The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Poultry & Waterfowl => Topic started by: cuckoo on March 31, 2012, 09:10:05 pm
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I have been offered 9 muscovy ducks. They are allegedly female but how can I tell. Do they lay well? I know they will make good meat birds but am not really inclined to pluck and dress them - especially as OH allergic to poultry meat!
They fly so will clipping their wings stop them. They can free range in my paddock but only if they can be stopped from flying totally away! Ideally I want to be able to shut them in at night with my 4 other ducks as Mr Fox comes around sometimes.
Experiences please
Thanks
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I would definitely clip them,they are know for their escapism!Eggs are good and they can even sit a few times a year.The drake is usually much larger then the duck!
Hope that helps!
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for some reason ( confusion I guess) we clipped both wings on one of ours ( she flies a treat still).
they are great egg producers and good mums. We have one male - lots more red around the face going back around the eyes - much bigger too - oh and ours will not wash.
One mum is sat on 15 eggs ( due on the 14th April) and we have a nest of 12 that another will claim when she thinks they need sitting on. We ate the males as soon as we felt they were big enough to keep life calm in their pen.
When I visit them at dusk they all go to bed in their respective huts BUT at night we keep the male away from the 5 newbie girls.
please do not keep more than one male as I have heard that they can give the girls a terrible time. A read of a vegetarian keeping 5 males and 2 females and wonders why his girls are bleeding and keep trying to escape. Terrible !
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Here is a pic of some of my lavender Muscovies. Of the adults, the one at the front is a female, the middle one is a mature male and the one at the back is a juvenile male. Of the ducklings, the one on the right is a male - you can see the longer body.
Sorry I don't know how to make the picture so it enlarges when you click on it, so I hope you can see it. I can send it to you direct if that would help.
We ended up with too many males so there were gang rapes going on and even the hens were in danger. We sold off breeding trios and filled the freezer with the rest of the males, so we now no longer have any Muscovies :&>
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I meant to add that we never clipped their wings - makes it too difficult for them to get away from the fox. The females fly well, especially when they are young, but the males soon get too heavy. Our ducks never flew too far away, but would go over a fence but not come back so we would have to go and fetch them. They had a lovely trick when trying to get away from the randy males - they would take off and fly just above the ground, with two or three males after them. As they came up to a fence the ducks would zip over the top but the heavier males would just crash into the fence. Ducky sense of humour ;D
If you don't want to eat them, you must make sure there are no males in your flock as they lay big clutches and tend to hatch most or all of them, and there tend to be more males than females in every clutch. Getting rid of the males now will save a lot of bother later.
We trained ours to be herded by us using a couple of 8' canes in a V behind them, to direct them to bed - worked well. They don't go to bed as readily as hens so the training is worth while.
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Hi All,
Thanks for the advice - I will have a look and try and destinguish the females and maybe take them with one male - will it fight with my resident male duck?
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We had an old Muscovy drake who fought with everything and everyone....the postman mainly-poor guy! One night there was confusion over who had shut the chickens/turkeys/ducks in and it turned out no one had....Mr Fox paid a visit and everything was killed....everything except the old Muscovy drake...says it all really ;D
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Skirza you just reminded me! I used to clean out the Muscovy ducks at our school many moons ago ::) and the Drake was a complete git he was always trying to bite me ( managed it a few time to)
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yes - i read somewhere that someone has a drake that kills rats !! Not sure about that but I would not be keen on trying to catch ours. Don't try to brake their necks either as if you have enough strength you are more likely to pull their feet off first. We use a knife.
Oh - our drake has finally calmed down after one week with 5 new girls. He is probable exhausted by them but has stopped chasing them.
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Hey Cuckoo!
You'll love them!
When we first got ours, we clipped but now the feathers are growing back we won't do it again as they know where home is. We used to lock them up every night but now they can flap they roost on the goat house roof. I don't worry about the fox with them, by the time foxy has got up there they will have flown away or knowing my drake wreaked evil vengeance on it!
They make fab ratters and mine all got really tame. Mine don't like being picked up and my arms bear the scars to prove it, but will come to a call and wag their tails and bob their heads in greeting, then follow you round for the day. I don't trust them with the other drake yet as it's spring, but Daffyd the rat killer also used to 'defend' me from my bastard cockerel when he was still here. I found bribery with goat coarse mix makes them adore you forever!
So far this year we have had 2 clutches of 9 eggs from them, and the next time they lay I will let them sit. They stuff themselves full of slugs and snails so make themselves useful even if you don't eat them. I'm sure any surplus birds should you wish to breed would sell quickly as table birds or could be swapped for something your OH can eat.
HTH, you will probably guess that I LOVE my muskies to bits :love: :love:
EDITED TO ADD;
MAK, It's me that has the rat killer! but he will eat from my hand and follow me around like a puppy dog, he likes a scritch but WILL NOT tolerate being picked up. They are often just specks at the top of my neighbours field, but come flying/flapping back as soon as I call them in :love:
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Ahh - "the rat catcher". Not surprised - the males are pretty mean.
Heh Colliwoman - have you had 2 clutches in 2012 ?
Our elder lady is sat on 15 ( due on April 14th).
We have 17 in another nest being sat on at night only ( fingers crossed).
Should we set up a Muscovey appreciation society ? ;D
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Yep I've had 2 lots of nine, but I ate them as I didn't want duck puppies yet!
I think a fan club would be a splendid idea! :thumbsup:
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Hi Colliewoman :wave:
You know OH is a faddy eater! Funny how we meet online! Hope glorious Somerset is still as lovely. Dont really need more ducks but these ones were destined to be Xmas dinner and were never eaten - currently living in a greenhouse type affair so need to be moved asap as too hot.
Take care
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Then I would take em, see how you get on and if you don't like them feed them to the dogs ;D Or sell them/swap them :D :D. I wish I was nearer, I'd have them in a flash!
Somerset is as usual heavenly, Pilton especially so.
Hope you are all well, and give Erin a squidge from me :wave:
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Well - can get them this week - Erin is well and truly squidged! Give Bridigh a hug too! (hope I spelt Bridigh right!)
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She be sqidged! Although in true BC style now answers only to 'Red Dog' ::) :D :D
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Erin also responds to biscuit and dinner!
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Oh, now I really don't need any more ducks...... But I really like the lavender ones.......
Thing is, are they going to hybridise with my runners, cos I do breed those and would like them to breed true.
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Hi Cuckoo, I breed Muscovy ducks - we never clip their wings and they have never flown away, we have around 21 at the moment and they are all happy to stay around and eat the goat mix on top of their cut maize. We never shut them in - they roost on fences, shed roofs and dead trees which is much better and safer than shutting them in - don't shut them in. The females fly before the males - you should be able to tell the males from their size from around 10 weeks - they grow carbuncle type things on their face and aren't terribly attractive. The females are fab mums and - sorry fleecwife - we've only had 3 males this year and 14 females, all of which have survived. We have a few serial sitters and they are very friendly eating from our hands and jumping on the window sill for bread treats.
Jaykay - we did have to get rid of our original male though because he started attacking those expensive female geese you sold me ;D ;D ;D - seemingly they don't tolerate females of a different species very well. Our more recent drake was born here and he and the geese/gander seem to tolerate each other well enough.
Cuckoo - we have had runners and various campbells in the past but I love Muscovy ducks for their wonderful temperament and great mum skills. Great ducks, enjoy.
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Good to read these posts and how they can roost.
Question:
We have one mum from last year sat tight on her 15 eggs for 23 days.Her daughter (mum 2) has a clutch of 16 that she sits on at night. It is possible that not all these eggs are hers as we have 5 new ladies for a week or so. Oh - the new ducks have a clutch of 8 or so.
Q: How long should I wait on mum number 2 to sit on her clutch 24/7 ? It's been about 5 days now.
I don't have an incubator but could try and make something up.
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I had a pair of Muscoveys years ago, Hissing Sid and his dear wife, Dolly. Dolly would fly away when she was thinking about being broody (who wouldn't at the thought of a dozen or more children :o) but would always come back to nest in her usual place. Sid led her a fine old dance 'til he got too old to run after her but he was very friendly and could be trusted with my small children, hens, geese and turkeys.
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Ours usually wait until they have about 15-18 eggs before sitting, building their fortification up and sitting on the top - they usually sit beyond what we expect and it usually ends up being about 40days in total, just when we think they are on duds and think about shooing them off, out they come with their brood. You will have to protect them with their young from herons in our case, we make up make shift pens for them and we can't let ours out until they are about 12 weeks old - seems a long time but ours would be taken by the sky vultures otherwise. We feed the chicks on breadcrumbs whizzed up in the magimix with milk for about 8-10 weeks which they still love when they are adults and worm them at around 3-4 weeks. Watch they don't get 'farmers lung' from stale smelly bedding, keep it fresh.
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Well we have the muscovys - only 2 in the end - the others have found other places to go. Rightly or wrongly we have trimmed their wings. Fiestly little buggers - obviously never been handled really - also doused them in louse powder as a precaution. They then went in with our ducks - who promtly waddled quickly in the other direction! Turns out Muscovy ducks hiss not quack. I am sure they will settle in.
Thanks for all the help.
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I've got quite a few Mussies and I love em. They are pretty quiet, the males hiss and the females make a kind of trilling noise but definitely no quacking. All of mine are very well behaved and they get tamer as they get older. I used to clip their wings but don't bother now unless one of the girls decides to lay and nest away from their house. The boys are too fat to fly. They make very good broodies and one of my girls hatched out a clutch of eggs in january this year!
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Great info and tips.
So we have 2 nests that may contain eggs from 4 different birds. The larger clutch now has about 16 eggs ( I took a few of the oldest eggs away and added them to the smaller clutch of 8),
how long should I give the females ( first time mums) to sit 24/7 before giving up and taking the eggs away.
The third clutch has a second time mum sat VERY firmly on top of but out of sight. maybe the younger mums needed to learn from her.
Any help appreciated.
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Well we have the muscovys - only 2 in the end - the others have found other places to go. Rightly or wrongly we have trimmed their wings. Fiestly little buggers - obviously never been handled really - also doused them in louse powder as a precaution. They then went in with our ducks - who promtly waddled quickly in the other direction! Turns out Muscovy ducks hiss not quack. I am sure they will settle in.
Thanks for all the help.
They also make a funny little warbling noise when they wag their tails. They are quite chatty if you are patient with them.
I don't know if there is such a thing as a well handled musky, they sure know how to use their claws. But mine will eat from the hand ;D
Their eggs are very gloopy but delicious!
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Ducks normally take 28 days to hatch, geese 35 and I have a vague feeling somehow that Muscovies are somewhere in between.
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Cukoo, well done on the two, hope they are female ;D ;D
MAK Don't fuss over them and their nests etc, just leave them to it, they will get on very well without any help. I must mention though that I don't clip any fowls wings - it's their only chance to get away from preditors which, if you live beside water, can include otter (dog otters are huge and will tackle them) as well as the fantastic Mr Fox of course. Not fussing is probably the best piece of advice though - if they think you are nosing they will just forget the whole thing. Good luck!
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Thanks goosepimple - I'll leave them to it.
I think I have an albino female. All white ( not a dark feather at all) and she has no colour in her eyes - just the black pupil. She is the most enthusiastic about food, bathing and hunting out insects and is laying like crazy.
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http://i1049.photobucket.com/albums/s383/brijjy/vivazpics191.jpg (http://i1049.photobucket.com/albums/s383/brijjy/vivazpics191.jpg)
This is one of my girls last summer. She sat on the eggs in the wood shed behing a pile of logs.
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Well, I've just got two Muscovy ducklings, both female I hope, 2 weeks old. One will be chocolate, the other chocolate and white. They are enormous compared to the rescued-by-a-soppy-townie-friend mallard duckling, which was the excuse for getting them - well she needed company didn't she ;) They are all in a cage in the kitchen, under a heatlamp.
They are quite nervous of me but gentle and friendly with their miniature mate.
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Well, I've just got two Muscovy ducklings, both female I hope, 2 weeks old. One will be chocolate, the other chocolate and white. They are enormous compared to the rescued-by-a-soppy-townie-friend mallard duckling, which was the excuse for getting them - well she needed company didn't she ;) They are all in a cage in the kitchen, under a heatlamp.
They are quite nervous of me but gentle and friendly with their miniature mate.
I've seen the piccy, very cute but how do you know at this early stage that they are female? That's a skill that would be very handy ;)
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Well, I watched a you-tube video of vent-sexing ducklings and I tried it on the mallard.
When I went to collect the Muscovies, I said I only wanted females and he knew he had 2 females and 5 males left and he vent-sexed them to check. So I hope he was right......
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Right, I'm off to have a look at youtube ;)
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The video I saw was obviously a duck farm. It was the owner, very straightforward, who showed how he did the vent sexing and then showed one of his workers, who held the ducklings differently. But he explained it very well I thought.
Here it is:Metzer Farms - Sexing Baby Ducklings and Goslings (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c0kqaA8balc#ws)
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Just watched the video and one other by an american lady. Both were very informative. I shall be having a go on any goslings that may be hatching in the next couple of weeks.
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Yes that was a good video and helpful, particularly if you only have 2 hatchlings and can't see the difference when they are older (if they are the same sex they could both just look the same in geese for example).
Good luck with your new arrivals Judith ... must be easter! :&> :bunny: :&>
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And finally I get them outside - you should see the state of my hall :o
(http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k70/jaykayg/480cf67e.jpg)
Can you fit another one in there?
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They're great, you'll love them :thumbsup:
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Our old dame sat on her eggs for about 46 days - we examined one and it was rotten - we removed all of the 17 and gave her 6 from another mum. These should hatch in 8 days time and satisfy this dedicated mum.
We are removing eggs from one mum as we have about 60 other eggs being sat on by the other 4 females.
Fortunately or neighbour has offered her old chicken pen for our excessive number of potential ducklings.
fingers crossed as we luv our muscovies.
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I had to just take my geese off their eggs - poor loves, they sat so tight, but nothing :-\
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i have 4 campbells ducks ,,might get some muscovys with one drake, do they mix or fight
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I heard the drakes were pretty aggressive even with ganders so I'm just going to have females - I have enough other drakes and a gander who are all peaceful with each other, don't want to upset the applecart.
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We had a HUGE fight on our pond a few days back - our Steinbacher gander (via Jaykay) was swimming away with Mrs Steinbacher No2 and hissed at our Muscovy drake - he immediately retaliated and there was mayhem -myself and my OH were at the pond side at the time and kept looking at them and thinking they would bash each other and back off, but they kept going at it hammer and tongs and wouldn't stop. They had each others necks in their beaks at the same time, wings flapping everywhere, they were both in for the kill. My OH had to jump in, he grabbed the one uppermost at the time (the drake) by the neck and took him off to the side - he immediately went in for round 2 and was taken out again by which time the gander took refuge. The gander seemed to be most shaken by the event I think, he's keeping a low profile from all of us at the moment ;) They seem to have got it out of their system for the moment anyway. Think we may have to keep any gosling offspring under wraps (if we get any).
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I've got 2 muscovy drakes and 1 gander and I have to say that they have never fought each other. The gander is now trying to be a duck and following them around as his girls are both sitting on eggs. The mussies just put up with him.
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Ours get on fine EXCEPT now that the mums are sat on their eggs. When they get off their nest they march about feathers up and head down hissing and will attack females that are not sitting on eggs. You can spot the mums who have left their eggs by the way they strut about then have a good bath and clean before eating and getting back on the egss - others have learnt to keep out of their way or else. #Ducklings due from tomorrow onwards ( 60 plus !!)
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Good luck this time MAK :wave:
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Yes fingers crossed - it has been very warm these last 2 days and some of the mums have stood above their eggs and fanned them with their tails. 30 in the shade but 42 in the sun so the mums have been in and out of the bath too.
I'll post when or if we have babies !! ahhhh