male/ female ?

[llan jan]

My best laying duck ( Hazel ), has suddenly grown a curly tail feather, why? I have kept ducks for nigh on 25 years this is a new one on me, help.

 

[sourland]

Upon occasion a chicken hen with damaged ovaries will develop male feathering and actions. I have never heard of this happening with a duck hen. This will be an interesting thread to follow.

 

[Isaac 0]

I remember hearing something similar where a duck developed drake feathers and male coloring. I think the suspected causes had to do with either a damaged reproductive system or the absence of a drake in the flock.

 

[Duck mommy 2019]

i’ve heard of it happening as they get older and is seen in rescue ducks

 

[KaleIAm]

One of my female ducks has damaged feather follicles on her tail. Some of the feathers are flatter at the base and curl up and back to her body - and look very similar to a drake feather. She molts them yearly, and at the moment she doesn't look much like a drake, but at first I was sure she was changing genders.

I don't keep drakes so I don't know what drake feathers look like at the base, but my duck's odd feathers look different from her regular feathers.

 

[cheezenkwackers]

In “Storey’s Guide to Raising Ducks”, Dave Holderread tells about one of his older female ducks getting drake plumage.