Mandarin Duck thread ( for posting pictures and discussing)

[dtran0268]

Aubrey & KansasKid! Can I keep one mandarin drake with 3 hens? I already have 2 hens and the breeder close to me will only sell pair. Thanks.

 

[KansasKid]

1 male to 2 hens works. 1 male to 3 hens would be pushing it but you could probably go ahead and get away with it with decent fertility. Might do it and just keep a look out for an extra male.

 

[Boggy Bottom Bantams]

yep Do,

Some times folks do ok with trios, but 3 wont do you much good with one male.
They do best actually paired. If both hens lay at the same time, chances are one wont be fertile. If you get lucky and they lay a few weeks apart, the male usually will get the second hen while the first is on the nest.

 

[KansasKid]

I said i would get some pic's so here is 2. One of the eclipse sail feather and then one of an eclipse and one normal for comparison

 

[Boggy Bottom Bantams]

by eclipse sail, do you mean your mandarin grew a sail in his eclipse plumage?
If so that's freakin awesome, never once have I ever seen or heard of that

 

[KansasKid]

Quote:
yup. sure did. only grew one though for some reason.
Then the other drake grew two sets of sails this year but both were normal.

 

[Boggy Bottom Bantams]

that's awesome. Never seen that before. Did you get any pics of them while they had them?
Curious too, when they were in eclpise, all I have ever seen look exactly like hens for the most part color wise. Did these too , or did they have some body color to them?

 

[KansasKid]

Kind of both. At first when he started to molt the first to go where the sails and primary feathers, and gradual discoloration of the crown and breast. As the primary feathers re-grew so did this one side of the sail and so he still had a bit of color in his crown but it was soon molted out to make him look like a pink billed hen despite the occasional bar feather on the breast. I would have to look through the pictures. I tried to get pics but most where just spur of the moment, that looks cool need a pic, snap with phone, but delete it later cus its blurry type of deal.

 

[Boggy Bottom Bantams]

I got ya. That all sounds normal other than the sail growing back. Wonder if anyone else has ever had that happen?

 

[destinduck]

That,s funny you would post this.I had this happen this year on one exactly like Kansaskid described. My buddies were saying "Oh he,s just late or early molting" And the only reason I knew this wasnt the case is cause I spend alot of time with em. It was only one sail feather also. Great pics Kansas. If I hadnt seen it myself I would have said what my buds did. Maybe its a hormone/tostesterone overload thing.