Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat

Poultry and Pets => The Hen House => Topic started by: Nails on June 07, 2010, 19:31

Title: Sexing aylesbury ducks
Post by: Nails on June 07, 2010, 19:31: I brought 8 Aylesbury duckling approx 4 weeks ago, they were still their lovely fluffly yellow when i got them, they are now looking lovely with their white feathers, is there any way of sexing them? i know they get the curly feathers on thier tails, but so far none of them have this, so to me they all look female!!!
Title: Re: Sexing aylesbury ducks
Post by: Kate and her Ducks on June 07, 2010, 20:27: I'm afraid they don't get their sex curls till about 20 weeks, give of take so you have a while to wait to use that to sex them. They should be starting to quack by now, at least some of the time and this can be used to sex them. The girls have the classic quack whereas boys have a much hoarser quack, lime they have a sore throat.

Will try to find the link to the site that has recordings of the difference but generally if you have 2 to compare it is very obvious.
Title: Re: Sexing aylesbury ducks
Post by: Kate and her Ducks on June 07, 2010, 20:31: Here you go:

http://www.majesticwaterfowl.org/artquacks.htm
Title: Re: Sexing aylesbury ducks
Post by: Nails on June 07, 2010, 20:45: Ah thanks Kate, what sort of age do they start laying?
Title: Re: Sexing aylesbury ducks
Post by: joyfull on June 07, 2010, 21:01: they don't if they are all boys ;) :lol:
Title: Re: Sexing aylesbury ducks
Post by: Nails on June 07, 2010, 21:19: lol this is very true Joyfull
Title: Re: Sexing aylesbury ducks
Post by: Kate and her Ducks on June 07, 2010, 22:05: They are generally quoted at starting between 24 and 28 weeks. My girls I hatched last year started at 19-20 which is very young, in fact too young, as it can predispose them to problems like prolapse. The others have started between 28 and 42!

I have found that if they haven't started by the end of Oct they wait till the spring (well end of Feb).

Good luck.
Title: Re: Sexing aylesbury ducks
Post by: Caralou on June 07, 2010, 22:10: Quote from: joyfull on June 07, 2010, 21:01
they don't if they are all boys ;) :lol:

Is that why Bumble & Bee haven't laid me any eggs :ohmy: :tongue2:

I have found Aylesburys hard to sex (it took me until sex feathers with my boys) as the boys seem to have a more quacky quack than other drakes :blink: but I didn't have any girls to compare to at the time with my boys so it should be easier for you if you have mixed sex ducklings. Fingers crossed for girls - but the boys are lovely lapducks or dinner if you prefer ;)
Title: Re: Sexing aylesbury ducks
Post by: Nails on June 07, 2010, 22:16: i am afraid the boys are destined for the table, i am keeping a couple of the boys as i have a drake, his mate was taken by the fox a few weeks back now, but i want to keep a couple of girls if i am lucky enough to get some out of them