How to Tell Male Ducklings

Ducklings Younger Than Two Months Old

• 1

  Pick up the duckling by gently clasping your dominant hand over its body and holding its wings closed between your thumb and fingers, with the neck in between your index finger and thumb.

• 2

  Tighten your grip so the duckling can't free itself, but not so tight as to cause damage, and flip the duckling upside down so that its feet point upward.

• 3

  Expose the duckling's reproductive vent by gently, slowly and with even pressure gliding the thumb and index finger of your free hand upward from the duckling's tail to in between its feet.

• 4

  Gently lift the vent and examine the duckling's sexual organ; a female has a protruding cone-shaped organ that's very visible, and the male has a smaller, elongated, pointed organ.

Two Months and Older Ducklings

• 5

  Listen to the duckling's call. Ducklings' voices change at around two months. Male ducklings have a raspy, quiet quack, and females have a significantly louder, more vibrant quack.

• 6

  Examine the tail feathers of the ducklings. Around two months, males develop elongated tail feathers that are easily observable, while females retain short tail feathers.

• 7

  Examine the ducklings' size and compare them to one another. Males are significantly larger than females at two months.

• 8

  Examine and compare the ducklings' plumage. At around three to four months, male ducklings start to show vibrant colors, while females show plain browns that help them blend better into natural surroundings.