[Nails]

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!!!

[Kate and her Ducks]

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.

[Kate and her Ducks]

Here you go:

http://www.majesticwaterfowl.org/artquacks.htm

[Nails]

Ah thanks Kate, what sort of age do they start laying?

[joyfull]

they don't if they are all boys   

[Nails]

lol this is very true Joyfull

[Kate and her Ducks]

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.

[Caralou]

they don't if they are all boys   

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

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 

[Nails]

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