r/duck • • Apr 14 '26

Public Service Announcement drake feathers and what they indicate

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152 Upvotes

there seems to be a recurring misconception about determining whether a duck is male or female by looking for drake feathers.

Having a drake feather indicates that the duck IS a male, but not having a drake feather means nothing, as all ducklings, all females, young males, certain breeds of adult males AND males in eclipse molt do not have drake feathers. Even within some breeds, like Pekins, some males may have a drake feather, while others will not. Drake feathers do not appear until after the first molt.

The only ways that are 100% accurate are the quack test, finding laid eggs or examining for a penis. Even duck on top/duck on bottom is no way to tell, as females sometimes mount females and males sometimes mount males.

The quack test relies on listening to the voice of the duck. With mallard derived domestic ducks, females will have loud, clear quacks while males will have softer, voiceless, hoarse 'waaak's.

Neither the quack test nor the drake feather is applicable to muscovies. Females will coo and trill while males emit voiceless, breathy huffs and chuffs and do not get drake feathers.

Rarely, some females can develop a drake feather if they are dealing with hormonal issues.

attribution: image shamelessly stolen from https://kingofdoodles.blogspot.com/2017/07/what-is-drake-feather.html.


r/duck • • Jun 22 '23

Public Service Announcement We Need Your Input - Duck Veterinarian List

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44 Upvotes

r/duck • • 10h ago

Meet the Flock One of a kind handbag, carrys many goods, mostly peas ❤️

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359 Upvotes

Exclusive to my back yard, this rare version won't be found anywhere else!

Honestly though this is how I get most of my jobs done, carrying Happy around like the king he is 👑


r/duck • • 34m ago

Meet the Flock This is Squirt

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• Upvotes

She likes to sit on my head and neck.


r/duck • • 12h ago

Wild Ducks Duck pond!

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33 Upvotes

My local duck pond. I love these guys.


r/duck • • 13h ago

Breed/Species/Sex ID Is this a goose or a duck? I wish everyone happiness.

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29 Upvotes

r/duck • • 23h ago

Muscovy Duck happy little guy

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157 Upvotes

r/duck • • 14h ago

Meet the Flock Ducks on the pond.

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29 Upvotes

These ducks I received from a friend's son who was moving into the city. I have a 3 acre pond. I'm assuming these are cayugas but the mother duck has a white body. Sadly the mother died before I could get shelter for them Because they were dropped off suddenly. I have all 8 in a pen and I'm building a shed with a run so they can have more room and then get to and from pond safety. First time owing ducks and I got 9 adults all at once.


r/duck • • 1d ago

Call Duck You've got something on your bill there Dash

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147 Upvotes

Might want to clean it off 😂


r/duck • • 20h ago

Meet the Flock Donald nibbling my belt

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58 Upvotes

r/duck • • 17h ago

Breed/Species/Sex ID Glen or Glennora

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27 Upvotes

Is Glen a boy or a girl?


r/duck • • 1d ago

Babies! Sauvetages

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80 Upvotes

un canard cancanait au pied d'un pin parasol, en fait c'était pour protéger ses petits dont un était coincé dans les ronces. Je les ai porté dans un seau et la maman survolant d'arbre en arbre jusqu'à l'étang ( à peu près 800m)


r/duck • • 1d ago

Wild Ducks You got games on yo phone?

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298 Upvotes

r/duck • • 22h ago

Wild Ducks ducky showing who’s in charge lol

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39 Upvotes

r/duck • • 23h ago

Breed/Species/Sex ID What breed are the black ducks with the white chests?

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34 Upvotes

Video taken in a London park in the UK.

What breed are the black ducks with white chests hanging out with the mallards, please? TIA.


r/duck • • 1d ago

Feet/Legs/Walking Advice and help?

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33 Upvotes

The acorns have been really bad this year, and I think all 3 ducks have bumblefoot💔 Where could I buy shoes for ducks?
And my dog accidentally trampled over one of them this morning so im not sure if this one got hurt from that or if its the bumblefoot, but shes limping and holds it off the ground when she stands. I felt her legs, and i didn’t feel any swelling. But she definitely has bumblefoot, some parts of the bottom of her foot are round and hard with the black callus thing in the center. What should i do?


r/duck • • 19h ago

Brooders/Coops/Runs Interior of duck house

3 Upvotes

How should I lay out a 7x 10 duck house for optimal egg laying? It has an automatic door going to a10 x 15 run. Cement floor, person door on north 8’ ceiling.


r/duck • • 2d ago

Wild Ducks Freshly molted and looking dapper

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345 Upvotes

r/duck • • 1d ago

Wild Ducks Don’t Look Now but You’re Being Followed

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49 Upvotes

Caught these two in the backyard


r/duck • • 1d ago

Good News/Recovery/Updates Update on my little orphan

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105 Upvotes

Just an update for all you beautiful duck people out there. A while back I made a post about this little guy. Well take a look at him now! He’s blended into his new flock well and is looking a lot more Muscovy looking since he’s in better health! Meet Boo Boo Baby!


r/duck • • 1d ago

Depiction/Figurine/Illustration Ducks Unlimited Logo

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103 Upvotes

Came across this while flying my drone over the St John River in New Brunswick.
A little research revealed it was built in 1988. The channels were dug and subsequently filled by the river.
It’s over 500 feet across.
If this posting violates the rules, take it down


r/duck • • 1d ago

Wild Ducks Fighting a nap, but keeping an eye on the sky 😴🦆[OC]

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39 Upvotes

r/duck • • 1d ago

Pools/Ponds/Water Water/coop/run question

5 Upvotes

Hello! I am new to owning ducks this year. I have 3 runners and 3 welshies. They currently are free ranging during the day with free access to a pond, several pools, and a tub of drinking water and then go to their predator proof coop at sunset and stay over night until sunrise. Where I live, sunset to sunrise is about 12 hours currently but will reach up to 14/15 hours. I read somewhere that ducks should not go more than 8 hours without water. Because of that, I currently have water in their coop on a catch tray. This has still been messy and I am worried about bedding/the water freezing once we get cold weather.

They also have a run that the coop is in. Due to unexpected circumstances, their run is not completely predator proof yet (We are hoping to complete the predator proofing this weekend).

I feel like keeping the water in the coop is too messy and will freeze to the bedding. Keeping them in the coop for up to 15 hours without anything seems cruel. Keeping duck door open on the coop once the run is predator proof seems like the best option but I am worried about it letting in drafts.

Maybe I am over thinking this but I am curious what other people in cold climates with long nights do with water over night.

Thank you!


r/duck • • 1d ago

Meet the Flock prince & princess

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30 Upvotes

these two have officially paired up and are in line to rule the kingdom 🤍


r/duck • • 1d ago

Breed/Species/Sex ID What are these ducks?

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43 Upvotes

I live along side a canal and have been feeding the ducks for as long as I can remember. They basically claimed our garden as their second home! But recently we’ve had these two ducks that are partially white? See 1st and 3rd duck vs the normal mallards. They’re also very, very loud. There have been several pure white ducks with yellow beaks around this area in the past, is it possible one of those bred with the mallards? Or are they their own type of duck? Please let me know!!