How to Sex Ducklings: Vent, Voice and Breed Clues
Figuring out how to sex ducklings is one of those jobs that sounds simple until you have a wriggling duckling in your hands. Most day-old ducklings look alike. The only reliable way to tell a drake, or male duck, from a hen, or female duck, at hatch is vent sexing, a skill hatchery workers learn, and it can hurt a bird if done badly. For a backyard flock, the usual plan is to wait: listen for voice clues around 5 to 8 weeks, watch for male feathers later, and use breed clues as notes, not verdicts.
A duckling is just a duckling for the first few weeks. You can still care for them well, keep them warm, feed them starter feed, and give them safe space to swim under supervision. By summer you will likely know who is who before you need to solve the flock ratios. For basic care while you wait, see how-to-care-for-ducklings.
