# Are Muscovy Ducklings Sex-Linked?



## animalmom (Dec 1, 2017)

We have 8 Muscovy ducklings that hatched Wednesday and Thursday.  Four are yellow with slightly darker tails and four are dark with yellow fronts.  Here's a couple not so good pictures:


 

 

Is there anything significant about the coloration on the ducklings?  The hen is mostly dark, as you can see and the drake is dark with a pied head.

Any tips?

Thanks!


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## Baymule (Dec 1, 2017)

Muscovies come in so many different colors that the ducklings show different shades of coloring. I have never heard that they are sex linked.


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## boothcreek (Mar 9, 2018)

Only time Muscovy ducklings are sexlinked is when you breed a double factor chocolate hen to a pure black(no chocolate gene) male, your female ducklings will be single factor chocolates and the males will be black carrying chocolate. You get the same out-come the other way around (choc male over black female).
But for that you have to be 100% on the parents heritage, if you breed to a single factor choc hen or a already split to chocolate drake, that will throw off the whole works.

As for your ducklings, I would say either momma or daddy is a barred(yellow ducklings with smoky tails and blue beaks). They will colour out at first barred(black would be my guess), then feather out into solid colour when older.


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## animalmom (Mar 9, 2018)

@boothcreek, thanks for the info.  Yes the ducklings are barred.  It will be interesting to see them becoming adults, and I will miss the barring.  Regardless as to how they look I am finding them very entertaining with distinct personalities.


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