I have a male call and his feathers are maturing slower then the other males. He also seems to have "silkie" feathers and gets wet easier (water doesn't repel off of him like the others). Could he be a silkie? His parents and siblings (about 9 currently) have normal duck feathers. Any ideas if it is something else? He's a beautiful bird, just a little surprised with his feathering
I would say we need pictures I have seen Silkie ducks, they come in black,white,snowy, and mallard to my knowledge. Perhaps the parents weren't pure calls? I know there are 'smooth' feathered silkies with carry the gene.
might just have a clogged oil gland on the back of the tail..... sometimes we get ducks like that and it takes them until the next molt to feather in the right way.
