[cuckoo]

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

[Mel]

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!

[MAK]

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 !

[Fleecewife]

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 

[Fleecewife]

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 

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.

[cuckoo]

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?

[Skirza]

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 

[Bert]

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)

[MAK]

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.

[colliewoman]

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


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

[MAK]

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 ? 

[colliewoman]

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!

[cuckoo]

Hi Colliewoman

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

[colliewoman]

Then I would take em, see how you get on and if you don't like them feed them to the dogs Or sell them/swap them  . 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

[cuckoo]

Well - can get them this week - Erin is well and truly squidged! Give Bridigh a hug too! (hope I spelt Bridigh right!)