Duck question

[Homesteadmom]

I was just wondering how old ducks are when they start laying eggs? We got one when it was 2 days old & have no clue if it is male or female. I figure if it starts to lay eggs then I know! But until then we can't even name it(a pet) as ds wants to give it a gender specific name. Any tips on telling the sex of a duck would be great too.

Thanks for any info.

 

[Wildsky]

4-5 months till eggs.

I have muscovies, the way to tell their gender is by foot size - till they're older and its pretty obvious.
The boys feet are pretty HUGE, but I needed to see boy's and girls in order to compare and know which was which..

 

[DrakeMaiden]

The drakes will get sex feathers (curly feathers that stick up, shaped sort of like an ocean wave, above the tail) when they are sexually mature. Drakes also make quieter noises. Ducks (females) are loud quackers and their voices should make their gender obvious sooner or later.

Ducks seem to be very social birds. I would recommend getting a second duck.

 

[Homesteadmom]

This is a "mutt" duck so I have no clue what breed it has in it. Although it is mostly black with some white on it's wing feathers & a few spots on it's neck that are white. The feet are a yellowish color that fades into black.
So I am looking at Jan/Feb., to see if it will lay eggs then okay thats cool.
Am I assuming that drakes are the males? I really know nothing about ducks. My db & I had a pair when we were kids back in KS on our farm we got for Easter one yr. They had free run of the farm too as we had a pond they could use.

I had read that the females were faster to actually quack than males & some days I think it wants to actually quack & then it goes back to a whisper type quacking.
It is very friendly & sociable with us. Do males fight like roosters do? That would be my fear we get another & they are both males & fight all the time. Thanks for all the info I appreciate it.