.
2. Meat and bone meal. This product is used to feed week-old young animals. Due to this, individuals are poisoned for slaughter already at the age of 60 days.

Some farmers prefer to introduce dairy products to the birds' menu. This includes cottage cheese (low-fat) and whey.

Mineral supplements

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

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

Let's sum it up

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

Video - Drake

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

At the same time, you can meet both inconspicuous 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 can be easily found in Russia.

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

These include ducks:

1. Earthen ones.
2. Divers.
3. River.
4. Shiny.
5. Streams.
6. Marine.
7. Steamboat ducks.
8. Savki.

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

1. meat;
2. egg;
3. meat and eggs.

Important: Only females are called ducks; males are called drakes.

Ducks are small birds with short necks and membranes. They have a variety of feather colors, many have a so-called “mirror” spot on their wings 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 primary wings, ducks cannot fly for some time.

Eating aquatic plants and seeds, don’t mind eating shellfish and insects. The weight of poultry is up to 3-4 kg for drakes and about 3-3.5 kg for females. The latter are capable of producing up to 250 eggs per year, wild species more "modest". Mainly females hatch the eggs, and they also raise the children.

Why do you need to know the differences?

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

This will help not only to determine 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-ridden, more likely to want to fly away and have good tolerance to diseases.
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. It is somewhat difficult to recognize the sex of ducklings, since they do not yet have any clear signs.

Gender characteristics (click to enlarge)

There are 4 ways to recognize the gender of ducks:

1. External differences

TO external differences relate:

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

Note: In the household, identical white birds are often found, which are impossible to distinguish.

1. Females look smaller and more graceful 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 “Favorite” breed;
2. The tail of drakes is rounded, while that of ducks is sharp;
3. The drake's beak has a small growth on top;
4. The duck's forehead is narrow, the entire head with the beak is shaped like a trapezoid; in the drake, the shape is more like a triangle (expands from the beak);
5. They 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 greatly due to diet and other reasons.
For example, a lack of nutrition can lead to a smaller male, and an excess of it can lead to an enlarged 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 into left hand, turn her head towards you and open the anus with your right fingers, then turn her. In females it will be possible to find flat spherical growths, in males - a rudiment of a spiral-shaped penis.

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. Aggression of dominant males: it manifests itself in frequent fights for females and food;
2. When a flock gathers together, the females usually go in front, and the males are located laterally 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 begin to copy other people's behavior. For example, a dominant female will begin to fight or run away to the drakes, and a passive male will begin to attach himself to the opposite sex.

1. Differences in ducklings

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

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

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1. Folk way

Folk remedies suggest monitoring 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 begin to struggle, the girl will remain hanging.

Accurate determination of the sex of birds will help to correctly distribute food and choose the direction of development of the farm. 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 a video or by comparing photos of drakes and ducks.

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

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

What is a male duck called?

The male duck is called a drake. And this is not a separate breed or subspecies, but just a term used to call a male duck.

They are distinguished from females by a number of features.

Did you know? The newly hatched ducklings mistake for their mother the creature they see immediately after hatching.

How to distinguish a male from a female

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

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

The ideal proportions when raising birds for meat or for obtaining eggs vary somewhat. However, choosing them correctly will help achieve maximum efficiency.

The most accurate methods are the following recognition methods.

By appearance

Basic visual differences drakes from ducks are as follows:

• males have brighter plumage than 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 feathery beard.

By voice

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

Important! IN wildlife drakes are much larger than ducks, but in poultry this condition is not always met. Sometimes males are smaller than females - it all depends on growing conditions and nutrition.

By genitals

Unlike other birds, drakes have anatomical differences from ducks. It is in males that the 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 mating season, the genital organ can turn outward, although it is this advantage that seriously complicates the life of the bird, because its length is sometimes equal to the length of the body itself.

Differences between ducks and drakes by genitals

Habits of males

In a group of ducks, you can see that the females do not try to be leaders at all: they always stay either somewhere to the side or behind. Moreover, this rule is observed not only while walking, but also in flight.

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

Important! Behavioral Traits, as well as external features, by which gender is determined, appear only 2–3 months after birth.

To attract a female, the drake constantly hovers around her and comes into conflict with other males. Marriage games can be accompanied by serenades and dances. The duck itself can initiate mating.

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

How to choose a male for the tribe

Correct definition gender will allow you to correctly determine the feed and choose the direction of development of the poultry 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 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 only need to purchase individuals over 7 days old - by this age the ducklings have time to get stronger.

Did you know? Some people determine the sex of ducks in a funny way: they take the duckling by the paws and lower it upside down. The boys will struggle and turn their heads, while 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 take a close look at the birds.

How to distinguish a drake from a duck: video