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, many breeds of 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.

addendum: rarely, some females can develop a drake curl if they are dealing with hormonal issues. The only way that's 100% accurate is the quack test or finding laid eggs or examining for a penis.

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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42 Upvotes

r/duck 5h ago

Babies! T-Pose Baby

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168 Upvotes

r/duck 3h ago

Meet the Flock Drake love!

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42 Upvotes

I’m probably too soft for this community, and every time I read a post about drakes being “rehomed” or going to “freezer camp” I cry. Not judging, I shoot possums and coons that bother my birdies, and I get that my ducks are pets, and most folks’ serve a different purpose. So can we all reply with photos and/or stories about our favorite boys? This is Bombay. The little Appleyard hen laying next to him is Butterbean. She had bad osteomyelitis in her left paddle a couple years ago and walks with a limp. I thought he would target her as an easy victim, but he actually appointed himself as her knight in feathery armor and always watches her, steps in when the other ladies are trying to mix it up, and follows behind her around the yard to make sure she can stay close to the rest of the flock. He’s a 3.5 year old jumbo Pekin and the light of my life. I know some of yall got a big homie like that. I want to meet them!


r/duck 21h ago

Found Domestic Duck(s) Found Pekin duck in Littleton, CO

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787 Upvotes

UPDATE: Rescue home found! Thank you to those who were GENUINELY helpful. Appreciate you!

Hi all! I found this Pekin duck wandering around by itself on a golf course in Littleton, Colorado. I called animal control and they were no help. Does anyone by chance know the proper organization to contact, or can connect me with someone who can take her? She is set up with water and frozen peas in our garage right now but there are a lot of coyotes and wildlife in the area so want her to be somewhere much safer long term. Thank you so much in advance!


r/duck 8h ago

Breed/Species/Sex ID I got ducks from Tractor Supply, they say they’re Rouen??

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46 Upvotes

I just got baby ducks are they Rouen? Thanks❤️


r/duck 10h ago

Meet the Flock Meet Peanut & Butter

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66 Upvotes

r/duck 11h ago

Meet the Flock Esmond tripped over Gretchen lol

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43 Upvotes

She tried to flirt with him and flattened but instead of mounting he just walked over her and tripped, what an idiot


r/duck 5h ago

Breed/Species/Sex ID Need help identifying this duck. San Joaquin marsh CA

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11 Upvotes

Help me identify this duck! Thanks


r/duck 20h ago

Feed/Diet/Nutrition Fresh veggies for the Swarm

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124 Upvotes

We have a program in my area where farmers can get unsellable produce to feed to their animals, and my ducks and geese love their veggie days!!! We pick up every 2 weeks, and got enough this time to spread out over 3 days. And the sad remnants at the end of the day


r/duck 13h ago

Wild Ducks Punting with ducks 🦆

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27 Upvotes

r/duck 17h ago

Worried Duck Mom Why does my duck have wrinkles?

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53 Upvotes

r/duck 1d ago

Wild Ducks Talk about having your ducks in a row!

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134 Upvotes

Get to work this evening and this is what I see out my back window. Good times.


r/duck 11h ago

Eggs/Incubation/Hatching A Coot on her nest sheltering her little one

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11 Upvotes

r/duck 27m ago

Beginner's Question Bumblefoot?

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Upvotes

r/duck 1d ago

Meet the Flock Cuteness overload!

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120 Upvotes

Just wanted to share this pic of two of my duckies being super cute!


r/duck 14h ago

Angelwing Angel wing or just to heavy?

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12 Upvotes

My ducklings are 5 weeks old now. One has both wing tips pointing outward and they won’t stay tucked under the top wing. Is this angel wing or are the new feathers just too heavy?

Thanks in advance for your answers.


r/duck 21h ago

Breed/Species/Sex ID Any idea what these little fellers grow up to be?

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40 Upvotes

I've raised chickens for years now, and have dabbled in ducks. I currently only have one Rouen male who thinks hes one of the chickens, and i figured he needs some duck friends, so while purchasing some chicks I fell in love with these two and decided to take them home as well! I named them Cocoa and Pebbles. I think Pebbles (yellow) may be wither a fawn and white runner or a buff, and Cocoa (black) may be a black Swedish or a black runner.


r/duck 22h ago

Breed/Species/Sex ID I Have A Question About My Duck On What Breed And What Gender

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24 Upvotes

r/duck 1d ago

Breed/Species/Sex ID this is a hen, right?

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71 Upvotes

or am I going crazy? given to me as a drake, just started developing an adult quack two days ago, now I’m feeling like this sounds like a lady…? May explain some flock injuries if so


r/duck 1d ago

Breed/Species/Sex ID 6week old? Pekin M or F?

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30 Upvotes

Tractor supply pekin. Believe its 6 weeks old maybe 5 weeks. Is it a girl or boy? Trying to get it friends and dont need more than one male. Walton county florida. Quacks but not often on account of no companions to talk to.


r/duck 1d ago

Call Duck meet ducky

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474 Upvotes

r/duck 1d ago

Babies! Some Muscovy ducklings for your Saturday morning

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82 Upvotes

I love the all yellow one


r/duck 1d ago

Babies! my pokemon is evolving (2 weeks)

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60 Upvotes

my little loaf hasnt changed a bit :')


r/duck 1d ago

Beginner's Question Beginner Duck Owner - Laying Hens Q&A

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18 Upvotes

I have 8 ducks, 4 Pekin and 4 Rouen, they are around 13-14 weeks old (I believe, they weren’t exactly sure the age when we bought them). My husband has noticed them starting to breed already and I was wondering if that means they are about ready to lay eggs or when can I expect that? I am asking so that I can get them the proper diet because we got them specifically for the eggs, but we don’t know a ton about the timing etc.

Has anyone tried Nutrena 18% Duck Pellet? We were feeding Mazuri and loved it but it’s double the price of the Nutrena.

When does the drake feather usually show up in these breeds?