Muscovy duckling mystery pattern

[zazouse]

I have had the same flock/bloodline of Muscovy ducks sense 2007 and this year i am getting some surprise patterns from some hens i kept back from last years hatch.
My ducks have always produced white and black and white bird but this year i have had a new patter emerge, they are born the normal yellow but have a black tail as they start feathering out their color totally changes to this barred pattern, i guess it is some kind of mutation but you would think after 8 years i would have seen it before but has never happened to the ones i kept, i have 2 hens that have produced this color so far but still have 3 sitting a nest, i believe it is coming from my male or males any how i am wondering if this is a known color/pattern or something new? i have no other kinds of ducks so i know they are not mixed.
Here are some photos and how they progress.
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Thanks for looking and telling me what you think.






Some of my stock pictured below

 

[WildWestChick]

Hmm interesting...that is a barred Muscovy, I've had one before also. I'm not sure about the genetic side to that (sorry I'm not more help) but your stock seems to be pieds, which I'm sure carry all sorts of interesting genetics. The parents of my barred were a wild colored drake and a pied hen, so maybe it's something pieds carry deep down? It's strange you've never had another one though...your sure she hasn't had any boyfriends on the side?

 

[learycow]

Those are barred. Pure muscovy, just a different pattern that can some in almost all colors of muscovy.
It is a recessive gene so you need one from each parent in order for it to pop up.

Here are some of mine

Chocolate barred baby


Black barred baby


Black barred babies and a blue in the far right top


Black and blue barred babies


Juvenile black barred drake


Juvenile blue barred drake


2 year old black barred hen- with this pattern it is common for most, if not all, of it to molt out and the bird turn solid in color.


Blue barred juvie hen


2 year old chocolate hen- here you can see she kept her barring under the wing as well as on her back and chest


2 and 3 year old black barred hens- also kept their barring


3 year old black barred hen


Juvenile blue barred hen (same as pictured above)


Young black barreds just starting to feather


5 month old black barred pied hen


Hope that helps!

 

[zazouse]

Thank you for the wonderful replies and photos, the hens are being bred back to their fathers as they are the only males i have from 2007 so this explains the new pattern, i know some folks that purchased babies from me earlier this year got a surprised as i told them i only got black and white from my ducks LOL