How many people out there have a Female Mandarin who ends up coloring up some?

[chickenlisa]

and looks sort of like a male but not all the way? I have 1 who does that and even lays eggs, but they are infertile. I know someone else who bought some young 2012 Mandarins from me and he has a female who was perfectly feathered as a female her first year, and then molted out and colored up as a male, even with sail feathers, bars on her shoulders, etc....what causes this and how many people have this strange he/she duck?
Lisa

 

[Kevin565]

How old is she? It sounds like a "hormonal Sex Change"

 

[chickenlisa]

mine is a 2011 female, and I'm not sure how old my friend's is...about the same age though.

 

[littlebluefarm]

hi...we use to own a pair and the female did that the second year too and her plumage was almost exactly like a male but lighter and her beak was even changing color too....and I thought ours was the only one that does that...guess not huh??

 

[Mark HSV-AL]

Here is a picture of a female from this springs/2012 Hatch. I raised 84 Mandarins this year and this one had me confused for a little while as I thought it was a male that was taking its time coloring out. I sexed it and it was a female. Notice the long neck feathers like the mane on a male Mandarin as well as the coloring on the sides of the chest and white right behind the beak. I guess I could have sold it as a Blue Winged Teal Mandarin hybrid.

 

[littlebluefarm]

yes that's exactly how our look likes...have you found out wat causes that? I thought it was just stress that made it do that but unsure..