Breed question - rouen or mallard and flying

[Kelster65]

Hi all, my Rouen are about 10 weeks old now and have been in juvenile molting (I'm assuming), losing some of their feathers. I've got a couple of questions. I know which are female vs. male, but the bill color and facial lines are a bit confusing. Lately they've all started "flying", taking off from the pond and getting about 3 feet of lift before landing 6-10 feet away. The one with the green bill is getting the dark line around his bill and his drake feather but only has the one line by his eye. Could he be a mallard instead of a rouen? The male with the yellow bill looks different. Also, I've read that rouens don't exactly fly but how much lift do they normally have? They're in a 6' tall area and I haven't put the top net on yet. Will they "fly the coop?"

 

[Quatie]

Do you have pictures? It sounds more like they are mallards. Most domestic ducks, including Rouens, don't typically fly. There are certainly exceptions. One other way to tell is their weight. Mallards are much smaller than Rouens. Mallards are about 2.5 lbs while Rouens are 5-7lbs

 

[Kelster65]

Do you have pictures? It sounds more like they are mallards. Most domestic ducks, including Rouens, don't typically fly. There are certainly exceptions. One other way to tell is their weight. Mallards are much smaller than Rouens. Mallards are about 2.5 lbs while Rouens are 5-7lbs

Here you go. I added a photo after I hit post prematurely. The other 4 seem to be ladies as they're quite vocal.

 

[Luv Ducks]

Hi all, my Rouen are about 10 weeks old now and have been in juvenile molting (I'm assuming), losing some of their feathers. I've got a couple of questions. I know which are female vs. male, but the bill color and facial lines are a bit confusing. Lately they've all started "flying", taking off from the pond and getting about 3 feet of lift before landing 6-10 feet away. The one with the green bill is getting the dark line around his bill and his drake feather but only has the one line by his eye. Could he be a mallard instead of a rouen? The male with the yellow bill looks different. Also, I've read that rouens don't exactly fly but how much lift do they normally have? They're in a 6' tall area and I haven't put the top net on yet. We'll they "fly the coop?"

My Rouens can get at least 3 feet off of the ground but usually no more. My Mallards on the other hand clear my 6 foot fence and need their wings clipped until they decide they have it good here and don't want to go anywhere. The Rouens are a lot heavier and the eye stripes can sometimes seem to be deceiving. Good luck on figuring yours out.

 

[Luv Ducks]

My Rouens can get at least 3 feet off of the ground but usually no more. My Mallards on the other hand clear my 6 foot fence and need their wings clipped until they decide they have it good here and don't want to go anywhere. The Rouens are a lot heavier and the eye stripes can sometimes seem to be deceiving. Good luck on figuring yours out.

I have Rouen/Muscovy Mule Ducks. They only have one eye stripe as the other one is quite faded and almost not even visible. That is why I said that the eye stripes can be deceiving. Your last picture was the right size and was for sure a Rouen. If the others are that big then I would say they are all Rouens. I have two Mallards I got from Metzer farms in California. One is a lot bigger than the other one, both are females, yet the one almost looks like a small Rouen. The other one is quite small and can fly really well if I don't clip her wings. She has been good this year though and not tried to fly off like she did last year. I was lucky a neighbor caught her and brought her back to me as he knew I had ducks.

 

[Kelster65]

My Rouens can get at least 3 feet off of the ground but usually no more. My Mallards on the other hand clear my 6 foot fence and need their wings clipped until they decide they have it good here and don't want to go anywhere. The Rouens are a lot heavier and the eye stripes can sometimes seem to be deceiving. Good luck on figuring yours out.

Thank you. I've raised these babies since about a day old (bought from TSC). They all had 2 stripes but as they grew, the olive billed male has changed his eye stripes. Patience is a virtue and I'm clearly finding myself impatiently but patiently waiting to see these beauty's emerge. The breed doesn't exactly matter but if he's a mallard instead, I want to be sure I take care of his individual needs too. This is my first time raising ducks and chickens and it's been such a blast so far.

 

[Kelster65]

I have Rouen/Muscovy Mule Ducks. They only have one eye stripe as the other one is quite faded and almost not even visible. That is why I said that the eye stripes can be deceiving. Your last picture was the right size and was for sure a Rouen. If the others are that big then I would say they are all Rouens. I have two Mallards I got from Metzer farms in California. One is a lot bigger than the other one, both are females, yet the one almost looks like a small Rouen. The other one is quite small and can fly really well if I don't clip her wings. She has been good this year though and not tried to fly off like she did last year. I was lucky a neighbor caught her and brought her back to me as he knew I had ducks.

Haha.. I'd be upset - lots of loose dogs around here that would love a duck for dinner. I would say going on weight like you've said, all mine are rouens because they're rather beautifully bodacious. I'm surprised they get lift but they don't get up very high or fly very long, and I love watching their JOY.

 

[Luv Ducks]

Thank you. I've raised these babies since about a day old (bought from TSC). They all had 2 stripes but as they grew, the olive billed male has changed his eye stripes. Patience is a virtue and I'm clearly finding myself impatiently but patiently waiting to see these beauty's emerge. The breed doesn't exactly matter but if he's a mallard instead, I want to be sure I take care of his individual needs too. This is my first time raising ducks and chickens and it's been such a blast so far.

I love my ducks. I used to have them years ago but they flew off so much that I had to give them up. The ones I have now have either been pinioned or are too large to fly other than my Mallards. So far they have been sticking around. My Muscovy/Rouen Duckling that is 10 weeks old got 3 feet off of the ground today. Her one wing had been pinioned so hopefully she will not go any farther up than that. Good luck with yours.

 

[Luv Ducks]

Haha.. I'd be upset - lots of loose dogs around here that would love a duck for dinner. I would say going on weight like you've said, all mine are rouens because they're rather beautifully bodacious. I'm surprised they get lift but they don't get up very high or fly very long, and I love watching their JOY.

It's funny how as they age the eye stripe does lessen and fade for some reason. Some people think it is terrible to pinion the ducklings but I feel letting my neighbors Pitt bull dog eat them is more terrible when they fly over the fence to their house. Our houses are close together and they would for sure eat them.

 

[Kelster65]

It's funny how as they age the eye stripe does lessen and fade for some reason. Some people think it is terrible to pinion the ducklings but I feel letting my neighbors Pitt bull dog eat them is more terrible when they fly over the fence to their house. Our houses are close together and they would for sure eat them.

Oh I agree with you! My neighbors have pit bulls also and their first instinct is to attack anything when they get out which isn't normal for any dog. I'd be devastated if my babies ended up as a meal. If mine end up wanting to fly the coop I'll have to clip their feathers but I doubt they'd get the height needed.