Posted by kara w on March 22, 2007

Q: ok i have three questions to ask

1. is it possible that u can decide the sex of a duck by changing the temp. in the incubator? if so could u tell me the temps. or refer me to a certain website please?

2. do ducks tend to fight with each other when they are domesticated? if so males, females, or both?

3. a duck egg cant be fertilized without a male duck around can it?

thank you so much for your time

~kara

State: Missouri

A: 1. Although this is a way of determining the sex of some reptiles, it is not a factor with birds. Since reptiles don't actually incubate their eggs with their own body heat, as birds do, the temperature of reptile eggs can vary quite a bit during the incubation process and a slight difference in overall temperature can swing the sexes in a certain direction. Birds, on the other hand, have the ability to be fairly consistent in their incubation temperatures so in general, all of their eggs receive the same temperature whether it's nest A, B, C, or D. To the best of my knowledge, one needs to keep an incubator at a rather specific temperature or the eggs won't hatch. If the duck eggs are too warm or too cool, they won't develop.

2. Many/most birds become rather territorial during breeding and nesting season. Domestic ducks are no different and the fact that they're probably rather restricted in their living space often means they have more opportunity to "squabble" among themselves in close quarters. I raised Mallards as a child and the males were often squabbling among themselves and had a pecking order.

3. You are correct. If there are no males, there will not be any fertilized eggs. Female ducks will often produce eggs in the spring/early summer, however, just not fertile ones.

Hope this helps you out with your birds.

John Wiessinger ( March 23, 2007)