See more. As nouns the difference between duck and drake is that duck is an aquatic bird of the family anatidae, having a flat bill and webbed feet or duck can be a tightly-woven cotton fabric used as sailcloth while drake is a male duck or drake can be a mayfly used as fishing bait. Ducks have webbed feet, which act as paddles when swimming. For many ducks native to the Northern Hemisphere, a drake can look significantly different than hens of the same species. For many ducks native to the Northern Hemisphere, a drake can look significantly different than hens of the same species. Drakes then develop the sex-curl feathers on the rump. The drakes nor the ducks have any sex feathers. Why that name was chosen isn't clear. Knowing the difference of ducks and geese is like learning the alphabets all over again. Differentiating drakes and hens in the field is complicated by plumage variations among species, sexes, and ages. Muscovy ducks, however, don’t go by the same rules. It’s the subsequent moult into adult feathers (nuptial plumage) between 10 - 16 weeks that makes the big difference. See more. I have both breeds of ducks, so I am sure that Muscovies are a non-messy breed, and Pekin ducks … "Vent-sexing," the examination of a newly hatched chick's sex organ, should only be attempted by a trained specialist, as the process can cause permanent injury or death if handled incorrectly. And they have different weights. Finally, in a few breeds, you can sex your ducks by color. 06 of 12. We bought 3 Rouens this spring as day olds from the local feed store. In North America, nearly all duck populations consist of a higher proportion of males than females, with drakes constituting 55 percent of mallard populations and almost 70 percent of populations of diving ducks such as scaup. As a verb duck is to lower the head or body in order to prevent it from being struck by something. Duck and drake definition, ducks and drakes(def 1). It’s during this phase that hens start getting louder, while the drakes will begin saying less and less. Some of the differences are their personalities, meat, eggs, appearance, and more. Ducks and Drakes Cancer Trust was founded to help save lives and promote well-being by raising awareness of cancer and specifically Bowel Cancer in young people, aged 18 to 30 in Dorset and UK and to support Bowel Cancer patients and their families through the provision of specialist medical equipment and financial aid. See more. Drakes then develop the sex-curl feathers on the rump. I know that you can sex ducks by listening for the quack or other honking sounds in the ducks and the peeps and silent hissing from the drakes. (duck) But there are some subtle differences that can tell the tale without going into anything elaborate like vent sexing. In North America, nearly all duck populations consist of a higher proportion of males than females, with drakes constituting 55 percent of mallard populations and almost 70 percent of populations of diving ducks such as scaup.