Previously solid muscovy now barred?

[Eika]

Hi all,

A quick question about one of my muscovy hens; we got her as a solid black duck and she has recently moulted to have white barring all over her. What gene causes this?

Not sure how old she was when we got her, I'd say at the very least 1 year because she was quite large and had already had 1 batch of eggs. She was in absolutely beautiful condition with gleaming feathers in solid black/green colour. However now we've had her for 6 moths she's moulted and gone white on her head with white stripes all over her body. Is this barring? I thought barring was shown in juvenile ducks and moulted out as they get older? Either she's still really healthy and definitely the favourite of our drake, he was actually washing her this morning, it was adorable

 

[jdywntr]

My male was barred as a youngster, then grew darker with age. Now he has some barring again. Muscovy are unusual in their coloring and that they change a bit over time. Some of my barred chocolate females molted to a darker, more solid brown but still barred.

I think that often the barring does disappear with age.

 

[Going Quackers]

They are sorta chameleons, i find, now whites usually stay whites but the coloured birds change, my one drake a black and white is turning brown, no joke brown! the black is all faded out.

I have a chocolate who is developing a heavy white undertone now too, and one chocolate going real dark... There like the appy of the horse world, ever changing.