Confused duck

[mothergooz]

Sounds to me like you've got a transgender Rouen. Transgender Mallards exist and are more common than most people think. I have two in my area. One has just the white ring around her neck the other has a full green head!

Keep notes on her behavior, its gotta be worth an article in a scientific journal somewhere.

 

[Britesea]

I went searching online and (mea culpa) apparently they don't turn into functional males. My friend admitted he had no real proof of what he had told me. Here is a link to an article that explains how it happens www.livescience.com/13514-sex-change-chicken-gertie-hen-bertie-cockerel.html

 

[Haunted55]

I'm new to ducks so I don't know if they can change sex, but I know for a fact that chickens can do this. They can become fully functional males too- but it only goes one way: roosters don't change into hens. The problem is, you never know who or How Many will make the change. I knew someone whose entire small flock (6 sex linked chickens so there was NO question that they were already roosters) turned into males.

LOL!!! What a rotten trick! I bet the poor soul this happened to wasn't very impressed with this 'wonder of nature'!

 

[iambebabeba]

Do any of the owners live near GMO crops or feed non organic feed. I used to live in an area with corn fields around us and fed regular feed. Then I had one duck and one chicken convert from female to male. I'm sure more than ever it has to do with the feed ( the chemicals that are spayed on the crops) is affecting the animals. I learned it has been happening kind of often here. I'm pretty sure it's affecting the people to but the big seed company's won't leave.

 

[Amiga]

I can see your concern. We don't live near where there is much farmland with GMO's, though I suspect a farm a couple miles down the road may grow some GMO varieties.

Wanted to just say hello.

And these food issues are massive - tough time to sort through all this. I feed an organic layer, and am growing more of my fresh vegetables, getting to know farmers and finding sources for non-GMO foods.