can ducks change sexes?

[RedfogsFlock]

For close to a year now our 2 female runner ducks have given us 2 eggs a day. Then last week nly one a day. Then we saw them mating in the pool. Well went to use an egg the other day and it had a very obvious bulls eye! So we broke a few more and all have the bulls eye. And they went from just dropping eggs wherever in the yard to an actual nest they built. So is it possible for ducks to either change sex or to be both sexes?

 

[Silkies~Polishes]

I'm not sure about your ducks, I've never heard of this, but maybe someone else has? I know that some fish can change genders, but some also can just look and act the other gender for a while but not actually be it.

 

[learycow]

Though rare, it is possible for a duck to lay 2 eggs a day. So either you have one drake and one hen, or you do have two hens. Hens can do the "mating dance" to each other, I have seen it. Normally they will only do it if there are no males around, but I have males and females of each breed and the females will still do it. It can be confusing!

So the best way to tell is this. Do either of your runners have a curly tail feather? (now, or after a molt and refeather) If so, then it's a drake. Females will not get this feather.
You can also voice sex them. When they quack, females are extremely LOUD, males are quiet and somewhat raspy sounding.

Try this and let us know. It could be that you have 2 hens and one simply is taking a break from laying

 

[Olamina]

I was just reading about this in Storey's Guide to Raising Ducks! The answer is YES, a duck CAN change it's sex! Apparently though not common it is possible for a ducks hormones to change so much that they will in essence change sex. The story in the book states that their duck changed from being Tiny Tina for 6 years to Tiny Tim. Though the duck had previously hatched eggs and raised ducklings one year she stopped laying as much and didn't care for her eggs at all. Her voice changed and became hoarser like a drakes and after molting she had acquired drake feathers! Crazy huh?

 

[RedfogsFlock]

Well neither one have a drake feather. We got rid of all the males last year. They are both still noisy,& quack the same. We've also noticed our runner drakes have a mote greenish bill, & lighter legs. I am going to do more research, especially on the change sex thing? I will do an update soon. See i've left their nest. If she goes broody & we get babies I will be sure to post!

 

[GloryGirl]

Though rare, it is possible for a duck to lay 2 eggs a day. So either you have one drake and one hen, or you do have two hens. Hens can do the "mating dance" to each other, I have seen it. Normally they will only do it if there are no males around, but I have males and females of each breed and the females will still do it. It can be confusing!

So the best way to tell is this. Do either of your runners have a curly tail feather? (now, or after a molt and refeather) If so, then it's a drake. Females will not get this feather.
You can also voice sex them. When they quack, females are extremely LOUD, males are quiet and somewhat raspy sounding.

Try this and let us know. It could be that you have 2 hens and one simply is taking a break from laying

This explanation, however, doesn't account for fertilized eggs.....hmmm.... Is it possible that a wild drake has been visiting them?

 

[caligirl]

For close to a year now our 2 female runner ducks have given us 2 eggs a day. Then last week nly one a day. Then we saw them mating in the pool. Well went to use an egg the other day and it had a very obvious bulls eye! So we broke a few more and all have the bulls eye. And they went from just dropping eggs wherever in the yard to an actual nest they built. So is it possible for ducks to either change sex or to be both sexes?

I think it is true. I think it happens if needed for reproduction. We have 4 drakes and had 1 female. Well approx 5 or 6 months ago our hen was missing most likely by a predator. Just this past week every day I went out to the pond one of our mallard drakes was missing. The first day or so I assumed another predator entered our fenced in pond area. Third day I went out and I saw him but then noticed the two mallard drakes were molting. Well over the course of a week sometimes there were two mallard drakes and sometimes one which was so unusually because for the past year the 5 ducks we raised then let go in the pond. Area once they were old enough always hung together. Well day before yesterday I still noticed the drake mallards were coming out of their molting look but thought: hmmm? The one drake is taking much longer to get his green back; he looks female almost....but I just passed it off as nothing. Well today I went out with my fiancé and it dawned on me when we were looking for that 2nd mallard drake that we thought we kept loosing. He did turn female that is why his molting is taking forever compared to the other and the reason it is missing at times is because it has a NEST! I too could not believe it. Even though we have a turkey that had a beard and spurs but started laying eggs this past year and lost his/her beard. But she is 1 year old and I read this can happen to turkeys. As to this twilight zone experience I have to imagine the less dominant male bird did turn female and it was simply due to survival of reproducing since we had all males and no females. Sounds crazy but I saw all this happen with my own eyes! Wow! Mother Nature and God are absolutely remarkable and mind blowing. I just wonder why this is not commonly heard of? Because it happened to our turkey then a few months our duck! Maybe it's the water we have here. I guess I best drink bottled until I truly understand how this can happen.

 

[CochinBrahmaLover]

Caligirl - I dont want to make a snap judgement, but based off your description, Your hen must have been horribly raped if all of the drakes were full grown, since you describe them moulting and in drake colorauge. She probably flew off.

is your duck completely feathered out like a hen? Is it loud, and laying? It could've been in eclipse. Happens when they molt.
It's VERY rare for them to change sexes. It's not just 'oh 2 males, I'm gonna change sexes!'.

Ducks can change sexes (as caligirl described) but very rare, not like fish. They don't *need* to for survival, so they don't typically don't (because responsible owners won't have a 1:1 drake to hen ratio, or any number of more full grown drakes. As for hens, they don't feel the need to have a drake as much as drakes need a hen). Likely what's happened is
A) ones moulting, a wild duck may be visiting your girls
B) ones taking a break, or eating eggs, and a wild duck may be visiting your girls. Or a domestic, wild duck. Lol.
If you hatch out the eggs that'll tell the father. If it looks like one of the runners, then perhaps it changed sexes, if it looks like anything else (mallard, Swedish, magpie, whatever) then you have a wild boy visiting them.
I say it's time to break out the bator

 

[Fecca]

YES!

I have a mallard who started off as a girl duckling, and by midsummer she was obviously changing into a male (with the green head and color palate swap and all). And as of recently I have noticed that he seems to be reverting back into a female.

 

[ducksinarow]

I have read about this before in chickens. I could not have roosters so that is why I got ducks the boys are quiet. In chickens I read the changing female quits laying eggs and begins to crow. Just pick up a boy duck and that should fix your problem.