Sexing ducklings can be really difficult and most people prefer to wait until the tell tale signs are there. Up until a few days old you can vent sex a duckling however be warned, if you don't know what you are doing, you can seriously damage the duckling. Even experienced poultry handlers prefer to leave nature to show the signs themselves. It is also very easy to confuse vent sexing. Here are the tell tale signs if your baby is a duck or a drake.
1: NOISE THEY MAKE. When babies are small they all make a high pitched squeak. When they get to approx 6-12 weeks this noise, if they are ducks, starts to change. You'll find the females develop a deep quack and the drakes keep their high pitched squeak. If you hear a quack you have a duck. If you have a high pitched squeak you have a drake. Be aware though that at a young age all ducks squeak so give them plenty of time.
2: DRAKES HAVE A CURL IN THEIR TAIL. This is probably the easiest way to tell between a duck and a drake apart from the voice. Drakes develop at about 10-12 weeks a curl in their tail.
3: DRAKES SOMETIMES ARE MORE COLOURFUL. This is not true for all breeds. We breed beautiful magpie ducks (EGGS AVAILABLE BY CLICKING HERE) and there is no difference colourwise between the male and female, however, some breeds such as Mandarins have a huge difference and the male tends to be a lot prettier. Research your breed and see if the colours are different. This will help you determine the sex as youngsters.
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