POULTRY KEEPERS - duck changing sex?

[vacanteyes]

I'm currently trying to register on a poultry forum in the hope of getting this answered, but I figured that a few of you could possibly be into poultry as much as budgies, and wondered if anyone could provide insight.

I've got 2 pet ducks, both Saxony, one male and one female. The male is just turning 1 and he replaced my previous drake who was taken by the fox. The female however is turning 2, and on this moult she has started to grow through male colouration. This female is definitely a female - vent sexed and laid one egg, once. I knew there must be a reason for her never laying again, and clearly this is it. I've done some research, and apparently it's not unheard of for ducks and chickens to do this.

My questions - 

Has anyone had this happen?
Does anyone know if getting another laying female could possibly sway her back to the egg-laying side of life?
If no to the above, will the gender confused duck fight with the actual drake if I get another female?

Nothing seems to go completely to plan for me and my pets! *Sigh*

[Hezz]

Can't answer any of your questions, sorry, but gender confusion can happen with budgies too, to the extent that the ceres will change colours. But another cause of ceres colour changing in budgies can be hormonal imbalance or tumours around the reproductive organs. I have no idea if this can also happen with ducks, but I suppose it is possible. Hopefully the duck forum will provide better answers.

Just to elaborate a little on the confusion with budgies, I have three atm, one male who is all male, one female who is all female, and another female who is somewhere between the two, to the extent of being fed by the male, but feeding the other female. This female's cere is somewhere in between being male coloured and female coloured.

And just re-reading your post, maybe girlie hormones are the answer to getting your duck back to being a duck.

[Deleted]

Like Hezz said, it can happen but is usually a medical problem of some sort. A vet would help you find out what the problem is.

[OP]

Maybe this could answer the question. Vacanteyes
Try here

[vacanteyes]

Thanks everyone. I've concluded that birds are strange pets. The vet tells me I can spend a lot of money on hormone treatment in the hope of correcting the problem, or leave her/him be. I'm hoping it is just due to an imbalance of hormones opposed to something more sinister like a tumour on the ovary for example. I'm going to see what the next year brings and reconsider the treatment, as she/he is currently healthy in all other respects.

[Hezz]

Sounds good. I do agree with your vet - if Madam Duck is seemingly happy and healthy in all other ways, why not let her be.