This concise article will answer every question you never thought to ask about raising Muscovy ducks. They are the most wonderful creatures that make great pets, eggs layers or backyard flock.
OK, get your sniggering out of the way. This is what a handsome, red blooded male Muscovy Duck should look like.
What Makes a Muscovy Duck Special?
Muscovies are not related to any other duck, in fact some believe they are descended from geese rather than ducks.
They originate from South America where their name is believed to come from their insatiable appetite for mosquitoes and their larvae. How great is that? A critter that turns mosquitoes into tasty protein! They also have a penchant for flies, small slugs, snails and even frogs & newts.
The most obvious difference between them and ‘other’ ducks are the carruncles (the red stuff) on their faces which is more predominant in the males.
Interestingly, in females the bright red dulls to a deep orange when they’re broody, right through to raising their ducklings. A blatant visual warning to the males to stay away!
Another difference is they have long, sharp claws which are used to attach to tree branches at night when they roost. Due to these claws there’s a right and wrong way to pick up a muscovy and the wrong way will end in bloodshed – yours that is.
Put your carrying arm over and around its body, pinning both wings in place and taking hold of one or both legs (depending on the size of the bird and the size of you) gently but firmly.
This needs to be done pretty quickly, as if they start to struggle with you they’ll lash out trying to find their feet, and you’ll have first hand experience of those claws.
Always an idea to do this manoeuvre with the duck facing backwards, as if they decide to relieve themselves whilst being carried you’ll end up wearing it down your back.
Yep, sadly I speak from experience.
Muscovy Duck Eggs
Ducks eggs are the richest, creamiest, smoothest eggs going.
However, as wonderful as the Muscovy duck is, this isn’t the breed to get if you are after an egg-laying machine. You may want to consider a Khaki Campbell or an Indian Runner as they lay far more per year.
Muscovy Ducks as Meat Birds
This is where Muscovy ducks excel, the meat is dark and very lean. If you’ve ever bought a supermarket duck (in the UK Aylesbury’s are the most common meat bird sold) to roast at home you can almost watch the bird shrink in the oven, as the inch or more of fat under the skin melts.
This is all very well if you want to roast a gazillion potatoes to accompany the meal, but if you are striving for a healthier diet then the lean meat of the muscovy duck is definitely the duck of choice.
It’s worth knowing that the boys weigh in much heavier than the girls, and if you’re not sure of the age of the bird I would recommend a very slow roast to tenderise the meat as it can be tough on an older bird, and baste frequently as it is so lean.
Feeding Muscovy Ducks
In the summer months our birds will require very little extra food as they forage plenty, but in the colder months they’ll need feeding a duck or unmedicated chicken feed twice a day. If you are growing them to eat, put them on a growers ration, but if they are just for laying or for looking pretty a layers ration will be fine.
Make sure they have plenty of clean water close at hand as the dry food alone will make them poorly.
Broody Muscovy Ducks
When a Muscovy duck is ready to start her brood she’ll find a nice, quiet nest site. You may have things lying around your homestead that will make great nest boxes. Think buckets, half barrels, large plant pots, wine boxes, dog crates etc.
They can all be put to good use by a broody Muscovy duck!
She’ll start laying an egg every day in her new nest. As time goes by she’ll start to pick out the soft, fluffy down from her chest to line the nest with. Then, when she has her perfect number of eggs in place, she’ll start incubating them.
If you spend a lot of time with your ducks, you will see a change in her behaviour at this point. She will go from generally fussing around her nest and sitting down just to lay an egg, to sitting with great resolve and dedication for around 23 hours a day.
Hatching Muscovy Ducklings
At this point you can start counting, as the first day she sits with dedication, is day 1 of the eggs being incubated.
During this time don’t disturb her, and keep her safe from predators and vermin.
She will only come off her nest to eat, drink and poop once or maybe twice a day. I will give you fair warning, the poop from a broody Muscovy duck is revolting.
It stinks, it’s explosive and you do not want to be any where near her when she expels it!
It is imperative that she has food and clean water available at all times. In very dry weather she may leave her nest more frequently to bathe, thereby increasing the humidity of the eggs when she back down with wet feathers. Please ensure you change her water at least daily.
As only a fertile egg will hatch, if you haven’t got a male Muscovy, you know the eggs are infertile. However long the mamma sits on them, nothing good is going to come out of that egg! So, although it feels very mean, it is worth waiting for the duck to leave her nest. Then removing and disposing of the eggs.
A female duck loses condition the longer she sits on a nest. If you know they will never hatch, the kinder thing to do is get her off them asap.
How long do Muscovy eggs incubate for?
A Muscovy duck egg needs 35 days to fully incubate. Interestingly, other breeds of ducks only need around 28 days to incubate.
And then this happens…
Muscovy Ducklings
Muscovy ducks make fantastic mothers. The most eggs we’ve had one hatch is 15, which is pretty amazing as the girls aren’t all that big. We have had Muscovy ducks hatch chicken eggs too.
Although that can lead to problems when the mamma duck wants to teach her chicks to swim!
The ducklings will need access to water from day one. However they won’t need duckling feed until day 2 or 3. In the interim they digest the remainder of the yolk in their digestive systems.
If you can’t find duckling food, you can use an unmedicated chick feed. Or, as a last resort, you can grind up some duck feed in a kitchen blender.
Obviously this isn’t the perfect nutrition for a duckling. But if you have an unexpected brood of Muscovy ducklings turn up at your door, this will suffice until you can get to the farm store.
Muscovy Duckling Colours
If a Muscovy duckling is bright yellow with a pink beak, like the ones below, they will grow up to be a white Muscovy duck. If they are yellow with any black in their beak then they will likely have patches of a darker colour among the white feathers.
When the ducklings are yellow and black, they will grow up a bird that is black and white.
Muscovy Ducks – The Quiet Breed
One of the many reasons I am so smitten with my flock, is that they are very quiet. They don’t ‘quack’ which if you’ve had the misfortune to meet a Call duck or an Aylesbury duck you’ll appreciate (I’m sorry for offending all you Call & Aylsebury fans but seriously – HOW do you live with that noise???!)
Instead these guys nod their heads and have a gentle kind of hiss as a greeting. Oh, and they wag their tails. Seriously they are really cute to watch.
Left to their own devices, they would be far happier sleeping on a tree branch safely out of harms way than on a pond or in a hut, and they are the one duck breed not so in need of a large area of water.
We’ve raised birds here with just a 4 inch deep tray of water, a cat litter tray is good and pretty hard wearing. So long as the water is deep enough to get their nostrils and eyes under then it’s fine. It will need changing twice daily as they will drink, clean, and probably poop in it, and everything around this area will get very, very muddy.
If you do venture into the world of duck keeping, I’m sure you won’t regret it for a moment. Please, do let me know how you get on!
Sandra says
They are adorable. A bird very much on top of my wish list. :)
HedgeComber says
Think we’re gonna have to start a Muscovy fan club! Thanks for dropping in x
Shelly says
Iv got two lovely girls Muscovy Caroloe & Linda they are so sweet they even come in to watch Corry on a night they go into the garden when its finished .My 3 dogs love to be with them Iv got a boy Muscovy in so we can have some babies chicks sadly hes going home today hes been so much fun .On a morning they come to the patio door & knock on the window for there breakfast i don’t mind them coming in my home as iv had all carpets taken away & tailed my bungalow so no bother hahah they do love slugs & snails also i give them not to often live mealworms
Jane Sarchet says
Seriously, they watch corrie?! That’s hilarious!
Janie x
Linda says
I have loved muscovy’s since 1991 when we bought our 1st 3 babies. I tell people (when they tell me that they are ugly) that unlike the quacky ducks they have real faces!!! Originally we were thinking meat…but after we raised them from day olds – well we took pictures of their 1st eggs etc and that was the end of that. Come on, we couldn’t eat our grandchildren could we? (Yes we don’t have children) I’ve had them as pets since then and 2 do come in the house. Sweet Pea (chocolate) and CC (blue). They like all of the reality shows so we’re forced to watch them with the girls. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it! I actually have 2 Saxony ducks and they are sweet too but the Muscovies have it all over the others with the personalities.
Jane Sarchet says
Hehe, you sound as bonkers about them as me Linda! They really are the best aren’t they? Such lovely natures.
Thank you so much for getting in touch :)
Janie x
Judy says
Hi Janie,
Hope you are doing well! I just love your new bunnies they are super cute! I have written to you many times and have a question. I had the Muscovy’s previously and have lost them, but one of them is hanging around again, she even had a egg in the nesting house. :) I took it out and put a fake one in there cause I am worried about preditors getting it. I will just keep an eye on things and see if she sits.
I have ordered some little ones from a hatchery and will have them in a few weeks- my wonder is if I need to worry about having a heat lamp on them – we are in Texas and its usually at least 80 at night. If I keep them in a smaller area so they can snuggle will that be enough? I don’t want to lose them.
Jane Sarchet says
Oooh exciting! Could you not get your mummy duck to rear them? It’ll save you a lot of work. If not I think you’ll want them under heat initially, even of only at night. Take a peep at this link for more info http://www.southyeofarmwest.co.uk/resources/Hatching+and+keeping+ducklings.pdf
Good luck & do let us know how you get on :)
Janie x
donna bivighouse says
I had two muscovy female ducks up until two weeks ago when one was hit by a car. I am considering adopting another adult duck so my female has a “friend”. Would you recommend a male or a female and should they be kept seperated at first? Thanks for your response!
Jane Sarchet says
Aww that’s so sad to hear Donna.
Introducing one male or female will be fine, but be prepare for babies every year if you bring in a boy :)
If you bring in a girl there will probably be a bit of ‘hen-pecking’ to start with whilst they work out who’s in charge. Just leave them to it and they should soon settle down.
Good Luck!
Janie x
Nicky says
Hi, I have recently adopted a female muscovy and a blind female indian runner (they came as a pair and the muscovy helps our indian runner get around…it’s too adorable). The last 5 days our muscovy has gone broody and as we have no males to fertilise her eggs I am a little concerned for her well being. Is there anything we can do to discourage her broodiness? We live in Wollongong, Australia and are half way through spring. We collect her eggs daily so she is not laying on any eggs but continues to sit in her feather laden nest she’s built in the corner of our chicken shed. Any information would be greatly appreciated as we’re new to all of this but have quickly become very attached to our new feathered little friends and want to make sure we’re doing everything we can to take good care of the girls.
Cheers,
Nicky
Jane Sarchet says
Aww, how sweet! Birds lose condition when sitting on eggs so you could either give her some fertile ones to sit on or I would recommend breaking up the nest.
She’ll probably look distressed for a few days but keep breaking up anything she remakes and she’ll soon get the message.
Good luck!
Janie x
Darlene Money says
A Muscovy showed by our Mobile Home Park at the school bus. The kids loved him and would follow them into the mobile home park,stay and wait until they walked back to bus stop the next morning. The kids named him Gary and all the resident fell in love with Gary as did we.We put him in our big fenced lake area with our duck,geese but he would fly out. He liked people better than birds. He laid he the middle of road and
we were afraid he would ran over and everyone was worried. So my husband had to clip his wings.he follow everyone around the whole lake when we are walking and my husband goes in there twice a day and sits with Gary. We all love him but wish he would make friends with the birds.
Jane Sarchet says
Aww, that’s so sweet Darlene. Are there other Muscovies on the lake? If not you may like to find him a female Muscovy to befriend ;)
JAnie x
Den says
Hi , could you tell me how long they sit on their eggs
Jane Sarchet says
Hi Den, around 35 days is normal.
Janie x
Den says
Thank you so much, I will keep waiting, up to 28 days now, Getting quite excited.
Jane Sarchet says
Brilliant! If you want to share pics (pretty please!) head over and share on our facebook page https://www.facebook.com/Hedgecombers
Janie x
Den says
Hi Just to say , One little Duckling hatched out yesterday, mum is still sitting on three more eggs, Just been out to get some chick crumbs.
Back down to the pond to see how mum and duckling is getting on. .I have them in a pen for safety, so many predator’s out there
Jane Sarchet says
YAY!!! Whoop whoop! So excited for you Den, aren’t they just the cutest?
Janie x
donna says
hi i live in new zealand and 4 mths ago a muscovy duck turned up in a storm she has bonded with me and my dog we have such fun times, i to let her inside, she a real blessing, she plays with my blind dogs toys, and she now puts her self to bed at night calling me to close her door, i have been trying to find out how to age her ,she is adult but would be nice to no her real age could anyone help plse
Jane Sarchet says
Hi Donna, what a great story! I have no idea how to age adult females, with the drakes their caruncles get more bumpy & pronounce with age, not sure that applies with the females though. I guess you could take her to the vet, maybe they’d be able to give you an idea?
Good luck, and if you find out an answer please do let me know!
Janie x
sam says
hey we have mucovy ducks and three days ago one of the ducks had one duckling and today they had another one why dont she have them at the same time and she dont stay with the ducklings what should i do
Jane Sarchet says
Hey Sam, there are many reason it doesn’t go to plan. It may be her first clutch, another duck may have laid in her nest when she’d already started incubation, or a hundred other reasons. Fingers crossed you have a healthy little family of ducklings now, good luck!
Janie x
Jo says
We’ve just got a garden, live in the suburbs and keep hens – currently 16 including the younger ones, the middleaged ones and the OAPs. Do you think that the muscovies would be ok in a garden? How much space do they need?
We’ve been saving to move out of the city but can’t seem to get enough money together to buy a place with a field withing visiting distance of the family and grandchildren. Now all these cutbacks look like my husband will be taking a big cutback on his pay and therefore pension and the field looks like it will just remain a dream. I’ve always wanted ducks so if they can’t live in a suburban garden, then I can’t have them. I envy you your fields!
Don’t misunderstand me please – I’m being positive about the situation and just trying to work out if we can realise some of the dream here in the city. Your advice – from someone who keeps muscovies – would be helpful.
thank you!
HedgeComber says
Hi Jo, how big is your garden? Muscovies don’t need huge amount of space to be honest, some grass and dirt to scrabble round in – they love freshly turned soil – and an area where they can get as wet and muddy as they like and they’ll be really happy. If you are really short on space then maybe just a couple of girls as they are almost half the size of the boys.
Of all the ducks out there they will probably be the most suited to being in the ‘burbs as they are fine with just a tub of water to splash in rather than a pond. They’ll all live together perfectly well, the ducks may get a little hen pecked initially and that’s why I’d recommend getting at least 2. Good luck and please let me know if/when you get them! xx
HedgeComber says
Another couple of thoughts, they are really good flyers so you may want to clip their wings if you want them to stay put. Also, the biggest downside is they will turn a confined area to mud, especially over winter. It’ll be very well fertilised mud, but mud all the same!
Jo says
The hens have 3 moveable runs in an area about 40 foot by 12. I would hope the ducks could have a large run within that. My husband has ideas about fencing in that whole area including roof at our head height – bit like a giant fruit cage. The sides would have to be buried deep because we get foxes through quite regularly. There is not a single blade of grass in this area – the hens have seen to that. I have to admit that the cost of this leaves me in need of a restorative :) but it would restrain the ducks. We tend to fill their runs with leaves or bark chippings to keep their feet off the wet and it also keeps the ground sweeter – and fills our compost bins. Ducks would not happen until we leave work either next summer or the summer after although that depends on just what changes to our income the government makes (education changes/cutbacks). We have “grown” young cockerels to go in the freezer (just once ) but they probably didn’t get to grow quite as much as they could have because as soon as they tried to crow, they had to go. It took a lot of persuasion for the neighbours to accept that hens would not wake them up at dawn by crowing so one squawk and it was curtains for the cockerels. The ducks, being of a quieter variety, might help as we’d really like to be as self sufficient as we can in as many areas as we can. If we stay where we are, I can’t see meat being on the menu much and I can also see eggs being a main source of protein… Besides, I’ve always had a fondness for muscovies ever since I first saw them, years ago. Reading your replies has made me quite hopeful so many thanks!
HedgeComber says
The longed for fenced run sounds just perfect for the chooks and ducks to live in together. Muscovies will certainly provide you with good quality meat through out the year and although you don’t get masses of eggs from the girls they are such a treat when you do!
Please let me know how you get on and if you need any ducks let me know :D
MEL says
I adopted 7 muscovy ducks three months ago. So far I find them very entertaining and enjoy hanging out with them. They seem happy to hang out with other ducks and chickens two. Even my neighbor let them hang out at their place.
I have two questions.
Are the eggs good for breakfast or just backing?
Do I put the nest boxs up in the tree or on the ground? What kind would be best?
Jane Sarchet says
Hi Mel, lovely to meet you!
The eggs make AWESOME eating! The yolks are HUGE, rich and utterly delicious. Personally I can only eat one at a time (whereas I can eat 2 or even 3 chicken eggs) as more than 1 makes me feel a bit nauseous.
Nest boxes on the ground.
Good luck & enjoy them!
Janie x
Wayne says
I have a 4 month old duck as well as a breeding pair.
We have separated the male from the other two because where not sure what sex the 4 month old is.
If the 4 month old is a male will they fight?
Thanks
Wayne
Jane Sarchet says
In a word, yes. They may fight a little and the more submissive one will back down quickly, but they may fight quite badly if they are both aiming to be ‘top dog’.
Good luck, and hope it’s a girl :)
Marvin Estrella says
I’ve always loved raising Muscovy ducks! I have a pair in my backyard here in the Philippines. Thank you so much for those wonderful pictures of this kind of fowl. For me, these ducks are wonderful to take care of, not for their meat, rather as a pet.
Pamela Gideon-Hawke says
We live in Las Vegas and its Summer now. Very hot at 107. We’re surrounded by two man-made lakes and 6 Muscoveys have adopted me. There’s Darth, as in Vador, and he’s huge with black body and red face. He likes to strut his stuff and tries to intimidate the other males. Then came Princess, a small white one. She’s very timid and very sweet and just wants to stand on my feet while being fed. Molly is very white with a little curl on top of her head. She too is a bit timid and she likes to ‘talk’ to me. Lucy is a miniature of Darth. Gee, I hope Lucy is a she! Lucy squeeks ‘me too! me too!’ if she doesn’t think she’s getting her fair share. Jake is basically brown and white and is loving and follows me like a puppy. He lets me stroke his white feathered chest. He tries to nibble my hand like little kisses, and lastly comes Renny, as in renegade. He’s still a bit new and is easily scared off by Darth. Renny is gray and white.
I feed them lettuce in the mornings along with corn flakes, popcorn in the afternoon and bread at night. Now when I feed them I sit on a tiny stool so I am at their height. It’s the most amazing and loving relationship I have ever had with animals or birds.
HedgeComber says
Pamela, I felt like I was sitting at your lake with you as you introduced them all! I love that little nibble on my hand too, so adorable!
I’ve read that in the US they are so prolific they are treated as vermin. It’s lovely to hear how you have bonded with them and get so much pleasure from them. Did they have any young this year?
Thank you so much for popping in, your message made my day! xx
dave says
hi some of the most amazing and fullfilling relationships have been with animals.
Jane Sarchet says
Hey dave, I totally agree!
Janie x
Leisa says
We have been in our house 3 years and because we have 2 ponds, I was pining for ducks. After much research I decided on Muscovy ducks for their hardiness and ability to fly to roost. We have coyotes, foxes, racoons, hawks, possum, etc. We got a drake and 2 hens a month ago and love them! I was attempting to gather the eggs to keep them from starting to sit on a nest for fear they would become “sitting ducks” for the predators but they got very good at hiding them in the woods and other places. They are now sitting on a nest under a bush right against our foundation and so far, so good. Do I need to provide the hen with food and water or is she leaving the nest for that? I haven’t seen her leave in several days. I am concerned about having any food smell around her for fear of attracting predators. Also, if she successfully hatches them, should I get a new drake, or is “inbreeding” not an issue of concern for ducks. Thanks for any guidance!
HedgeComber says
Hi Leisa, thank you for stopping by!
I do understand your worry re predators – the only predators our clan have are foxes and badgers and we have sadly lost several over the years. I wouldn’t be able to leave a duck out with her nest at night here, she’d have to be shut up in a house so I wish you good luck! She will come off the nest generally once a day, will have an almighty poop (the smell is like nothing you’ve ever smelt!) and will eat, drink and wash.
If your ducks are used to being fed by you then you will need to put food down for her, and she does need a bucket of water close by to drink and splash her face in.
Don’t forget they take much longer than hens to hatch their eggs, off the top of my head I think it’s 35 days for a muscovy egg. As for inbreeding, I guess in an ideal world you’d have a fresh drake every season but I figure in nature inbreeding happens continuously so I have kept the drake for 2 – 3 years. Trouble is, he has become one of the family now and I’d hate to lose him!
I wish you the best of luck with your brood, Jane x
Leisa says
Thanks so much for your thorough response and words of encouragement! By my calculations we have a little less than a week before the eggs hatch and we are all holding our breath hoping no predators discover her clever hiding place. Then we will have to worry about the safety of the ducklings. If necessary I will complete the enclosure I started for them to keep the 3 adults and ducklings in at night until the ducklings can fly.
Our pond and her food bowl are just a couple of hundred feet away from her so I have not taken food or water closer to her for fear of attracting attention.
We are fond of our “Elvis” too so I think we will just let nature take it’s course as far as the inbreeding goes.
Steve Gillmore says
hello, we have just go our 3 female muscovy ducks,there at the fledging stage at the moment.would you advice to have there wings clipped as we have been told there good flyers and we don,t want to loose them,i don,t want to keep them in a pen,just roam around the garden.
thankyou
HedgeComber says
Hey Steve, that’s a tough one.
If your only reason for wanting to clip their wings is to stop them flying away I don’t think you should worry. I feed mine twice a day and they are always waiting (not so patiently!) for me even though they are free to fly wherever they want. I think they know when they’re onto a good thing!
We leave ours unclipped as we have a real risk of foxes round here and I like to think that my girls have a fighting chance of getting away from one if cornered.
julie says
I have seven bantam chickens. Two silkies, two araucanas, one polish, one barred rock and a wyandotte. Do you think that I would be able to keep a couple of muscovies in the same yard? I have about a quart of an acre.
HedgeComber says
I’ve kept them in the same barn as chickens before and there was no problem. They will find their own place in the pecking order, but just let them all get on with it. So long as you have more than one they’ll keep themselves to themselves mostly.
The only downside to housing them together is the mess that the ducks make. Our barn is dirt floored, so the water from their unavoidable splashing turned the floor to mud. However, it’s even worse in a floored house as their big feet, messy poop and need for water 24/7 turns any dry, pristine chicken coop to yuk pretty quick.
Hope I haven’t put you off! x
julie says
I am not put off quite yet, but am concerned. I was more worried about having 1.6 to 2lb chickens with 8plus lb ducks. I have heard they can be aggressive. I have also heard that they can be kept outside of the coop? I live in the Willamette Valley and it is mostly rainy with not so much snow or super cold temps. What is the minimum amount of Muscovies I can keep. Would one girl be ok with my bantams to start or would I need more? Do I need a drake or can I just keep a girl? Will .25 acres be enough for them?
Thanks,
Julie
HedgeComber says
Hmm, we’ve never had an aggressive Muscovy. They will nip the feathers of a hen that’s in the way of a food treat, just as a hen will do the same back. No blood is drawn or harm done. I wouldn’t say they were best friends with the chickens but they all seem to cohabit quite painlessly.
Do you have much in the way of predators where you live? Our only real problem is with foxes and we have lost many ducks to them. Nowadays however, they keep themselves safe by roosting at night on an island on our pond. Great for us as it’s one less job to do, and since we’ve given them that freedom we haven’t lost any to foxes.
The reason I suggest no less than 2 ducks is for the same reason that you wouldn’t put one goat in a field or one ferret in a cage. It just feels nicer if they have a friend! 2 girls will be very happy together, you only need the drake if you want little ‘uns. 1/4 of an acre sounds ideal, they are pretty hardy birds and not in the slightest fussy.
Why do you like the idea of Muscovies in particular?
julie says
I actually see that you said I need more than one. Is two enough? Am
I better raising them until they are larger myself or letting the chickens act as nannys?
julie says
. I was thinking about some call ducks, because they are so darn cute and they would go with my banties… ;-) But I hear that Muscovies are a bit quieter I also read that they are very, very good at controlling fly populations. I haven’t been able to find mention of any other ducks controlling flies. The people behind us graze cattle and we had a terrible fly problem last summer. I am not sure if two Muscovies would make that much of a difference…but I am willing to give it a shot…I have seen videos where they looked like fun pets. I also saw a whole flock of them yesterday and they weren’t quite as scarey looking as I thought they would be. ;-) The only things that really concern me about them are that I don’t want them to completely decimate my garden next spring and I don’t want them to hurt my little hens… ;-)
Glen says
The musovies are awesome for catching flies. We have a huge fly problem where we are and I can sit and watch our muscovies catch about 30 flies an hour. They are the best duck for around the yard. At times we tie up our dogs and let a couple of the young drakes out for the day, when no foxes are around. They just go crazy cleaning up all the bugs, lizards, frogs etc they can find. (sometimes they snack on the veggies garden too the little buggers.)
Louise Bethel says
Help! can you mix different ducks together???????????
HedgeComber says
Hi Louise! Yes, you can! There will be a hierarchy in any bird grouping, so there will be quarrels but yo’ll get that when keeping just one breed. So long as they have plenty of space to escape from each other they’ll be fine!
Louise Bethel says
Help ! can you mix different ducks together ???????????
Julie Sanders says
I have a hen sitting on several eggs. We are very new to raising Muscovy’s, but have had chickens a while. I’m concerned when the eggs hatch the hens will kill them. Do I need to separate them once they are born or maybe even before?? Thanks, Julie
Julie Sanders says
Hmmm. I said hen. It’s a female Muscovy.
HedgeComber says
Ah ok! A Muscovy sat on Muscovy eggs, within a hen enclosure – have I got that right? x
HedgeComber says
Hi Julie, don’t worry – a hen will hatch any egg as her own. Leave the babies with her as the hen then does all the work for you (keeping them warm, safe & teaching them to feed etc) The ducklings must have enough water to be able to duck their head under.
Also, if you have mixed duck & hen eggs under your hen, the hen eggs will hatch several days before the duck eggs, and the mother will abandon the duck eggs and they won’t hatch.
Good luck Julie! x
Julie Sanders says
I realized I was plain as mud. I have the ducks mixed with chickens in a electric netting large area enclosure within my yard. The coop(within the enclosure) is where the duck is sitting on her eggs. My concern is the other hens (chickens) or rooster will kill the ducklings when the are born. I’ve never hatched anything before. What do you think? Thanks for replying I found your site last night as I was searching Muscovy info. We live in Southeast Texas in the US. Yes, Texan. Thanks, Julie
HedgeComber says
Ah, OK! If the Muscovy is lowest of the entire chook/duck pecking order the hens may attack the babies, but she will generally see them off.
However, the ducks energy reserves will be pretty low after sitting on eggs for so long, and she ideally needs to be in a pretty stress free environment for the first few weeks to regain her strength. By then of course the babies will be bigger and more independant.
As the ducklings will need constant access to clean water in a shallow bowl (the hens will drink & poop in it!) and they need constant access to chick crumbs (the hens will eat it!), can you create a small run & coop inside the bigger run designed to keep the duck & babies in? They won’t like being confined so much but it’ll keep them safer and in better condition.
One thing I also found useful was 2 water bowls in with the babies. One tall, narrow tub that the babies can’t reach but the mummy can duck her head in and drink & wash with, and the shallow bowl as above. Trying to keep that shallow bowl clean is a nightmare and it won’t be deep enough for the mum.
I hope that helps Julie, please let me know how you get on! Janie x
{laureen Kehaulani Zdvoracek says
ive been raising moscovies for about 5 years now but i still cant find information on how long a drake is able to produce progeny. i need to thin my stock by 3 more drakes and would like to keep the original 2 who are 5 years old now but will put them in the pot if they are to old to procreate can you give me any idea how long as in years that i can use them as breeders
HedgeComber says
Sadly I have no idea of the answer Laureen, good luck!
Ellen says
Dear HedgeCombers,
Your photos are truly beautiful! I’d be swept away with duck envy if I weren’t torn between having chickens instead and wondering if I could handle both. We visited Cornwall a few years back while homeschooling our son. It’s absolutely breath-taking and we dream of retiring in the UK. Thank you for sharing your lovely home and delightful critters. If we go for the ducks, I’ll try to document the adventure. Continued happiness to you and yours — Warm Wishes, Ellen — San Andreas, CA, USA
HedgeComber says
Ellen, what a lovely message to wake up to! Thank you for taking the time to write.
Cornwall is indeed a little piece of heaven, I truly feel blessed to live here.
As for the chicken/duck dilemma – good luck with whichever you choose (and don’t worry, as soon as you start, you’ll end up getting more, and more… and more!!!
:)
Have a great day Ellen x
kerrie bollman says
Hi, I have a Mascoy hen who as be on her nest for what seems a long time . Worried that shes sitting there for nothing. How do I know for sure?
HedgeComber says
Hi Kerrie, the only way you’ll know for sure is candle an egg when she next leaves the nest to eat.
If this isn’t her first brood, I would imagine she would know by halfway through if the eggs weren’t viable and abandon them.
Muscovies do take a real long time (I think it’s 35 days off the top of my head) but sooo worth it!
Good luck, hope they make an appearance soon!
Janie x
Jen says
Wonderful post on Muscovies… I’ve had mine for over 2 years now.
HedgeComber says
Hi Jen, and thanks for stopping by. They are a great breed aren’t they, if I could just get a few more eggs a year they’d be totally perfect!
crystal says
hey those ducks are just fabulous………….one question though, do you think they are better to raise for meat or eggs???????????
HedgeComber says
Meat and/pets, they don’t lay enough eggs in a year to cover their feed costs! Enjoy Crystal, Janie x
patti says
I have 14 Ducks, 3 females and 2 males Muscovy, a few runners, 2 male pekins that I raised from babies, (they are just 4 mos old…and 3 male mallards, I bought them all full grown from an auction accept for the 2 male pekins… and their wings were all clipped… My husband built an awesome inclosure huge pen for them and we put two kiddie size swimming pools in the inclosure for them… we also put a big dog house inside this pen.. I just noticed 3 weeks ago that the two Muscovy females were in the dog house sharing a huge nest with atleast 30 eggs and both of the female Muscovy ducks are sharing this same nest… Everyday I look in the house to see if they have begun to hatch but nothing yet.. Im not sure how long ago they had laid them.. but the 30 or more eggs have been in this nest for atleast weeks now… I open the pen door every morning and let them all out and they head to our horse pasture and small running creek to play…I have one tan huge duck (looks like a pekin) that always picks on a very small runner or mallard (Im not sure what the one small duck is) Other than that they all get along and hang with their own groups of kind.. Is it ok that the two Muscovy are sharing this huge nest of eggs? And ONE of the eggs in their nest is HUGE… Should I separate the mother Muscovy’s and their nest of eggs from the inclosure pen of the other 12 Ducks? The other ducks never go into the dog house where the 2 mother Muscovy’s stay all day/night.. with their nestings.. and when I open the door in the morning to allow them to roam freely until dusk.. The mother Muscovy’s do not leave their nest and follow the others to the creek… I allow them to stay in the dog house where they rather be.. What will happen when the babies all hatch and come out of the house into the huge inclosed pen with all of the other big ducks? Will they be ok? I want my Muscovys to be friendly like I have been hearing on here that they are.. But I just bought mine from an auction about 2 months ago and even though I go out and feed them treats.. They run from me like the other ducks do… Will the hatching babies grow to be more friendlier then the others once they are hatched?
HedgeComber says
Hey Patti, good to meet you!
The only problem I foresee, is that the eggs are likely to be at different stages of incubation. The ducks turn the eggs and the 2 batches will, in time get mixed together. Also if any other ducks get into the nest to lay, there could completely different staged eggs.
However, I’m sure that some (I’ll be interested to know how many!) do hatch. If they’ve been sitting for more than a few days I’d leave them as they are for now.
When the babies hatch, you may need to separate them from teh other to keep them safe and as they need access 24/7 to clean water and chick crumbs (the big ducks will poop in and eat it!). Depending how many hatch I would probably take one mother away from the babies after they’ve arrived. She’ll then start laying again and you may get another clutch from her this year.
The ducklings seem to learn their response to human from their mothers, so if they are tame so will the youngsters, if they run from you, the same.
The only way to ensure they are tame as adult is to raise them yourself :)
Hope that helps!
Janie x
Jean Knowles says
Hi Janie, je suis une Anglaise living in France. I’ve had an abundance of Muscovy chicks which I have advertised for sale (at a budget price) in my local paper. They are only 9 weeks old and already half as big as their Mum. Anyway, just wanted to tell you that I REALLY enjoyed your “write-up” on the ducks. You’re completely right about all the attributes that the Moscovies have, that I have never really “remarked” on (French word for “noticed”). I’ll appreciate the ones that I am keeping even more now. Thanks
HedgeComber says
Jean, I’m so glad you commented! Thank you for your kind words, and I’m glad you can see a little more of their character now :)
I sadly think my drake is past his prime if you catch my drift, I’ve had no eggs hatch so far this year. Very sad as he is my only original bird and I do adore him. I’m torn as to whether to keep him as a pet or not. Not sure bringing in another male is fair so I’m really torn.
Shame you’re in France, I might have had a few babies from you! Janie x
Patti says
Thank you for replying Janie,
The eggs started to hatch 2 weeks ago.. I had 4 babies hatch and the one mother Muscovy started attending to just the 4 and she no longer sits on the other 15-20 eggs that are still in the nest with the other Mother Muscovy. Just today 3 babies have hatched and I noticed one more peeping thru the eggs, (should be born very soon) BUT…. The 1st mother that followed her 4 babies two weeks ago from the nest to take care of has been starting to attack the new babies being born today… She is chasing them and attacking them as the waddle close to her 4 babies that are weeks older… I thought she may kill these new babies that are just starting to hatch so I removed her from the pen enclosure that has the nest with babies hatching, I left her 4 babies in this pen with the Mother Muscovy that remains on the nest hatching the new babies.. But it looks like the ducklings that were born a few weeks ago seems to be pecking and attacking these new babies being born…. Should I have released these few week old babies into the huge pen where I put their mother Muscovy duck? Its just that this huge enclosed pen has 13 grown adult ducks of many kinds.. as I listed above and I didnt want the babies to be attacked by the older ducks or drown in their kiddie pool.. But for now I just removed the one mother who I did see attacking the babies that were only just 1-2 days old when they would come near her older (few weeks) babies. hope this all makes sense
HedgeComber says
Sorry it took me so long to respond Patti, I guess you’ve got them sorted by now. I will add though, that there is no perfect answer for any breeder. Each situation is different and you’ll learn from any mistakes that happen this time round. In nature it’s rare that a full clutch of eggs survive to adulthood, so we find ourselves trying to control something that is pretty much uncontrollable! xx
Patti says
I just wandered outside to check on all of them and another baby was just born a few hours ago… 3 new babies in 2 days….. and I see peep holes in 3-4 eggs more moving around.. should be born very soon… The older ones that are 10-12 days old are fine…even though i moved their mother back into the big pen with the other big ducks… I found one of the 4 bigger babies under the mother in the nest and the other 3 older ones laying very close by…
HedgeComber says
How many ducklings did you get in the end Patti? Aren’t they adorable :)
Danielle says
I have/had two muscovy ducks but just this morning they got out of there pen and one flew into my backyard and the other is gone…. missing and I wonder if she will come back, if not where should i look for her? I’m not near any parks and I live in Phoenix AZ so body’s of water do not exist except peoples backyard pools….. will she stay in the same area or fly far away? :'(
HedgeComber says
Hey danielle, how sad for you. I’m not sure how far a duck would travel to be honest, ours are free to fly away and we’re in an area with loads of ponds/lakes etc but they never stray far from home. I may not see one for a day or two but, in my experience they always come back when they’re hungry!
Do let me know if/when it returns.
Janie x
Bobba Fett says
How much does it cost to raise a meat bird to slaughter?
Bobba Fett says
im doing a project for school on the benefits of muscovies vs. beef. i have a lot about health, bugs and eating, but not enough on cost, time and sustainability. Help please?
-BF
HedgeComber says
Hi Bobba, not one I can answer off the cuff I’m afraid, but I will endeavour to cost it up soon (although it’ll probably be too late for your project – sorry)
Janie x
Bobba Fett says
Thanks. for the reply
-BF
Shannen says
What a wonderful site! A friend who raises muscovies gave me a two year old pair two weeks ago. I so love watching them float, splash/make waves, and rise up and flap to dry their wings. I have 11 acres and a pond. I kept them in a pen for 5 days at first in hopes they would get to know me. Now that I have them out, they are seeming to get used to me but there is no way I can get them back in the pen at night. I am afraid my chances of them surviving are not good as we do have foxes, etc. around. I do have a perch for them too but have not seen them use it. We also can have cold winters in Pennsylvania and I read that they can get frostbite if they will not go in shelter. Do you have any words for me? I was hoping for a nest in the spring that would make it as I also read that if you bring the chicks in to the pen you can get them to imprint on you and be able to get them to go in at nite. Also, If they make it over the winter and start to brood should I move the nest into the pen? Any help you can offer would be so appreciated!
HedgeComber says
The best way to make Muscovies like (no, LOVE!) you is to train them to come to ‘sweeties’. This’ll take patience, depending how wild yours are, but the fact that your friend raises them I am guessing they are pretty used to human contact.
Find yourself a metal tin with a lid, one that when you shake the contents, it’ll make a lot of noise. Half fill it with corn and spend time with the birds feeding them and gently shaking the tin. The will quickly realise that you mean food, and mine come now even if I’m empty handed.
Once they trust you, it should be relatively simple to get them to go into a run or pen at night. You can clip their wings to prevent them flying away if that seems appropriate too (just remember they will not be able to escape predators if you do this though).
Hope that helps Shannen, please let me know how you get on!
Janie x
Daria C. Nortoni says
I have never written in about anything before but I have such affection for these birds that I had to share some of my experiences. I live in South Florida where the government officials want the Muscovies to disappear.The local code enforcement woman isisted that I remove all groundlevel water containers and put catch pans under my birdfeeders so that nothing would reach the ground and “feed” the ducks. When I told her I had a mother on eggs her reply was that I should put the eggs in my freezer to destroy them. Long story short- that night I caught a mom with new hatchlings and later the brooding mom, when her eggs hatched, fostered them in my bathtub for the first two weeks and then hid about 27 ducks in my backyard where I could take care of them until they could fly.
Frozen eggs my @#%&!!! P.S. you did know that there are duck diapers (nappies?) available if a special friend needs to go out in public?! Love to all
HedgeComber says
Hello Daria, lovely to hear from you! You deserve a medal for putting up with a family of ducks in your bath tub for a fortnight! They are adorable creatues aren’t they. and your were pretty lucky to have you fighting their corner!
Does the local government class them as vermin in Florida? Are they a big problem over there?
Janie x
shannen says
Thank you for the great idea! I am going to start it right away and will let you know how it goes. So if I get a nest in the spring do you think it will be wise to move it or if I am able to get them inside eventually do you think she will make the nest inside?
HedgeComber says
I have given myself so much stress over the years, moving broody’s and eggs, trying to get them to lay where I want them to (and where is safe) and generally I tend to just let them get on with it these days. Mind you, that’s why I didn’t get my first brood until August this year!
You could try making a dark, quiet, secret nest area inside & perhaps try popping a ceramic egg in it to tempt the girls to lay there, but don’t get too stressed if she invents her own highly inappropriate nesting area! Try and make that bit as safe as possible and let her get on with it (far easier said than done at first, I know!)
Janie x
paigen says
hi there. was brilliant reading your page. we live in the uk and i have just got 2 two week old muscovies. iam tottaly besotted with them. we have called them nibbler and strawberry. one of them always nibbles my fingers and the other is so laid back. im handling them every day and i bring them in the livingroom so they can get used to our other animals ( i also run a rabbit rescue) when i found out they eat mosquitos after id already brought them home i was delighted, they would help keep the bug population down around our rabbits. luckily enough we dont have to worry about predators as we already have 3 chickens and the neighboorhood cats are the only threat and they dont bother, neither do my own. i cant wait untill these cutie pies are bigger and able to go out in the garden. but one thing i would love to know is do i have boys or girls. one seems slightly heavier and is the one that will happily nibble at you hence his name. the other looks the same size but doesnt feel as heavy. the feet seem pretty similar in size. do you know when i will be able to tell what gender they are? there isnt really much information online about these gorgeos birds and in the first few days of having them i got really frustrated but since watching their behaviour and handling them as much as possible they are now coming upto me and falling asleep on my leg and if i place them on my chest they will sit there for hours, ive even fallen asleep a few times with them on me lol luckily they didnt go poopy on me. there need for water amazes me, its hilarious how they waddle their heads through the water then dart around. luckily enough we have a few old blankets that can be thrown away so they can come and join us when its time to chill out for a bit. what does it mean if they nibble at your finger? even if i dont give him my finger he tries to find it and nibble it anyway
paigen
a first time muscovy momma :)
HedgeComber says
Paigen, I love your message! Nibbling just seems to be their way of interacting, they grow out of it to a point, but when they are little (and if you are their mummy) they will nibble for hours! Older birds will stand together and ‘nibble the air’ so I wonder if they have some way of tasting the air maybe? Not sure, but it is very cute whatever!
As for male or female, they can be sexed at day old but I have never even tried as it is easy to permanently hurt them, so I just wait till it becomes obvious (around 1 – 2 months I guess). The 2 I am currently raising are only 2 and a bit weeks old, and one appears longer, lower to the ground and heavier than the other so I can convinced it is a boy. We’ll see!
Enjoy your little ones Paigen, and do let me know how you get on with them. (Are you on FB? If so, please pop some pics on the Hedgecombers wall!)
Janie x
Gabrielle Rota says
I have muscovy ducks 3 girls and 1 boy.The three girls are sitting on their eggs and some of the ducks eggs have hatched but she is still sitting on the ducklings.Is this supposed to happen???
HedgeComber says
If the eggs are still viable (ie if she can feel/hear movement from them) she will sit for maybe a day or two after the first babies hatch. However, at some point she will leave the nest to focus on the hatched ones, even if the eggs are still viable (see this post https://hedgecombers.com/2012/09/01/finally-we-have-some-muscovy-ducklings/ )
Also the mother will sit in the nest for several days, keeping her babies warm under her wings & belly and just coming off to eat & poop. Each day she’ll come off for a bit longer as they get bigger and stronger.
Good luck Gabrielle!
Janie x
learningandyearning says
Sadly, I’ve never had a duck egg. TALU.
HedgeComber says
Quick, get round here you poor malnourished thing! Seriously, ‘Duck Egg Eating’ needs to be on your bucket list!
Janie x
kenyagjohnson says
They are beautiful little duckies. I would definitely be a fan of the non-quackers.
HedgeComber says
I know right? Way too cute :)
Anne Kimball says
This is fascinating! I’ve always thought these were the ugliest things going, but never knew the first thing about them. Thanks for the efucation! And thanks for linking up with the TALU.
HedgeComber says
Anne, my work here is done :)
akl says
Everything you posted above is new to me! Love learning new things. It’s fascinating to me how the chicks look so different from their mommas. TALU
HedgeComber says
Hi akl, thank you for taking the time to visit & comment :)
The babies are real cute huh?
Janie x
Debbie McCormick says
Loved the educational aspect of this post. I definitely learned sometime new :) thanks. TALU
HedgeComber says
Cheers Debbie, and thanks for popping by!
Janie x
Chris at Hye Thyme Cafe says
Wow! I wish I knew about these guys when I was a kid … I would have had a whole flock of them! I was EXTREMELY allergic to mosquitoes, and my back yard was basically a forest, so you can imagine how miserable my summers were – between all the scratching and being chased around with Benadryl! Very interesting and informative post. :) [#TALU]
HedgeComber says
What a bummer that must have been. Are you still allergic Chris?
Chris at Hye Thyme Cafe says
Thankfully no! They’ll still pick me out of a crowd. If I’m with 100 people, everyone else will be bite-free and I’ll be covered form head to toe, but as a kid, I would get HUGE welts with every bite. It was awful.
HedgeComber says
I’ve had the occasional mozzie bite get infected which was horrid, glad you don’t suffer so badly now.
x
Veronica Roth says
You make me really want that organic farm I keep dreaming about. :)
(over from TALU)
HedgeComber says
Hehe, let me know when you’re there and I’ll send you some fertile Muscovy eggs as a gift :)
Janie x
Don says
My Son recently rescued a baby Muscovy that was the runt of the family. Mother Muscovies seem to have a trait of killing babies from other families by breaking their necks or pecking them badly. The one we rescued had all his tail feathers plucked out and he was slightly bleeding. We have been nursing him back to health with peroxide and ointment and there is much improvement in the few days we have had him.
I have two questions:
1) How much do we feed him? He is on a diet right now of canned peas and fruit baby food, but I am going to try to find the chick crumbs or chick starters you have mentioned.
2) We want to eventually release him back into one of the many lake areas near our home (SW Florida) at what stage will he be able to defend himself enough to do that ? Will there be any problems reintroducing him to the outdoors because of him being handled by humans ?
(I guess that is 3 questions. lol.
Thank you for all the information this site provides, you do a very good job with it.
Don
HedgeComber says
Hey Don, thanks for stopping by!
Firstly, a duck won’t eat more than it needs so it is important, esp when they are little, that they can eat whenever they want. Leave a bowl of crumbs out and another of water at all times, and they’ll sort themselves.
When he is released he will become part of the pecking order/hierarchy of the flock he joins, and as he comes with no social status or experience, if he joins a flock with one or more males, he’ll likely be at the bottom. You may find this hard to watch, but it’s all part of nature.
The fact that he’s been raised by humans shouldn’t make much difference to his future, with females it can lessen their maternal instinct and ability but I haven’t seen it affect drakes.
Aren’t Muscovies seen as vermin in parts of Florida? Be aware of releasing him back into the wild if this is correct, as you may be breaking the law.
I’d love to know how you get on with him, we have a Facebook page if you’d like to share photo’s! http://www.facebook.com/Hedgecombers
Janie x
Don says
Thank you for the information. I don’t do facebook but I have a couple of pictures………he is a cute little guy.
I think in Florida the breed is not encouraged but not illegal. There are tons of them on every lake down here and we have a lot of small ponda and lakes. This duckling was right here at the apartment complex where we live and we are keeping him in a big plastic tub in my shop office.
I have been looking everywhere for chick crumbs and can’t find them. I did find corn meal, is that ok ? I plan to suppliment it with the peas and baby food for more nutricion.
I also plan to move him to a very large dog cage I have, as soon as I see he is big enough to not hurt himself. He isn’t a real young duck, not sure how old but not like some very little ones I have seen in pictures.
Thanks again for the help. We are more familiar with cats so ducks are new to us.
Don
HedgeComber says
Ah, OK. Here in the UK, it is illegal to release some ‘vermin’ back into the wild if caught (Black rat & grey squirrel for example).
Not sure about the corn meal. In the wild they eat grass, grubs, worms snails etc if that helps! Otherwise find an agricultural dealer online to order some chick crumbs (of course it may be called something else on your side of the pond!)
He’s a very lucky duck to have found you Don! Good luck
Janie x
Don says
Thanks Janie. We just have a soft spot for all animals and feel so sorry for the ones who are at the mercy of the outside world.
I bought some cracked corn tonight and filled a dish wih it and he ignored it, but then I started giving him canned peas and he came to life and gobbled them right down. Then I filled our laundry tub (after scrubbing it clean) and put about 6 inches of water in it for him. He loved splashing around and dunking his head under it.
His wounds are healing pretty well and he seems healthy and alert, so it is just a matter of getting him bigger and more able to take care of himself before we find a new pond for him.
Thanks again for all the great info.
Don
Don says
Janie, need some more information on something. We have been hearing from people that we may be harming this duck by keeping it from it’s natural habitat. He is living in a big plastic tub and we let him swim a couple of times a day in our laundry tub. But we are afraid he isn’t getting the exercise he needs and also not getting the education on how to be a duck in the wild.
Our fear is that if we release him back to our community the other ducks will want to harm him now that he has been handled by humans. We thought we would take him to a totally new pond and release him there, but would that be any different?
What would you do ?
Don
HedgeComber says
I think the important thing to remember Don, is that he would be dead if you hadn’t intervened. Whatever happens to him, his future is brighter than it was if it’d been left to nature.
You say he wasn’t tiny when you found him, so he’d have spent some days or weeks learning ‘duck stuff’ with his mum, and he will certainly survive when back out in the wild (depending how harsh your winters are?).
I’ve got 2 ducklings that I hand reared that have never seen a pond, they have only ever swum in a sink or a plastic tub in their greenhouse. So long as he can wash & drink, he’ll be fine.
The main problem will be integrating him into a flock, but please remember, if he’d have gone back to them injured he wouldn’t have stood a chance.
Just reading back over your first message, you referred to him as the runt, so the behaviour he has learnt so far is as a low down member of the flock. This is what he’ll go back to being. He may well get attacked by the others, but there’s no way of knowing until you put him back. If his siblings are still with their mum, she may recognise his call if he’s returned to the same pond, but at a certain age, the mothers turn against the offspring to push them out into the world.
It is sad, but unless you choose to keep him in your backyard, or give him his own little pond and a female or two, there’s not much else you can do.
Is there a sanctuary anywhere near you that could take him, or a batty animal lover (just like me!) that has land and could home him?
I hope I have taken the pressure off you a little, good luck
Janie x
julia taylor says
i have muscovy ducks and now they are grown they fight alot,is this normal i dont know anything about them. there is 3 females 4 males.2 of the males fought so much that one was bleeding from the wings,please help if there is anything i can do.
Jane Sarchet says
I would say you have 3 males too many Julia. 1 male and 3 females is the perfect family, any more males than that and they’ll continuously fight for the ‘top dog’ status. Your life, and theirs will be far more pleasant if you remove the extra boys x
Jamie says
Hello,
I live in South Florida and this morning after dropping my son off at school I came home to find a muscovy duck had layed her eggs in my front yard in the corner of my house. The mother was sitting on them when I came home and dad seemed to be standing guard. I went in the house and called the FWC and they told me to just let them be, so after a few hours I looked out my window and noticed dad and mom were both gone, the eggs are still there and I’m just worried because I have not seen mom or dad in a few hours and I don’t know much about the ducks. I really dont want anything to happen to the babies but I’m not sure what to do. Any advice would be very helpful, thank you.
Jane Sarchet says
Hi Jamie, how many eggs are in the nest? I’m guessing that she’s still in laying mode rather than sitting.
A duck will lay an egg a day until she has enough (around 15 or so) and then she’ll sit to incubate them. So you might have just seen her visiting your house to lay another egg. The day you notice her sitting and not leaving the nest, is day 1, on day 35 they will start hatching.
Good luck, enjoy the show!
Janie x
Emma-Leigh says
Hi,
Love your site. I was wondering if you’ve had any experience with Muscovies attacking humans. We’ve raised our two since they were little. They’ve been handled all their lives and suddenly they’ve started attacking all of us. I’ve tried holding their beaks closed gently and telling them no in a firm voice. I’ve tried shooing them away. I’ve tried picking them up and holding them for a short time. Nothing is working and they are starting to terrorise our 3 year old. I would be grateful for any tips and hints. They have the run of the yard and two ponds. Many thanks for any advice.
Jane Sarchet says
Hi Emma-Leigh, I’ve never had this happen with Muscovies, but I have with a rooster I hand raisied. He decided that he needed to dominate me and started attacking me. Like you, I was worried if he went for a child, so he ended up in the pot.
One possible thought, are they both boys? If so, I’d recommend getting rid of one and getting the other one a couple of lady friends (that may direct their testosterone in a more beneficial direction!)
Hope that helps, do let me know what ends up working x
Janie x
Julian says
I have a batch if ducklings now that I am trying to move to a safer area away from crows and the mother duck will not sit on them to keep them warm unless they are at the spot they hatched. What should I do?
Jane Sarchet says
Hi Julian, I’ve always found it easier & less stressful (for you and the ducks) if you make the area the ducks wants to nest in safe, rather than trying to move her and her brood. The only other thing you could do is take the babies away from her and raise them yourself.
Good luck
Janie x
Chelsea anderson says
this is my story :
I used to have muscovy ducks, the first one i got was when i was seven years old i am 14 now.
her name was pepper, the most gorgeous duck ill ever know, i got her at 2 days old, she only cost $5, ill never forget the day i got her, she was the runt of the batch and as white as snow by the time she reached 6 months. and with her i got coco, coco was very shy. she was black and white. and she was beautiful.
by the time they were 5 months.
one day i woke up to give them fresh food and water, but i came to a horrible sight, saw Coco’s wing on the front lawn, she had been taken by a fox, i was crying my eyes out, pepper was ok
all about pepper.
after a while without coco, pepper got lonely, so we got a big white male, we named him salt. but he was rough with pepper so then we got two more girls both white,they were 6 months. we only had them for 3 months before my stupid, stupid, stupid brothers dog kaylah killed one duck, and seriously hurt the other, she had to get put down, there was nothing the vet could do to save her.and salt was fine she didnt touch him and as for pepper she was no where to be found. we looked every where, my mum told me to look behind the house, but it was dark and i was to scared to look.
the next morning she was behind the house, still alive but the flys got to her wound, so we took her to the vet to get the maggots out. but she passed away on the operating table.
i blame my self for her death, if i had just looked behind the house she would still be alive.
she would come when she was called, she would tap on the front door with her beak if she wanted to come in to the house. and the same to the fridge if she wanted lettuce and would sleep on your lap when you watched TV
i miss her so much.
i blame my self
Jane Sarchet says
Hi Chelsea, how lovely of you to write.
My Dad was a wise old fella, he’d been involved in farming since getting evacuated to a farm in the second world war when he was only 4.
One of his favourite sayings about farming (and if you keep ducks, that makes you a farmer too) is ‘if you’ve got livestock, you’ve got deadstock’. In other words, there are too many variables, too many things that can go wrong. You can only fix what you know, and learn from mistakes so they don’t happen again.
Some of the mistakes I’ve made whilst keeping animals make me blush. Some of my mistakes have led to an animal dying too, but I learn from them and make sure I do better next time. The key is whether you stay angry and quit, or whether you learn from it.
It’s not your fault Pepper died, it’s not even your brothers fault. Thinking about it, it’s not even your brothers dog’s fault. Animals are animals, and will do what nature breeds them to do.
Try not to be angry or mad with yourself, your brother or his dog. If you get another duck (which I really hope you do!) she won’t be Pepper, but she’ll be a great little duck who you can have a new friendship with.
Janie x
PS how did you stop Pepper pooping on your floor or lap when she came in the house?
Roxane says
Dear Jane, I found your site today and your words have been a blessing to me. I have lived in Kauai, Hawaii for the last 3 years. Before that in Pennsylvania. My husband took a job in Kauai and we moved our (4 beloved dogs) family with us. All our dogs are rescues although I feel they have rescued us more than we rescued them. They add so much joy to our lives. This past December we moved to a home surrounded by six acres with a wide stream running through. Day one while setting up house I looked out the glass doors and saw a Muscovy Drake pacing expectantly in front of the doors. I had no experience with ducks but fell in love instantly. He would patiently eat torn pieces of bread and cereal from our hands. We found he has a family of three black smaller females with red beaks who stay close to the water and are shy. The drake would visit us a few times daily and would softly hiss and wiggle his tail after each bite of treats. He would get so excited he would climb onto my feet and legs when I sat on the ground to feed him. I never attempted to stroke him because I thought he would be safer if he didn’t depend and trust humans too much. After all we are only renting this property and will have to leave at some point. Last week my husband and I returned to find that our very sweet lab/German Shepard mix had escaped from the house. (The sliding glass doors were mistakenly left unlocked and my doggies know how to open them) We found our poor Drake dead, and were devastated. My husband said the Drake gave him pure joy and he is feeling a heavy guilt for not ensuring the Moscovy’s safety. I’m not sure why he didn’t fly out of harms way. It has been 4 days since and although I know it is only my sweet dog’s hunting nature that caused this horrible happening, I was having a hard time forgiving her. I can hardly look out the windows without a heavy heart missing the Muscovy. Today I was researching to see if the females need a Drake to complete their family and came upon your words that have given me some peace. A friend found a farmer that has some Muscovy’s which are difficult to find in Kauai. He offered a Drake to us but I felt we didn’t deserve another chance to know these beautiful wild creatures. Your kind words have changed my mind. We can’t ever replace the Drake we lost but we can share our home with another Muscovy Drake and the hens. Thank you so much– Roxane
Jane Sarchet says
Hi Roxane, such a sad tale but really glad you feel differently about the future. Animals come into our lives and bless us with their friendships, and then move on. It’s always horrible when they go, especially if the situation is traumatic. Really glad you have found peace in your situation.
If you happen to find a very young drake, be aware that by being too friendly with him he may turn aggressive when he is fully grown. Give him the space to respect you, not to try and dominate you as an adult. Good luck!
Janie x
Chelsea anderson says
i all ways wish on a star every night for her
Jane Sarchet says
<3
Graham & Sandra says
Hello,
We (Sandra & Graham) are retirees in Australia and in January we inherited a baby muscovy because the other ducks were going to kill the new born which they had already done to 2 others.
We travel Australia in our caravan (see our website http://www.gypsyrovers.com.au) and are currently stationed on our sons farm South Australia (Barossa Valley wine region) until end of February when we will travel to the east coast for a year or so.
Now, this duckling named “sooky” has taken over our caravan and our lives. Sandra is the mum and sooky get cuddles every few hours and surprisingly does not poop until put down on the floor. Sandra can cuddle for ages without sookys pooping.
Incidently your site is great, loved reading the posts.
Sookys sleeps in the kitchen area of our van and every morning is put out for a run.
If sookys is left alone she (we think) gets upset and chirps quite loudly until one of us goes outside and sits with her.
Sookys gets anything and everything to eat and a bath twice a day. She is getting bigger and the feathers are just starting to develop so baby fluff is slowly going.
When we head off on our travels sookys will go with us.
She has a character all of her own and keeps us entertained for hours. At the moment she is asleep on Sandras feet.
If any retiree wants an entertaining and lovable pet we can fully recommend a duck. First one for us and love it.
Sandra and Graham
Downunder.
Mike Burrill says
I live in the British Virgin Islands, and decided to raise a few ducks at my home, which is beside the sea.
I bought one Drake and six females in December last (three months ago) and now I have 29 ducklings, and another 9 on the way. Two of the original ducks laid 29 eggs together in one nest, and took turns sitting on the eggs, with both sitting together at night.
They are all free to roam but come back to their roost at night. The chicks were able to float and swim from day 1. They make me laugh out loud every day and I do not regret for one minute having them but no more chicks for now – just eggs. Michael
Jane Sarchet says
How adorable! I’ve seen girls sharing a nest, but never with that many eggs – that is remarkable!
Thanks for getting in touch Mike, keep enjoying them!
Janie x
Shelly says
Hi iv just got two Muscovy duck’s they are wonderful iv got a small garden & they come from a plot of land with only mud & yes i bet they love that but they are doing so much better with me i love to watch them as there so funny ,I had a lovely hut made for them with lots of room & when they think its bed time they waddel of to bed & as its cold in Engand at the moment i close the door & put a tarpoling over it to keep it warmer for them .
On the morning i cut up all there veg spinich. colly, cabbage ,carrots, green beans, witch they love sweetcorn & they love it i also have 4 big bowles for fresh water which i refill all day ,Iv had a pond put in & a big pool for them they love to splash all the time as you can tell im over the moon with them & my 3 dogs love to be in the garden with them all getting on very well .
Iv left a place in the garden that they can dig in with there beaks as iv got artafishal grass put down so i can get the hose pipe out & clean it . Summer is hear so this is where all the fun starts .
Jane Sarchet says
Awesome Shelley! They are such lovely gentle birds, I’m so glad you are enjoying them so much :)
Janie x
Terrie says
what a brilliant site!! so glad I found you. very informative and such lovely pics too!!
I have 3 muscovys girlies,2 pekin, 2 big black orpingtons and 12 mixed bantams all living together very happily in our now mud pit of a used to be a garden!! lol
its been quite a while since we had any eggs from hens or ducks alike but as the hens have now started laying Im eagerly awaiting our first duck eggs of the year!! seems odd though as last year we had three sessions of eggs every day but don’t know what could have stopped them from laying??!! the chooks had to be treated for mites but I don’t see why that should affect the ducks?? ((by the way how much do you sell your youngsters for usually please??))
thanks again for a great read !! x
Jane Sarchet says
Hey Terrie, thanks for stopping by!
Your garden sounds familiar, my poor hens have scratched up every blade of grass around their barn. Here’s hoping it comes back soon :)
Janie x
PS I don’t normally sell my Muscovies, but with the trouble I’ve had finding new birds the past 2 years I think I will be this year. No idea on price as yet, but they certainly won’t be expensive x
Patti says
Okay what is it about muscovey boys! My girls, pristeen :) Beautiful white feathers, always keeping themselves clean and groomed……………..the boys! filthy! They dip into the water a quick clean behind the ears and that’s it, they are supposed to be looking good to woo my girls but no, dirty dirty typical boys! They have a small pond, they have a clean shallow bath, they have a clean very shallow bath, where do they dip their beaks? In the goats water bucket, beautiful clean water suddenly a muddy murky yuk of water! Boys!!
Jane Sarchet says
Hehe, sounds familiar!
Janie x
Mary says
I live next to a small stream and wondered if muscovies would enjoy that as a ‘pond’ . There are some areas with less flow where they can splash. It’s in the woods of the northwest and I’d hoped to have the muscovies for mosquito control in the puddles of water from the stream, besides the fun of having pets, eggs and meat. How independant are they if left to the woods near the barn? I am sometimes gone overnight and work eves. I am choosing them cause they can roost away from predators, which are mostly cougar and bear and raccoon. Not many foxes around here. Any thoughts?
Jane Sarchet says
Sounds perfect Mary! If you don’t want them flying away, you’ll need to feed them at least once a day (I feed mine twice a day). Just don’t clip their wings so they have a chance at getting away from predators.
Janie x
James says
I’ve loved reading all this! I one day hope to get muscovys! I first heard of them about 2 years ago when my Canadian friend told me that she had a pair, and that her neighbor had moved away and left another 2 females in her care, suddenly she was overwhelmed with ducklings! Most of them survived into adulthood, one got washed away and lost during a storm and I think 1 or 2 got taken by raccoons, she still has most of the ducks on her farm today. Infact typing this I remember she told me a story once about a pack of raccoons attacked her coop. She said she was awoken in the night and ran out to the coop to find a lot of chickens dead and her male muscovy protecting his hen against one of the raccoons, luckily they both survived but it was just a shame about the chickens. I go to an agricultural college in Cheshire UK and they have tons of ducks but sadly no muscovy :(, but when I’m older I plan to get some! And maybe a few chickens. But thanks for this post! :)
Jane Sarchet says
James, thank you so much for getting in touch! Your college so needs some Muscovies, they are the farmers bird of choice for meat & bug control :)
Janie x
James says
Thanks for the reply! Where do you stand on keeping ducks with chickens? In college we do, and my Canadian friend did, and even a peacock. But online it always says you shouldn’t mix species…? James. x
Jane Sarchet says
Hey James, I think if everyone has enough space then it’s fine.
I’ve had chooks and ducks live together with no problems, but they were in a large barn and free ranged during the day. The only downside, is that ducks are really messy with water, so they are better off on their own!
Janie x
Judy says
We have Muscovy ducks and just love them. we had a male stop in one day and he never left. He was here when my husband left for work in the morning and was still here when I got home after work. I had never seen anything like him before. I put some corn we had for the deer feeder in a pie pan and shook it so he would follow me to our pond. He stayed and seemed like he thought he was in heaven. It was so neat to watch him. I researched the breed on line and thought what a perfect match for us. We have no other pets, and I wanted something. I decided that I wanted to raise them for meat, and we would set something up here to do that, we have almost eleven acres. I told my husband we needed to get him a girlfriend, so I started searching the area ads to find one, and turned out someone not too far from us had a momma and 12 babies. So we bought them from him. We put mama and her babies together and left the male on the outside looking in. Seems like they went through a courting stage and when we finally let her out, he attacked her. My husband said he was showing his dominance. I scolded him to leave her alone and he did for a bit. They finally became friends and mated, she is sitting on eggs now, I don’t know where she is but she must have them hidden quite well, I worry about predators getting her eggs. I really don’t know how many she is sitting on, she comes home to eat and bathe once a day. I had heard they sit for like 45 days, and then some say less time. So, I am thinking a couple more weeks we should see some babies. I would think she will bring them closer to the food and water source. Right.
I just wanted to share my story, I really have gotten attached to them, we named the male big daddy, and mama I call her miss elly.
Jane Sarchet says
Judy, that’s such a great story! It’s amazing how many people really fall for the Muscovy, they are a very special bird :)
I hope your momma and babies make it home safe and sound. You’ll love the meat, it is wonderful. Do try the Happy duck pie recipe on here one day, it’s awesome!
Janie x
Judy says
I know, I never thought I would had fallen for a duck.. lol
they are really fun to watch, they act so silly sometimes.
I will try that recipe you spoke about and let you know how we like it.
thanks for your response. :)
Jane Sarchet says
You’re welcome Judy, good luck!
Janie x
Judy says
I forgot to say we live in Texas.
Judy
Judy says
Hi Jane,
I am really enjoying your website, I have printed off the Happy Duck Pie, it sounds yummy.
I am wondering about butchering the ducks, because we will soon be doing that. The males are getting quite large already, and we are trying to prepare for Miss Elly to come home with her chicks.
Do you butcher them much like chickens? And what about the feathers, there seems to be a million (just a little exaggerated) Do we dip them in scalding hot water? Or what is the easiest way to remove all of the feathers?
I went looking for Miss Ellie again today, no sign of her for a couple days, unless she is showing up to take her bath when we are at work. I am hoping she shows up soon.
Thanks for a wonderful website. :)
Judy
Jane Sarchet says
Hey Judy. Firstly it depends what you want to do with the meat & how much tine you have! If in a hurry/making the happy duck pie, just peel them, feathers/skin & all. So easy!
If you want to roast the bird & want them plucked, I prefer doing it by hand, my partner by plucking machine. You can scald them but I don’t find it necessary unless the bird is older (and then you really don’t want to be roasting them anyway!)
With other ducks (aylesbury’s esp) the hot water draws out the grease from under their skin making plucking a nightmare. The feathers just skip through your fingers! You can do it with Muscovies as they are so lean, but I always prefer plucking any bird dry.
Do try this pate with the offal too, it’s heavenly!
Please let me know how you get on, and what you think of the meat!
Janie x
Judy says
Thanks for getting back to me, Sounds like it would just be easy to just peel them. The ducks are young, we plan to do them when they are 6 months old, I heard they are the best when young. Our boys are really getting big. Broad chested.
We let the girls out of the pen now, one yesterday and one today. Was neat, cause Miss Ellie shows up today, she is their mama, seemed like she was communicating with them, and showing them around. When we let the first girl out yesterday, she seemed scared, but seems she is adapting, of course the boys are pushing on the fence trying to get out also. We are going to keep them in the pen, easier to catch when we are going to butcher them. Which won’t be much longer. We are anxious to try the meat. we plan to make hamburger meat and also would like to try roasting one.
Thanks again for your advice, much appreciated. :)
Have a Blessed Day,
Judy
Judy says
Hi Jane,
I have some sad news, looks like Miss Ellie is done sitting, I am sure something got all her eggs, so she is hanging around the pond with the other girls. I hope next time she decides to put her eggs in a little house we made for her, and we can at least help her protect them. We can always move the little house in the pen, when she is done laying her eggs, and protect them.
Have a ducky day,
Judy
Jane Sarchet says
Oh, shame. Have you tried using fake ceramic eggs? Pop a couple in a nest you want the girls to go broody in, and voila! My girls only have to see those eggs & they end up sitting!
Better luck next time xx
Judy says
Really, I will try that.
thanks
Judy says
Oh my goodness Jane, so much has happened since I was last on here chatting with you. lol
First off we tried the ceramic eggs, and she did start to going into the brooder house we built her, and started laying a couple eggs, and the darn crows found out and have been hanging around ever since. (we put our game camera out there to see what was happening) well she is not laying any as far as we can tell, could it be too hot for her to lay at this time of year, it is over 100 some days (we are in texas)
The other thing I wanted to tell you is we did butcher all the males we had in the pen, and skinned them as you mentioned, which we will do again that way.
we have tried the meat, and it is quite delicious I must say, we cooked up one breast, with some bacon wrapped around it and salt and pepper and it was good. We liked the texture it really is quite like steak. We ground up most of it for hamburger and I made the duck pie you suggested and we had that last evening, it was very delicious just like you said.( I even brought in a piece for a friend of mine at work today, who is a hunter and fisherman and duck hunts too, and he thought it was great and wants the recipe for it
I have to say that I think we are going to continue with this journey of raising the Muscovy ducks, they are great.
we now just have the one adult male (big daddy) and Miss Ellie, Margaret, Mary and Samantha (Sam) Sam is mixed with Mallard. we will grow the males a little longer than we did the next time we get babies, but it was all a trial and error this time around. We think the males were about 6lbs. when we butchered. We are leaving for vacation this weekend and wanted to do it before we left, as to not worry about their care. We have a friend coming to check on the others while we are gone, and have set up the automatic deer feeder for them. :) So they will be fine. (I will miss them)
Thanks again for all of your suggestions thus far! I really do appreciate you being here to help us newbies out.
See you on facebook :)
Judy
Jane Sarchet says
I so want a game camera! Need to go and research that. How did the crows take the eggs Judy, did they smash them in the nest & eat them there, or make a hole & fly off with them? They don’t lay consistently so the weather may have something to do with it, we never have to worry about those temps here in Blighty :)
So glad you enjoyed the boys & the pie recipe, isn’t it a winner! And so glad you’re smitten with the breed too :)
Enjoy your holiday
Janie x
Judy says
Hi Jane,
We love having the game camera so we can keep an eye on things..
The crows I think just rolled them out of the brooder and ate it right there, not sure of how they ate them but even the shell was gone.
You have a great holiday as well :)
Judy
Jane Sarchet says
Little buggers! I was never 100% what was taking my eggs, but put it down to crows. I’ve found empty egg shells about 50 foot from the barn, so that must be crows (don’t think rats would bother taking them overland, imagine they’d just roll them down their nearest hole!)
Grrr! :)
Judy says
Hi Jane,
We are back from vacation in Wisconsin, oh what a wonderful time we had.
The ducks were all waiting for us, when we pulled in the driveway they came a running to greet us,(just like a dog or cat would) they had lots to say, all of their mouths were just a moving. We were glad to see they survived us being gone, a friend checked on them each day. I actually missed them, and wondered how they were while we were gone. :)
Those darn crows just keep hanging out, we are going to have to do something about that, Miss Ellie might start laying eggs again soon, maybe even the other girls too. I want to protect the eggs so we can have little ones again.
Hope all is well on your end of the world.
Judy
Leslie at Dairy Lane Farm says
Have purchased 11 white Muscovy Duck chicks, we received them 1 1/2 weeks ago and they have more than tripled in size. So they are very young and I wondered how long I needed to feed them baby ration. They are so much fun to watch, we are going to have them for dual purpose, roasting and eggs and want to feed them correctly for this purpose. We live in Ontario Canada, the summers are not as hot as some places in the world but we have very cold winters. Our hope is to house them in the barn with the other livestock when they are older and perhaps with the chickens if they will get along. Any and all comments are appreciated.
Jane Sarchet says
Hey Leslie, how exciting! Enjoy every moment of them, they are SO much fun to have around :)
RE the baby ration, I can’t remember off the top of my head and I’d hate to give you incorrect advice, best to get advice from your feed store.
Janie x
T. Mills says
We have several of the muscovy ducks.
I have a couple of concerns and would really appreciate some advice.
Just this week we had 3 females have babies. Angel duck had 4. Days later Speedracer had 7, and a week later Secret had 4.
We have had babies last year but have never experienced this.
Speedracer has left her babies with Angel. Should I be surprised? Angel only pecked one of Spreedracers to the point of making it bleed, so we removed it from her.
We have had Secret for over 3 years and bought her from someone else, not sure how old she was . However after her babies were a week old, we went into the coop to let them out and the mother died in the night.
Could the other 2 mothers have pecked her? No signs of blood or marks on her.
What should I do with these babies, and the one I took that was pecked to the point of bleeding? I have tried to put them with the other mothers but they peck them alot. Then the babies run away from them and stay away.
I really would like them to live outside with the other ducks we have. When there is strange noises they run around the yard peeping. They do not have a mom to go to that will protect them and tell them what to do. I am afraid they are not learning how to to do duck things because they have no mom to show them. Any suggestions would be great.
Jane Sarchet says
Hello! Boy, you are overrun with babies!
If I were you, I would take all of the babies that aren’t getting looked after by a momma duck and keep them under a heat lamp in your home or garage. Once they are around 5 weeks you can take the heat lamp away and when they seem big enough, reintroduce them to the other group. They will always be lowest in the pecking order so they will get picked on, but they will be big enough to get away.
If you find this upsetting (or if you end up with too many males that may end up fighting) you will need to try and rehome them or dispatch them (we eat our excess males).
Hope that answers your questions, do shout if you have any more :)
Janie x
Terrah says
Hi. My two boys each got a Muscovy duck from their grandma. They are about 2 weeks old and I am keeping them in a container in my house with a heat lamp over them. I let them go for a little swim in my bathtub a couple times a day. I am wondering how long they need the heat lamp (and should I only have it on at night) and also I am worried about letting them outside. We are in Alberta Canada on an acreage. I have one very big outside dog and four outdoor cats. My little dog inside is quite interested in them and they will try and follow her around when I have them out. They also are constantly nibbling my hand or pants or glasses or whatever they can get a hold of when I am holding them! Is this normal? Also should I be feeding them anything other then their duck food? I have so many questions but I will start there:)
Jane Sarchet says
Hey Terrah, great to ‘meet’ you! What lucky boys :)
Off the top of my head I think they come off heat around 5 weeks, but this’ll depend on what the temps are like around, if it’s very warm where you are they may not need heat during the day.
Predators are going to be a problem, both domestic & wild. I would let all your animals smell the ducks close up now whilst you hold them, and let them understand that these guys are part of the family. My cat went in our quail cage yesterday and just sat there preening as she has known them since the day they hatched (I wouldn’t trust her to do that if I wasn’t sat right there mind you!)
The nibbling thing is normal, however be aware that if either of them are male, that can turn into aggression when they are older. My last hand reared duck that I ‘coochy cooed’ ended up attacking us when he was fully grown and we had to eat him! I’ve never seen this happen with a female and only once with a Muscovy drake, and once with a cockerel.
Hope that helps Terrah, enjoy them!
Janie x
roger says
hi do you have a page for quail too because i have quail n Muscovy thanks
Jane Sarchet says
I didn’t get on so well with quail I’m afraid Roger, too flighty and nervous even though I hand reared them. SO I just stick to my Muscovies and laying hens.
Janie x
Brian Turnbull says
We have found a Muscovy drake which seems quite tame so would assume it escaped into the wild at some time. It’s living at the end of a local burn running into the Moray Firth. Have been feeding it bird seed and porridge oats and it follows as if its a pet. Would rather see it in the wild so have no intention of capture. Will keep you informed if it decides to stay.
Jane Sarchet says
That’s sweet Brian, they are such lovely birds. It does sound like he’s domesticated, so you might be feeding him for a good long while yet :)
Janie x
Pam Hale says
I had a male and a female Muscovy duck come to my house about 3 months ago.. The female is very friendly but the male a little skittish..I have a trout stream and a pond in my back yard..They love it..My husband built them an A-Frame house and it floats on the pond..Last week there were 10 eggs in the house..She stays in the house all night and stays gone for hours during the day..Shouldn’t she be sitting on the eggs more? I am also concerned for the babies about being on the water..We are going to fix an enclosed run to put them in..Do you think if we move the house off the water and put it in the enclosure she will still go to her eggs? After the eggs hatch, should we let her out and shut the babies up in the pen?? I have never had ducks before and not sure about taking care of them..Thanks for the help..
Jane Sarchet says
It doesn’t like she’s ready to sit properly yet. Often times there will be more than 10 eggs in a nest before she fully sits. In the mean time she’ll do a lot of preening in there, pulling out her downy feathers from her belly to line her nest with.
As for moving the house or not, there is never a simple answer to these questions. We’ve tried everything, moving eggs, moving houses, penning up the mother ducks, penning up the babies when they hatch, taking babies off the mother and putting them under heat lamps.
We have now come to the decision to let the mother do what she wants.
Also you make freak her out of you try to pen in and she’s not used to it. Then she’ll leave her eggs as she’ll be frightened.
It’s unlikely that all the eggs will hatch, unlikely all those that do reach will maturity. Try not to get upset but it, it’s just nature doing its thing x
Janie x
PS most importantly, enjoy the little things whilst they’re there :)
Pam Hale says
Thanks for getting back to me so fast..I guess my biggest concern is when they hatch and come out of the house, they will be in that pond and drown..What do you think?
Jane Sarchet says
Predators are probably a greater risk than drowning. I had 13 babies hatch about 2 weeks ago, and I only have 6 left now.
Between the badgers, rats, foxes, buzzards, crows, seagulls, cats, herons and stoats/weasels there is an awful lot after them!
When I first kept birds I tried to control it, and would get terribly stressed and upset when something bad happened. For my own sanity I now leave it all in the hands of nature.
If I were raising them as a business (ie for meat) then I would keep the young in a broody ring where I could control their heat, light & food, and no predators would be able to get to them. But that’s not teh way I choose to farm them. I’d rather they were out getting muddy and having fun :)
I hope that helps Pam, and good luck!
Janie x
Leslie Welfare says
My birds are 4 1/2 months old now should I be looking for eggs?
Sarah Lear says
Hello,
Basically, i have always has muscovy ducks and i have four fully grown adults, 1 male and 3 male and they have been breeding all spring and summer and we have not got two small hatches. One lot are basically fully grown and the other lot consists of two small ducklings and one slightly large duckling as they came at different times, sadly one did pass. However one from the first hatch has funny wings that seem a bit lame, one more than the other, he seems completely fine and in fact seems quite popular with the neighbours (we’ve been blessed with really quite good looking muscovy ducks). Have you heard of anything like this before? He seems so have had it from a few weeks onwards, more on one side and he yet seems one of the most happiest of our free range bunch. He has always been on waterfowl crumb and chick crumb in other could not be sourced and now he’s on pellets.
Jane Sarchet says
Hey Sarah, no I haven’t come across this before. Glad to hear he’s doing well though and is popular, so often they become the bottom of the pecking order when there is something wrong with them.
Do you plan to keep him as a pet, or is he for the table?
Janie x
Sarah Lear says
So sorry for the the bad grammer and it not making too much sense as i am in a rush but i am sure you can read through it and get my drift : )
Jane Sarchet says
No problem, I know the feeling!
Janie x
Terry says
? What does a person do if your young Muscovy male wing feathers aren’t feathering out and is cutting his sides
Jane Sarchet says
Terry, I have no idea. How old is he? Does he have siblings of the same age that are OK?
I imagine it will pass as the feather eventually do push through, but I’m afraid it isn’t anything I’ve come across before. I will ask on our Facebook page and see if anyone else has come across this before.
https://www.facebook.com/Hedgecombers
Janie x
Terry says
Thankyou jane for your response,i have a male and female ,which is about 3 months old,the female has feathered in nicely but the male looks alittle rough,feather wise he seem”s to be a happy fella and is growing very well.I admit i know nothing about them ,can i cut the ends off so it’s not stabbing him. thankyou
Jane Sarchet says
Hey Terry, one of the ladies on Facebook says “I have never heard of that but I would try wrapping his body in some vetwrap maybe to at least avoid the feathers cutting into him.” Is that possible? Another option may be covering the tip in a fabric plaster (bandaid).
By cutting the tip of the feathers off, you may well make it sharper. I’m so sorry not to be more help, please let me know how you, and he, get on.
Janie x
Lisa says
We live in Maine on a lake, a male Muscovy duck showed up here about a week ago. I have asked around, but noone is claiming him. He seems to like bread and Cheerios. We loves to sleep down by the water, and comes to the deck to beg for food. I am quite fond of him, but am concerned for his safety, and what to do with him as the weather will start to turn colder very soon? What kind of shelter would he need for winter if he is still here? Any advice would be appreciated. :)
Jane Sarchet says
I guess you must get very cold winters in Maine? (sorry for my ignorance, I live in the UK)
You can certainly house Muscovies, in something similar to a chicken coop, but if he is wild he may not take kindly to it. It is also kinder to keep any animal in pairs rather than on their own, so if you do decide to take him on, have a hunt round for a girlfriend or two to keep him company. I’m sure he’ll be grateful for it ;)
If you do keep feeding him, a balanced (unmedicated) chicken feed will be more nutritious for him. You can get it at feed store or large pet shops, or maybe order it online.
Good luck, and welcome to the world of Muscovies!
Janie x
Patti says
Our boys love to stay out in the rain, while the goats and chickens are all running for cover they nestle down or start foraging. Last winter though when it did get very cold…….very cold for Italy ;) they took refuge in the goat pen and the old chicken house.
Just a thought, when we had a stray dog that we could not take in with the others (we have 20!)a friend gave us a large kennel for him to use, unfortunately the little man went on a wander one day and the dog catches caught him and took him off to the pound :'( but we were allowed to keep the kennel and our muscovies use that aswell when they want/need shelter.
Patti
Jane Sarchet says
OMG, 20 dogs? Do they live in the house with you or are they outside? Yikes, their feed bill must be frightening :/
Great idea to use a kennel for the ducks though, they are pretty hardy but still love being able to snuggle down when they fancy it.
Janie x
Patti says
Janie, I have found my girls love to swim! We have a small pond for the other ducks, the ones that quack :) Daisy and the 2 babies love to swim in there to the point they fall asleep bobbing around! The boys on the other hand dip their beaks in wash behind their ears and are gone…typical boys then :)
Jane Sarchet says
Ha! Yes the boys are renowned for not being the cleanest. Although my Mr Duck sleeps on the island and he has to swim there, so he gets cleaner than he probably wants to!
Janie x
Pam Hale says
Hi, I wrote to you in August about my ducks.. She is sitting on eggs for about 30 days..Today I saw her come out of her house and carry an egg in her mouth swimming across the pond to a creek and eat it.. What is going on?? Will she eat all of them.. It’s time for them to hatch and I don’t want to lose them..I can/t find anything on the internet about this behavior..What should I do?
Jane Sarchet says
Oh my goodness, really? I have never seen or heard anything like it Pam. I even surprised to hear a Muscovy can carry an egg in their mouth.
Do you have an incubator, if so you could take the eggs off her & take over yourself.
I do believe a mother duck knows when a embryo has died, I think they must feel the movements (or lack thereof) and they certainly communicate with almost ready to hatch ducklings through the shell. They will kick a ‘dead’ egg out of the nest. It may be that the egg was dead, and she needed protein? They eat so little when broody. What feed do you have her on?
Janie x
Pam Hale says
I have her on Purina Flock Raiser Crumbles..She is not contained in a pen and eats around our pond and in the stream..She loves when it rains and makes muddy little streams to eat out of..My husband made a feeder that we keep full and it feeds out as she eats..Is there anything else I can give her for protein..Her house is floating on the pond and I am still afraid the babies will drown but we are afraid to move it to land..Pam
Jane Sarchet says
That’s a mystery then Pam. If you really need/want the babies for meat, to sell or just to increase your stock, then I guess putting the eggs in an incubator is the only sure fire way to have complete control.
If you are just rearing them for ‘fun’, then welcome to the sad & wonderful world of Muscovies.
Out of my 13 babies that hatched last month, I only have 1 left. I had another 10 hatch last week, and I’ve taken 8 off the mother and put them in a broody ring so that I can control their environment and hopefully raise them for the freezer.
If you watch a wild mallard raise her young in a park, it is very rare that more than half of the babies reach maturity. Maybe that’s why they sit on so many eggs, to boost the chance of one or two making it.
Sorry I couldn’t give you happier news
Janie x
Jo says
I wonder if you can help me I have 2 muscovy ducks male and female . The male is pulling his feathers out by the root is this normal .
Jane Sarchet says
Hi Jo, pulling the occasional feather out is a normal part of grooming (kind of like a few of our hairs falling out every day).
How many feathers is he pulling? Is getting bald patches or does his skin look red or sore?
Janie x
Carolyn Zach says
Hello, this is our first time with Muscovys, we have a flock of 32, not sure how many male/female. I believe by now they are somewhere from 6 to 8months old. First of all, I’m wondering what age is the best for butchering; also, when do they start laying? Ours are free range, we have a small duck house that they really only use for eating in. They are mainly on our pond or around it, they also come up to the house a couple of times a day looking for handouts (we sometimes feed them bread from off the porch). We do have racoons, coyotes, skunks, and bobcats, as well as birds of prey, but we have not lost any ducks to any of these predators so far. I’m wondering, do we have to do anything to help them start to lay? Give them a place to do it? Or will they pretty much just make nests where they want and start laying when they’re ready? Also, I was wondering if the size difference was because of their different ages, but I believe they are all full grown by now; is the difference in size just because the bigger ones are male and the smaller female? Also, are males or females better for meat? Or does it matter? Also, the majority are white and green, but there is one brown one and few of other colors, are these probably from mixing breeds somewhere back down the line? Thank you for any input!
Carolyn
Jane Sarchet says
Hey Carolyn, you sure have your hands full there!
The boys are bigger than the girls, and by 8 months they’ll be fully grown (and ready for eating).
Being bigger the boys will have more meat on them, but there is no difference in the meat of male or female. The girls will lay when they’re ready, they’d appreciate a nest box and it’ll make collecting their eggs easier!
As for the colours, I guess it’s the same as our hair & eye colour – anything goes!
Do let me know how you get on, and what you think of the meat. And if you get the chance, try this happy duck pie recipe – it is out of this world :)
https://hedgecombers.com/2009/08/10/happy-duck-pie/
Janie x
Carolyn Zach says
Hi, I just remembered another question I had. Our winters nights can get into the teens, we almost never get into the single digits; and we usually get snow for about a week or two – maybe two feet, not usually more. How do they do in this kind of cold? It’s fairly mild as far as some winters go, but it still seems pretty cold too. Thanks
Jane Sarchet says
In really bad weather they’d appreciate somewhere to hole up but they are pretty tough birds. We don’t get serious winters here to be fair, and if it snowed for more than a few days I’d give them access to a barn to get out of the worst of it.
janie x
Sonia Murray says
For the last year and more, we’ve been watching a Moscovy drake – at least, I think he’s a drake because he has a big pale bluish shovel tail – swimming in the Back Bay of Biloxi, MS, near Forrest Avenue. Does anyone on the Mississippi Gulf Coast have a wife (a hen) to give him? He looks so lonely, paddling around day after day and week after week on his own!
Jane Sarchet says
Aww, Sonia that is so sweet! I’ll pop your message onto our facebook page and see if there’s anyone in your area that can help.
Janie x
https://www.facebook.com/Hedgecombers
sheri simpson says
I have muscovy ducks is really love them if you have any advice please email me
Jane Sarchet says
Fire away if you have any questions sheri
Janie x
Sandra D says
We have a muscovy sitting on her 3rd clutch. None of the 1st ones hatched. The 2nd, we hatched 10 and lost them all withing 4 days. A few died overnight and then one night a predator got the rest. We’ve now made a better enclosure, so hopefully have solved the predator problem.
Question: It gets down to about 55F at night here (Kenya). I’m worried the ones that died overnight froze and that these next group will also if they escape mama during the night or if she goes “out”. Should I make a separate enclosure with a heat source during their first week (or 2) after hatching? I really want to make a success of it this time!
Jane Sarchet says
Hey Sandra, so sad to hear of your losses.
The only way (in my experience) to ensure that the maximum number of babies make it through to adulthood is to pen the babies and mother up, or take the babies off the mother and put them under a heat lamp. This pen would have to be vermin proof and have constant food & water available to them.
If the mother was sitting on her babies, those night time temps would be no problem. Some ducks (just like some humans) don’t make good mothers, so you may find that she leaves them overnight again. If this happens then I would either replace her with a new female, or take her eggs & incubate them yourself, or take her babies when they are freshly hatched. (I did the latter with my last brood of the year, the mother wasn’t being at all maternal so I took 8 of her 10 and put under a lamp. Incidentally, she became far more motherly to her 2 remaining babies straight away and is rearing them well. She’s a first time mummy)
Hope that helps Sandra, and good luck!
Janie x
Sandra D says
Would it work to bring them inside the house at night for the first week? (or would 2 weeks be better?) Temp is around 65F indoors. Would they need to be warmer than that? We could put them in a box with straw. Would they need food/water for during the night? Just how warm should their area be?
This is the most helpful forum I’ve found. Thanks for responding.
Jane Sarchet says
They either need to be under a heatlamp (these are really cheap from agricultural feed stores, or look on ebay) or under their mum. They need heat for the first 5 weeks, although the temp gets lower week by week.
I’m not sure offhand on the exact temps needed, I regulate it by eye with our babies. If they are all huddled directly under the lamp, they are too cold. If they are spread out around the edges of their container, they are too hot.
There’s some interesting ideas on this page, about making a broody box out of a regular 100w light bulb. I prefer our heat lamp as it’s infra red so a little kinder on their eyes than being under a very bright white bulb for weeks! http://www.carolinecrockeroriginals.co.uk/sheldon_pages/handy_hints_for_raising_duckling.htm
Hope that helps!
janie x
Anne Lovejoy says
Hi,
It’s strange this love affair we have with Muscovies. I have 21 ducklings, 2 drakes, 3 hens, 1 mallard, 2 Pekin Jumbos and 14 Khaki Campbells. When I put the Khakis (4 wks old) with the Muscovies((6 wks old), the Muscovies nibble on the Khakis. I want to let all the ducklings out. The khakis wet the floor so much. Their feathers are so wet. I have a pen with boxes and yard . I have not let the older ducks inside yet. It is getting colder.I put the boxes outside. The ducks are 6 months old, no eggs yet.I want to let the ducklings and ducks mingle. I do not want to watch the ducklings the whole day. It is 7 degrees Celsius at night. 20 in the day. There are tubs and kiddie pool in the enclosure. Outside there is a pond. I cannot let the ducklings out to the pond. I bought the ducks at 5 months. So how long can I keep the ducks outside? Soon it will be 0 to 5 degrees at night. I am in Northern California, 2 hours from San Francisco.
Jane Sarchet says
Hi Anne, lovely to ‘meet’ you!
You sound like you have your hands full there!
Our Muscovies live outside all year round, they sleep on an island with no house or real protection. We’re in Cornwall, UK and our nightly temps can get down to around -5c overnight during the winter, and the birds are fine.
I hope that helps, Janie x
Anne Lovejoy says
Hi Janie,
Thank you for your quick response. I do have my hands full. I have 300 chickens. The adult Muscovies are fine outside. But when can I leave the ducklings out all the time? When should I stop feeding them non medicated chick feed? The Muscovy ducklings nibble the Khakis. I just have to let the Khakis fend for themselves. I did not switch on the lamps tonight. I want to see how they fare. When there are no lights they will stop eating and not wet the floor. I intend to butcher them when they are three months old. The adult Muscovies do not eat much. Unlike my chickens eating all the time.
Anne
Jane Sarchet says
I’ve just moved my youngest duckling outside full time and they’re around 2 months old. They came off heat at 5 weeks so I probably could’ve moved them before, but didn’t need their shed until now.
Hope that helps Anne
Janie x
Anne Lovejoy says
Hi,
I will let them out today. so the floor will not be wet all the time. I can leave the waterer outside. Do you have photographs of your ducks? Can I send you some photographs? How many do you have now? I wonder if Muscovies all over the world look the same. I love the Muscovies. They are so cute and quiet. I am rearing them for meat and eggs and to keep the bug population down. They will eat weeds. I have clover growing for the bees, chickens and to improve the soil. The ducklings are so alert ,looking for flies in the pen. I cannot stand the noise the Khakis make but I want to sell the eggs. I will sell some Khakis for Thanksgiving and some Muscovies for Christmas. It seems it will be easier to remove the feathers when they are young. I do not know if I will ever go to Cornwall. I do miss London. If you ever come to San Francisco, let me know. All the sites I read praise the Muscovies. It’s strange how it connects people. It is difficult to travel now with livestock. Thank you.
Anne
Jane Sarchet says
All the images above are from my flock over the years. I currently have a trio that I’ll take through winter and 10 babies which are destined for xmas pressies in the form of Happy Duck Pie (link below – do try it if you get the chance, it is incredible).
Having livestock does make it difficult to travel, although I’m lucky enough to have people around me that will happily pick up the slack if we’re going away.
Are you on Facebook? If so, come and say Hi on our page and share photo’s of your birds there – there are lots of other crazy Muscovy lovers on there too! https://www.facebook.com/Hedgecombers?ref=hl
https://hedgecombers.com/2009/08/10/happy-duck-pie/
Anne Lovejoy says
Thank you so much. It’s amazing the ducks took to the ducklings instantly. The females mother them. They are really good mothers. I am going to raise my new 25 chicks with the ducks. Muscovy ducklings took to water puddles around tubs and pool just like they had done it all their lives. Of course the Khakis ran all over and squeaked before they settled down. It’s reaching freezing point every night. A little ice on the roof. So I left the light on for the ducklings, especially Khakis.(they had to be caught). Muscovies were easier. After I took leaders in , I shooed the rest and they went in as a group. Only adults are more difficult. So I didn’t close the door. I want to see if they would join the rest.
Jane Sarchet says
Brilliant, so glad it went well! How lovely that the females felt maternal towards them :)
Janie x
anne lovejoy says
The muscovy ducklings are so wise. They go into the pen every night, The Khakis just want to freeze outside. I know the ducks are fine. When do the ducks lay eggs? I have been looking at the boxes everyday.
Anne
marty says
Hi, I was wondering if brother and sister muscovy ducks would be ok living together thanks
Jane Sarchet says
Hey Marty, a related male & female will live quite happily together, but they will mate. So I guess it depends on what your future plans are for them.
If you want breed them to have a continuous line, then it’s not ideal. However, if you just want to keep a pair for fun and the occasional eggs then I see no harm in keeping siblings together.
I’m pretty sure that in nature sibling ducks mate, so it’s not the end of the of they mate & even hatch young out but in an ideal world if you wanted to rear young, you’d swap one of the birds with another breeder to clean up the bloodlines.
I hope that helps
Janie x
marty says
Hi Janie.
Thanks for your help it was greatly appreciated.
Marty
Angelique Visser says
Hi, I have a male mascovy duck. He somehow landed in our pool when he was about 2 weeks old. We have no clue where he came from as we only have egyptian geese near by and nothing can get in or out of our yard except flying birds.. I raised him indoors and he was the cutest thing ever. He is now 6 months old but very aggresive. He loves our one dog but hates the jack russell, he constantly attacks her. He is so bad he even attacks ur daily now. I dont want to get rid of him as he is my baby boy and we love him to bits. Ive considered getting him a mate to try and calm him. Will that help? Any other advise on what to do?
Jane Sarchet says
Sadly Angelique, I know only one way of sorting your problem and it doesn’t end well for your drake.
When you raise a male in this way, they get too used to humans and as they age they try to control you in the same way they control the females, by dominance.
If you have a lot of land you may want to try getting him 2 or 3 females, but if he is living in your back garden this won’t stop him. As far as I’m aware your only option is to put him down. If you find this hard to deal with, imagine if he attacked a small child.
Wish I had better news for you :(
Janie x
PS I learnt not to spoil drakes the hard way, I’ve been in the same place as you xx
angelique says
Thanks for your advice,unfortunately he is in our back yard. I cannot have him put down. He is healthy and still a baby.. wont it help if i rather give him to someone who has the land and has other ducks?
Jane Sarchet says
If he was put in an area where he doesn’t get much contact with other humans and he had 2 or 3 females to ‘own’ then he should be less aggressive towards people.
Good luck finding someone who is happy to take him on xx
Janie x
Susan says
I have a Muscovy claw retraction question. Our female is very stressed and “stiff” from laying on the wood floor of her shed instead of her straw / feather nest she made. I stupidly moved it and replaced it with fresh straw and some of her old nest. I’m hoping she will slowly accept the new nest material and remake her nest. In the meantime she seems to need to leave her claws out all the time. Is it to steady herself from being so stiff it’s hard for her to stand? I now know how disturbing it was for her to lose her nest. I so hope that as she regains her strength and trust in her area that her claws will retract! It looks like it makes it harder for her to walk with them out and curling under. Maybe it’s a defensive posture too? Help!!
Jane Sarchet says
Hey Susan, I wish I could help but I’ve never had to deal with a situation like this before, even ducks laying on cold stone or concrete floors don’t have this problem, if you use a vet for your ducks, you may want to get her checked out if she doesn’t look better soon. Good luck x
Janie x
lola&albert says
Help. Need advice. Live in South Florida. Urban family neighborhood. There are wild Muscovy ducks living in and around the neighborhood canals about a block away. Have a couple (male & female) who stop by for breakfast each morning… sometimes they come back for a second meal in the later afternoon. Have been feeding them chicken feed. She has laid two eggs in a flower bed just under the living room window. They eat and leave. Should she be sitting on the eggs?
Jane Sarchet says
When she’s ready, she will. Usually there’ll be be 8+ eggs in the nest when she’ll start pulling out her downy belly feathers and padding out the nest with them, then when she feels she has enough eggs in the nest, she’ll sit.
Good luck!
Janie x
lola&albert says
Thank you. I think we’re more the nervous parents than the ducks are.
Jane Sarchet says
Hehe, I’ve so been there! Just remember that in nature a duck is highly unlikely to have every egg in a nest hatch and grow into an adult duck. Keeping that in mind will take the pressure off you guys :)
Janie x
lola&albert says
Hi, It’s now April 6th and the wild female (Lola) who nested in the flower bed underneath our living room window is STILL sitting on 13 eggs. Since she began to sit around the beginning of March she has pushed 3 eggs out (there was a total of 16). We are growing very concerned. Has this incubation period (longer than 1 month) been too long… or…. not long enough? We have been providing chicken feed and fresh water daily. What do we do if it has been too long and she is still sitting?
michelle says
Love your website. I am intersted in getting some Muscovies for my ranch….any ideas where in Colorado I can get some?
Jane Sarchet says
Hey Michelle, I’m in the UK so no idea I’m afraid. Are you on facebook as there are lots of groups on there with people that keep and sell them.
Good luck & I hope you find some soon!
Janie x
janet says
Hi We have a tame muscovy duck that has nested in our compost loo, in our wood. She is sitting on aboout ten eggs and has been doing so for about 3 weeks. the probably is, she is in the bucket which is very deep i cannot see how the duckings will get out? we do have a secure pen but that has another female and male muscovy in it and a cockeral.
what should i do will she reject the chicks if i move them, should i move them before they hatch, would the cockeral and male muscovy attack them. i think the cockeral would.
thanks
Jane Sarchet says
Hey Janet! Not an ideal place to nest, but a Muscovy will only do it her way!
I think I would wait for the babies to hatch before moving them. The first 2 days they won’t need to eat so on day 2-3 you’ll be able to pick them up, and that’ll give any stragglers a chance to hatch. You will need a secure pen for them, and yes sadly I think your cockerel will attack the babies, although mother duck will try her hardest to guard them.
Your other option is to set up an incubator, take the eggs off her now and hatch them out yourself.
Good luck
Janie x
Brianna says
We bought three baby ducks at the flea market not knowing their type. It turned out to be two females an one male Muscovy. They are wonderful pets. We named the male duke an he loved to be pet an loved on. Three gradually turned into 20 or so but they just wonder around our yard back an forth from our pond an yard to the neighbors. it is really fun to watch them together. AMAZING pets
Jane Sarchet says
I agree Brianna, and I loved hearing about yours. Thanks so much for sharing :)
Janie x
Bill says
Nine days to go for our first time mama to hatch out 17 ducklings. I really don’t expect more than 8 or so to survive. She was sitting on 13 but only at night and she was still laying for four more days until she got into the nest for good. Is that normal? And what about the last four? Will they be able to speed up their development? I envision some eggs that are dead from the spotty sitting and some that won’t hatch out because she will abandon the nest before they are ready.
I know these are all first time grandparent questions, lol.
Bill
Jane Sarchet says
Hey Bill, first timers don’t always get it right but I’m sure she’ll give it her best shot!
A little unsure as to the night time only sitting. If your days are very warm she may be monitoring the temp throughout the day and only sitting at night, but if the days are cold I would take day 1 as the day she sat for 22-23 hours.
The last 4 won’t be able to ‘speed up’, but don’t be surprised if she hatches 4 days later than you expect :)
Do enjoy your first babies, however many you get, they are such a joy :)
Janie x
Aline says
I have a Muscovy girl “Crackers” who was raised by one of my chickens. She was brought to me as a duckling because her mum had up and left her and my dad thought my daughter would like her. (So thoughtful). When I put her in the chicken coop she made herself a bed in the nesting box. I went out to check her each night and after about a week couldn’t find her anywhere. I noticed a chicken on the ground not on the roost so investigated to find a little head popping out from under the wing. The chook “Lady Cluck” adopted her and fussed over her and kept her under her wing, even when Crackers was bigger than her. We now call her a chuck because she’s not sure if she’s a chicken or a duck. She loves company and Crackers and the chooks all come running to the fence whenever they hear my door open. The assumption is I’ll either feed them or go over and talk to them. Crackers meets me at the gate and waits for a pat with a wag of the tail and “kissing” me gently on the hand. I bought a pekin duck “Dip” hoping they would keep each other company, but they don’t associate much. She went broody about 4 weeks ago and as I have no drake, I was getting worried she might never leave the nest. Today I bought 2 ducklings, a week old and tonight as if by some miracle, her unfertilized chicken egg will turn into 2 baby ducks. Here’s hoping she is as good a mum as her chooky mum.
By the way, if they go broody, will they stay on the nest or will they eventually give up?
Jane Sarchet says
Aww, that’s so cute! Please let me know if she takes her 2 new babies under her wing :)
Not sure I can categorically answer your question to be honest, as each situation is different. first time Mums obviously don’t really know what hey’re doing so they may sit longer than is good for them. However an experienced Mum will know if her egg isn’t developing and will usually give up sooner than the due date. The concern will always be them losing condition if they sitt for too long.
Good luck!
Janie x
Trish says
Hi. I live in Auckland, New Zealand. I just want to say thank you so much for all the information on Muscovy ducks. I bought two eight week old Muscovies yesterday to go with our currently 11 chickens and 5 chicks (Plymouth Barred Rocks and Orpingtons), 3 sheep and a mischievous Shih Tzu. I am so looking forward to the ducks growing bigger. They are very friendly and I am keeping them separate to our free range chickens for the time being. I am not sure if they are girls or boys as yet but I don’t mind what they are. They are so cute. Thank you once again.
Jane Sarchet says
Thank you so much Trish :) Enjoy your ducks while they’re young, they are the absolute cutest aren’t they!
Janie x
Kim West says
Hi. I found your website while I was trying to look up info about Muscovies. We have a female mallard (typical brown that the feed store had sexed as a female) that is one year old and our neighbors brought over a wild Muscovy duckling they found in their driveway back in Aug. (so he is 7 months old now). We had been convinced that the Muscovy was a male as he seems very large and brightly colored. We keep them together in a small chicken coop at night and they roam around our suburban yard during the day. About three weeks ago, we started finding an egg each morning in the coop, assuming the mallard was finally laying (we’ve been gathering the eggs daily). We noticed that the Muscovy was occasionally sitting on the nest of swirled straw. But the last couple days he will not leave the nest except just once or twice, like he is brooding! I also think the little white fluffy feathers in the nest might be his. Do you suppose “he” is actually a female and is the one laying eggs? They act like they are mating sometimes when they are in the kiddy pool (actually the mallard sits on top of the Muscovy) and the Muscovy will sometimes chase the mallard around the with his feathers all fluffed up. The Muscovy has become more vocal lately with more funny babyish peeping sounds; I’ve never heard him hiss. What do you think??
Jane Sarchet says
If ‘his’ face is dulling to an orangey colour and ”he’ has started squeaking, it sounds to me like you have a lady Muscovy :)
They are much bigger than Mallards, so can understand the confusion!
Janie x
Kim West says
Thanks. Well I think so. “He” has insisted on sitting on the nest for 3 or 4 days now (with no eggs), leaving only once to eat and such; there’s more little white feathers in the nest; and peeps when anyone comes near. However, there are no eggs as we had gathered them as she laid them. Will she ever figure out that there is nothing there to sit on? Will she start laying again? We are very puzzled, and added to that I am wondering why our mallard has never laid any eggs (being a year old). By the way, we also have a Bobwhite quail.
It all started as a science experiment with my kids–we tried hatching some quail eggs; only one hatched. We were at the feed store when the quail (Pebble) was a month old and saw very cute ducklings and got one (Sandy) to be “his” friend (the quail has laid a few eggs since, so I guess she is a girl too!). They are best buddies. And then our neighbors, knowing we had a duck, brought us the lost Muscovy duckling (Rocky). We also have a large Australian Shepherd (Patches) who is very tame toward them all. They are all very friendly and extremely fun and entertaining pets.
RaeLee says
I just bought a pair of Muscovy ducks but neither of them have the red on their face. Does this mean I bought two females?
Jane Sarchet says
Hi RaeLee.
The females have red on their faces too, so if they are Muscovies they are just young. It’ll ‘grow’ as they get older.
Janie x
Karen E says
We just bought 5 Muscovy ducks, they are just starting to get their pin feathers, what temperature should they be at. Right now it is raining and it’s 60 degrees out. I was wondering how long they should be with a heat light?
Karen
Jane Sarchet says
How old are they Karen?
Janie x
Sarah Cooper says
I have a pair of Muscovy, raised them from birth. They are really a beautiful couple and I adore them. They started mating quite early on. The environement we have them is beautiful. They have there own dam and come in at night to soft beds and a nice meal. The female has not laid one egg yet. I have followed her to see if she is laying eggs in the bush but can’t find any. Is there any reason for her not laying eggs? I am wondering if this could be the result of inner breeding as I believe they may be from the same mother and father.
Jane Sarchet says
If they hatched together, chances are they are siblings. Could just be that she isn’t old enough yet, how old are they Sarah and are you in the north or south hemisphere?
Janie x
Pam Hale says
Hi, I have a Muscovy duck sitting on 19 eggs. The male got hit by a car and died this morning. Should I replace with another male or will she be okay. She has been sitting for 2 weeks.. Thanks
Jane Sarchet says
Aww, I’m so sorry to hear that Pam.
As far as the babies are concerned, he has done his bit so to speak, and mamma can take it from here. You may want to be a little more vigilant with predators if they are free range as he would have been their first line of defence (but don’t try moving mamma & eggs as she’ll probably abandon them.)
Good luck.
Janie x
Jacinta says
Hi, I found your blog when researching Muscovy ducks. We are getting three muscovy ducklings today and I was wondering if it would be safe to put them in with our chickens. Will the chickens hurt the ducklings?
Jane Sarchet says
Hey Jacinta, if thehens are fully grown I would avoid mixing them until the ducklings are fully grown. If you can house them near each other they’ll soon get used to each other, but the littlies are likely to get hurt by the hens.
Good luck!
Janie x
JP says
We had one of our small white females sitting on her nest on the deck and hatched 3 the other day…well she took them off the deck and the little ones could not get back up the stairs so we moved the nest and now the MOM will not sit on the remaining eggs… We then moved the nest to the other duck pen with the males and they simply attacked her. The next morning all 3 babies were gone without a trace and the mom was just standing there….Will the males get aggressive and harm the young babies? There is the possible chance a predator got them cat , possum etc but there is simply no sign of any of the 3 only crushed egg shells
Lisa says
I got my first Muscovies last summer as day olds. Ended up with one drake, three hens. Perfect. This spring all 3 hens laid nice clutches of eggs. Miss Maggie hatched 12 out of 13 about 2 1/2 weeks ago. Miss May hatched 20 out of 20 ( I thought she had 17 & didn’t expect them all to go; boy was I surprised) 4 days ago and Miss Marcy hatched 8 out of 13 yesterday. Needless to say I have to be careful where I walk! It is amazing to see them out on their excursions as I have only ever brooder raised all my other poultry
Jane Sarchet says
Oh my! You’ve got your hands full Lisa!
Aren’t they just the prettiest little babies? I’ve just had my first clutch of the year hatch – and I have at least 2 more girls sitting. Suck time wasters!
Good luck & enjoy them :)
Janie x
Chicken Kev says
Hi
One of our muscovy hens is currently sitting on a number of plastic eggs and I have now bought some fertile (hopefully) eggs to go under her, but she hasnt been off the nest for two days and I wondered whether best to wait til she gets up to feed to remove the dud ones or can I move her or try to pick them from under her – albeit that they are visciously protective and I’d need a shield as well….
Any thoughts?
Kevin
Ian says
My young girl has laid 8 eggs and has been sitting for the last month or so. we have one healthy chick hatched but she has removed the rest of the egg from the nest leaving 2 eggs unhatched. the eggs that were removed had dead chicks in them. what are we doing wrong? any suggestions would be appreciated.
Thanks
Jane Sarchet says
Hey Ian, you are probably doing nothing wrong. If it is her first time she may be making it up as she goes along. Give her another chance and if she can’t manage to hatch out a better number you may want to think about replacing her (I’ve never had a girl not get it right second time around)
Good luck!
Janie x
Amax says
Hi there
I recently acquired a breeding pair of muscovies and 6 ducklings. Male breeder is the father of the ducklings but the female is not the mother, although she took them under her wing immediately and looked after them from little. Male breeder is a big boy but the female breeder is tiny, much smaller than even the smallest duckling now. Actually the ducklings are adults now (14-16 weeks?)
I have given the Ducklings extra time and am now preparing to dispatch them. I have several questions that I need answering.
I do not know how old the breeding pair are. I was told that they could be about 2 years old, but the person I got them from was unsure and got them from someone else and consequently it is like chinese wispers I am afraid. Is there anyway of guesstimating their age?
Second question. I think that I have 3 males and 3 females. two of the females are bigger than the other though but smaller than the 3 definite males. Could the 2 big females be males?
I am planning to slaughter the males and keep the 3 females as layers but obviously I don’t want to slaughter the males if I should be keeping one of the males to either replace the male breeder that I already have or keep him along side the male breeder. I know that this is probably not a good idea and really should only have one male. If it is not a good idea to keep two males, should I keep the original male or one of his male offspring?
I can send photos of the ducks if this helps?
Thanks so much for your help
Amax
Jane Sarchet says
Hi Amax, if you are keeping them altogether, definitely only keep one male. In an ideal world you’d change your male every 2 or 3 years to keep the bloodlines clear and to avoid too much inbreeding. As for whihc boy you keep, that’s entirely up to you. They are both related to your females so neither are 100% ideal but you will be able to breed successfully from either.
Good luck!
Janie x
J.R. says
Hello,
This is a wonderfully informative site. A quick question – hoping you can offer some advice. We have a pair of Muscovy ducklings, about 3 weeks old, doing well, living indoors in a large dog pen under a heat lamp. Brought home another newly-hatched pair and unfortunately one died on the way home. We’re wondering if we can place the single newly-hatched duckling with the older two, or will they attack him? Thinking I can introduce them and see what happens, but would be very grateful for any advice.
With thanks.
Jane Sarchet says
Hi JR, so sorry for the delay in responding, your email got siphoned off into a spam folder.
I’m sure you’ve already sussed it, but yes, the sooner they are in together the better, you might get some bullying but the younger they are the less bullying there seems to be.
Good luck
Janie x
J.R. says
Thank-you, Janie. Yes, I did decide to try the new little one with the bigger pair, and it was just as you say – there was a little bullying from one of the bigger ones, but within the day they were all curled-up together and are now doing fine. Thank-you so much for your reply. It’s very reassuring knowing there’s folks out there that have been through duck-stuff before! Cheers. :)
Jane Sarchet says
Aww, that’s great to hear JR. So pleased it went well :)
Good luck with them, and enjoy they whilst they’re little!
Janie x
Pamela Hale says
Hi, I have a problem. I have a female muscovy and she sat on 19 eggs. They never hatched but I think it was because the male was not a muscovy..He died so when the nest was broken up,a week later I bought a male and a female muscovy {hatched at the same time}.. they are about 4 months old. My duck is chasing the female i bought all over the place and nipping at her.. sometimes she does the male ,too. I have had them for 5 days hoping they wood take up together but now I am worried. They are not penned up and can move freely.. I always thought females would get along but not males.. Any ideas why she is acting like this, and should I get rid of the 2 I bought or wait for a few more days..
Jane Sarchet says
Hi Pamela, when did she come off the eggs? If she is still broody she’l be grumpy with everyone around her (especially if she can’t find her ‘babies’).
However, if that was a while ago then she’s quite probably just trying to assert her dominance as ‘top dog’ and ensure she’s top of the pecking order.
They’re not guaranteed to get on, but chances are they’ll settle down soon(ish!)
Good luck!
Janie x
Pamela Hale says
Hi, I broke up the nest about 2 weeks ago and turned the new ducks loose 5 days ago.. I do keep those 2 up at night and turn them loose during the day hoping they will get used to each other..
Jane Sarchet says
She might still have some hormones left, or she might just be grumpy! Is there any way you can separate them completely for a couple of weeks, but so they can still see each other? She needs friends & a partner if you want to breed them so it’s i her interest if you can manage it.
Janie x
Pamela Hale says
Oh and she is still going back to her box at night..
Adam says
Hi,
Quick question. When your female is sitting on her eggs, do you seperate her and the eggs from the Drake? And when is it safe to reintroduce them?
Love the site,
Thanks.
Adam
Jane Sarchet says
Hi Adam, thanks for popping by!
My ducks are all free range, they live on an island and can suit themselves so my drake does have access to the eggs but leaves well alone :)
If they were in a run, I would probably separate the first clutch from him & slowly let him near them & watch how he reacts to them. If he shows aggression, remove them completely.
Hope that helps!
Janie x
Colleen from Victoria says
hello
I have two year old Muscovy Ducks. One male and one female. She has been laying and we decided to let her sit on a clutch that she has made (about 6 eggs), to see if any will hatch. Unfortunately, for the last three nights, when I let them out of their house, one of the eggs has been smashed and possibly eaten. She is somewhat Broody but does not stay on all day. She had laid another one each night to replace, so we still end up with 6.
The question, is the male breaking the eggs? Or is she? He has taken to sitting at our front door on the porch (like a dog) in the evenings and I have had a devil of a time trying to coax him to get him into the duck house. Is he avoiding roosting with the female? Unfortunately I cannot let him stay out at night as we have racoons in our area.
Also, she is looking somewhat ragged on the top and I wonder if he is hurting her? We have taken to calling him Heff after Hugh Heffner if you get my drift and I wonder if the feathers on her back are suffering?
thanks
Jane Sarchet says
Hi Colleen, if she is still laying an egg every day then she’s not fully broody yet. When she stops laying and only comes off the nest once or twice a day then she has started to incubate them.
No clue who is breaking the eggs, someone else in these comments saw her lady eating eggs, but I’ve never seen it. If she is older & if there isn’t enough calcium in her diet then the shells will be thin and are more likely to break when she stands on them to lay. We have had rats, crows and badgers take eggs from the nest before so could some predator be getting in to her nest box?
And yes, the ragged feathers on her back suggest that Heff isn’t having his wicked way with her :) Although, if you want ducklings, this is a good thing ;)
Good luck with them
morgan says
hi we have just been given 4 Muscovy ducks .never had a clue on how to care for them thanks to you i now have a better idea .we live in an awesome country called New Zealand .we are blessed as the ducks have no predators so they have 45 acres to roam in. just dug a 2 meter square hole put a swimming pool in it now they are happy thanks to you.my mokopuna(grandchildren) called one of them elvis you can imagine why .so thank you once again
Jane Sarchet says
Hey Morgan, thanks so much for the lovely message – you’ve made my day :)
Not only am I jealous your birds have no predators, I’m jealous you’re in NZ! I spent several months there in my backpacking days and its the one country I would move to in a heartbeat.
Enjoy Elvis and his concubines :)
Janie x
Anthony Nicholls says
Gidday,
We inherited a group of 10 muscovies when we bought our property in New Zealand. We were told that the whole lot of them originated from a brother and sister (yucky i know) breeding pair. We estimate they are about 2nd or 3rd generation and the original Drake has been doing most of the breeding with the younger females. We have lost quite a few ducklings to rats and stoats and were wondering if the ducks are getting weaker as they continue to cross breed ?
They are free ranging but we also feed them daily wheat.
Appreciate your advice
Anthony x
Jane Sarchet says
Hey Anthony, in a perfect world you’d only breed from unrelated birds, but if you think about birds in their natural environment there will be plenty of inbreeding. It is a possibility that they will be getting weaker as time goes on & it would be good practice to get a new drake some time soon. However, rats and stoats are both deadly predators and once they get a taste for your youngsters, they will keep going back for more until they are all gone or to big to attack. No amount of pure breeding will help I’m afraid. The only way to protect the young is to either rid yourself of the predators or to raise them indoors.
Hope that helps!
Janie x
Anthony Nicholls says
Gidday Janie.
Thank you for your reply. We have begun a trapping regime and have managed to catch one ugly rat so far and are continuing the offensive ! We’ll be a bit more on to it with the next lot. We will definitely look at conscripting a couple more drakes. It’ll do the dirty old bugger good to have some competition ! haha,
Thanks again mate,
Anthony x
Jane Sarchet says
Excellent, good luck ridding yourself of the rats Anthony. They are nasty little things and will take eggs and youngsters :(
Janie x
Pam says
Hello, We accepted two muscovy ducklings from someone my husband works with a few months ago. We already have 10 other ducks (Pekins, Swedes, Runners, and Rouens) and the muscovy babies picked the Pekins to hang out with as they grew older. There was one female and one male, Moe & Jo. We let them free range over about 2.5 acres that has a large pond and the area is entirely fenced; however, yesterday morning I notice the female Muscovy, Jo, was gone. I’m hoping she flew off somewhere and will return. I have searched the entire area and find no evidence of misdeeds (no pile of feathers, no pieces of duck), she just vanished. Moe is distraught and has been looking for his girl all over. I guess they’d be about 3-4 months old now. Is that about the right age that they would begin to fly? We have neighbors in the area with ponds and I’ve even checked those for Jo but so far nothing.
Jane Sarchet says
Oh bless you Pam. 3-4 months sounds a little young to be flying already, but it is possible. It also sounds too young for her to have laid a nest and gone broody. Fingers crossed she turns up healthy and well soon.
Janie x
Steve says
My wife didn’t want ducks but after getting two, male and female building the house for them and pond she has changed her mind. They do like to come into the house if your not looking lol and sometimes leave a calling card, thank goodness for wooden floors. Mine are only around 3 months old but enjoy the garden and even put themselves to bed so around 7pm I lock their door and they are so chilled that by 6am when I open the door they typically stay In for 30 mins before running around the garden and off for a dip. 2 questions roughly when do they start laying? And will they lay in the autumn? Thanks
Jane Sarchet says
Hi Steve, laying starts around the 6 month mark but it can depend on what time of year they hatched (as they don’t tend to lay during the winter)
Autumn, probably but not if they are still young, you’ll be more likely to see your first eggs early next spring.
Good luck!
Janie x
Steve says
Thanks for the info. I was kinda expecting that but can’t wait to have a few little ones around to take advantage of the duckopolise I have built (needs some finishing touches to look tidy). I have been offered a young female yesterday from a friend of a friend so that could be fun and help the bloodline out. Have you experienced sulking ducks? Mine wouldn’t come to eat from me (the kids and wife were fine to hand feed them) after cutting their feathers. This lasted a full day lol bless em. I’m hoping that when they grow back they can fly around but will want to return to the garden. Is this right or wishful thinking?
Rodney Hueb says
I’ve found in our neighborhood park a very young duckling ( 1-2 days old my guess) and no parents in site. Normally even young ducklings are impossible to catch but this one would run a bit and fall, run more and fall,.. I couldn’t just leave him(her) in the park , on the ground, to be eaten by ants. I’ve taken it home and placed in a box with bedding, I have never raised a duck before. I do not want to keep as a pet, I would like for it to be old enough at least have a chance for survival when released. I know better than to interfere with nature, but I couldn’t just walk away from this one. Your experienced advise would be greatly appreciated on what I should do to help this poor little fellow.
Jane Sarchet says
OK, depending where you are in the world the first thing to do is give the little one heat. Mamma duck would sit on her brood to give that heat, your options include finding a broody chicken/duck and sneaking the duckling in underneath her & hoping she accepts it, or you can use a heat lamp to do the same.
As for feed, an unmedicated chicken feed will probably be the easiest to find, or if you are in the city, ask for advice in a local pet shop.
And it’ll also need constant access to clean water deep enough for it to get its eyes & nostrils under.
Hope that helps & shout if you have any other questions
Janie x
Rodney Hueb says
Thanks so much so your response. I guess my main concern now if all goes well with raising the bird, how do I determine the time to release him back to the park pond? I have read many discussions on this board about the careful balance between raising and releasing back to the wild and the human bonding issue. This many times does not work out so well from what I’ve read . I have to handle the bird to clean the box, and will need to continue this for quite a while. The bird is s-o-o-o tiny. , and when he grows up, I want him to think he is a duck , not a person. He is being raised alone as the hand nature dealt him decided. . Thanks again..
Simon says
Hi Janie, I recently found a Muscovy that I think escaped from a local farm, I brought her home and she has settled in with my chickens, she even takes herself to bed at night with the chickens. I guess she might get lonely without a duckie companion? Should I get another Muscovy to keep her company?
Jane Sarchet says
Hey Simon, not necessarily. If she seems to be settling I well with the chooks then that may be all the company she needs. However, if they are giving her a hard time, or she’s spending most/all of the time on her own and looks to have shunned by the hens then it may be kinds to get her a friend.
Do let me know hoe she gets on :)
Janie x
Melinda says
I volunteer at a wildlife rehabilitation center in Georgia (USA) and we recently relocated 5 ducks to their new home on a lovely farm with a big pond. The ducks came to the center as orphaned babies and were raised in two groups. One group consists of 2 male Muscovies and what I think is 1 female Muscovy. The other group is 1 male Muskovy and 1 female Pekin duck. For the first night we put them all in a horse stall together to acclimate to their new enviroment and to be introduced to each other. There were a couple of tussles between the males but they seemed to have worked it out. The next day we let them outside and led them down to the pond. Their first time swimming is priceless! I posted a few videos on youtube and will include the link if you care to see them! I’ve never laughed so hard! Anyway, the Pekin duck is having a bit of an identiy crisis. She can’t fly like the others and seems to constantly be the odd duck out. Do you think she will be able to fit it or would you recommend finding a more “domestic” situation for her? We are in the process of predator proofing the stall and train them to be put up at night but I do worry about the Pekin’s inability to escape through flight during other times free roaming the farm. Yesterday morning when they were let out of the stall to go down to the pond, the group of three Muskovies immediately flew down to the pond and the Muskovy that was raised with the Pekin walked all the way down to the pond with her. They are bonded and I would hate to seperate them! Once in the pond though, the Pekin hung out the whole day with a flock of geese that had stopped by. She’s not quite sure where she fits in. She came back to the barn last might missing a few feathers and looking a little “beat up” on! Any advice?
As far as the drakes go, I didn’t mention that there was a male Muskovy that already lived on the pond. Once the new ducks were in the pond he swam over to check what all the commotion was about and that went fairly well with no fights. It’s winter now and I worry about what it’s going to be like once spring is in the air and the hormones are kicking in! Any advice?
Here are the youtube links…..
http://youtu.be/kvzCrL79-WQ
http://youtu.be/OyREzWoWnCE
Melinda says
http://youtu.be/kvzCrL79-WQ
Jane Sarchet says
So cute!
Janie x
Jane Sarchet says
Aww, what a great story! I no nothing about Pekins I’m afraid so can’t really offer any advice there. The different breeds do tend to stay separate, but if you think 2 have bonded it might be worth leaving them for a few weeks to see what happens.
When you have a lot of males, you may be putting too much stress on any females. If you have the room maybe think about getting more females to go around comes spring, or reducing your males ideally to just one.
Hope that helps & good luck Melinda!
Janie x
Louise says
Hi, I live in a East Sussex in England. A beautiful chocolate Muscovy appeared in our front garden yesterday. She came back this morning and I fed her some layer pellet and corn. She stayed all day and this evening went off to roost somewhere. If she comes back tomorrow I’d like to try and coax her into the back garden. We have 6 chickens and a cockerel. Do you think they could all live happily in the same garden? Are garden is about half an acre and backs onto fields. The chickens free roam all day then go into their huge chicken coop at night. If I can get her into the garden and put a tray of water out for her to swim in, do you think there is a chance she’ll stay? Then if she does would it be worth getting her a male companion. I’d love the idea of little ducklings. What do you think?
Jane Sarchet says
It sounds like the perfect place for a Muscovy to live Louise! Keep feeding her and fingers crossed she’ll stay put. If you can catch her you could always clip her wing but this won’t guarantee she’ll stay – you’re better off tempting her with the life :)
Good luck!
Janie x
Brian says
A Muscovy duck waddled up my drive a few months ago and has refused to leave despite my attempts. My dog, usually a killer – literally – has not bothered ‘her’ from day one. In fact the duck is boss and tugs the dog’s ear if she gets too close.
I think we are stuck with it now and so would like to know if it is Mr or Mrs Duck. How do I find out?
Jane Sarchet says
You could email me a pic Brian, or upload one to our FB page here https://www.facebook.com/Hedgecombers
If you can get a side shot and perhaps one of the face, I should be able to let you know.
Lovely to hear that your dog and it gets on, they really are fab birds :)
Janie x
Pam says
I posted a while back about my missing female and unfortunately she was never found. I have another question/concern now. The male muscovy was sort of adopted by my Pekin pair and everything was fine until the muscovy matured. He is now bullying and beating up the male Pekin to the point where I have had to put the Pekin in a pen to heal. This cannot be tolerated and the muscovy will lose this battle with me and become someone’s dinner if I cannot find a solution. Is it possible to trim muscovy toenails? That is the main advantage he has over the Pekin and he uses them to slash. Any suggestions?
Jane Sarchet says
Only one Pam, and that is to remove him :(
Oh, actually, another option is to get him one or two Muscovy lady friends. It’s not a guarantee but chances are (if they have enough room) that they will each keep to themselves.
Good luck Pam :)
Janie x
Virginia says
I just love my muscovy ducks, we started out with 4 ducklings but have ended up with 2 as 2 of them decided that the grass was greener on the other side of the fence and ended up dying. We have a drake, Stew and a hen, Pie. Pie has just hatched her 2nd lot of ducklings (after only hatching 4 live ducklings first time round) and we have decided to keep 3 of the 15 she hatched, the others going to people we know will look after them. Stew is doing what comes naturally to him, lol, but we have decided that we don’t want anymore ducklings and will be collecting the eggs as Pie lays them. We are thinking that we will have to get rid of Stew as I don’t want to keep him locked in a pen. I’m hoping that Pie will cope OK without her partner, Stew. My question being, do ducks mate for life or will they get by without their first ever mate??
Jane Sarchet says
Hmmm, personally I think keeping one duck on its own isn’t fair. So if I’ve read that right and you could replace him with another female to keep Pie company.
However, you can eat eggs that have been fertilised. They only turn into embryos when the female sits on them – they’re perfectly edible and tasty if you are planning to collect them every day.
Hope that helps!
Janie x
Robyn Duke says
Hi Jane, I am in Western Australia. I have read all the posts so far, but no-one seems to have the problem I do. We bought 2 ducklings last October & one of them is a muscovy duck (drake, I think). He/she keeps rounding up our weakest chook, sitting on her & plucking feathers from her neck. 3 chooks & 2 ducks roam free around our backyard. The other duck isn’t a muscovy, but they waddle together. What should I do?
Jane Sarchet says
Hmmm, sounds like he is a boy and he needs a lady Muscovy in his life (if you catch my drift). If they can’t mate for whatever reason it can come out as aggression.
Do you have room for 1 more lady?
Janie x
Tammy says
Hello, you have great info. I got 4 of the lavendar Ducks this past April , they were about 4 months old. All has been well. I got lucky and have 1 drake, 3 females. Some one has layed 3 clutches, they were not interested, so I pulled the eggs. Ok the problem, one of the hens is beating the crap out of one of the females and not to nice to the other. The problem hen is orange instead of the red she has been. I have separated them so she can’t further defeather the poor gal. HELP. Thanks
Jane Sarchet says
Hi Tammy, if her face is going orange then the duck is likely broody and has been laying a nest in readiness of sitting on the eggs. This could be why she is more aggressive with the other two. Equally you will always have a pecking order with a group of birds, and the boss will generally pick on the others to maintain her place at the top.
Hope that helps
Janie x
Tammy says
hello, thank you for the info. She has layed between 10-14 eggs, don’t want to stir it up. She chooses to stay out of their pen all day! Shouldn’t she be sitting on the nest ? Thanks again.
roger says
hi my duck has about 15 eggs in her
. nest she sit on it long time but not the whole day like the other one.she been plugging feathers and put in nest is that good, she be siting full time soon, thanks
Jane Sarchet says
All sounds good Roger, when she has actually started the incubation process she’ll likely only come off the nest once or twice a day.
Good luck!
Janie x
roger says
hi my duck finally siting on her eggs. but the third one has not starting laying yet.what will happen if the 3 girl are hatching what the boy will do by himself. thanks you
Jane Sarchet says
Hopefully he’ll guard his wives and leave them to it, if he starts getting lonely or aggressive then you may need to brak up one the females nests. If she hasn’t started laying yet you should be fine – just remove her eggs as she lays them, and let her go broody later in the season.
Janie x
roger says
thanks hopefully went # 3 start been broody the first one be done. I think about 2 weeks the first one eggs be hatching. thanks again
Jeff Hamilton says
Dear Jane, I just stopped crying I was readying some of the sad stories about the ducks getting killed and soforth.They ars such wonderful creaturer’s. My dog would always chase other animals to play,but the one time he got by the ducks,It was a sight to beholed! he mingeled with them and just sat with them,these Muscoveys are a very special bird indeed.My question today is simple one. Just wondering how come they will nest rite at my door.(but I asume like my nighbors duck,her sister she will walk this small part of the nighborhood.and then across the street she goes down behind the house’s to the creek.With all 15 intow,I suppose mine will do the same when they hatch.just wondering thanks Jeff H
Jane Sarchet says
I don’t know how or why a Muscovy chooses her nesting spot – unfortunately they don’t have a great awareness of danger so can nest in some pretty dumb places!
Some of mine will nest in a barn roof which is a great way to stay away from predators, but when the babies hatch they safely drop the 10 foot to the ground to go off for their first swim, but that night when mama flies back up to the nest, the babies are all stuck on the ground. Dozy beggars!
Good luck Jeff!
Janie x
Jennifer says
I enjoy the posts on this site and am hoping someone can provide insight into what I think is unusual behaviour in our male Muscovy, Percy. Recently, he’s taken to flying on top of people. Whenever one of us is out in the yard and he spots us, he’ll fly over to us – sometimes a considerable distance, as we’re on 50 acres – if you stretch out your arms he will fly into them, if you hold out one arm, he will land on it, like a falcon (albeit, a very heavy one)! However, if you’re walking away from him, you’ll hear him coming up behind you with a whump, whump, whump, and he lands on your back, shoulders or head. He then proceeds to have a go at your hair with his beak, and it’s pretty difficult to get him off, given that these birds are built-to-perch! We’re wondering whether this is odd behaviour, whether it’s friendly or aggressive, and whether there’s some way we can discourage it – we’ve stopped holding out our arms for him – since we’re trying to imagine how disconcerting it might be for a guest to have a full-grown male Muscovy land on their head! I do struggle with whether many of his behaviours are friendly or aggressive – he is definitely aggressive towards by bright red rubber boots, and at other times can be quite persistent in attacking our legs while we’re walking. His better-half, Mabel, shows none of these behaviours, and is very sweet-natured. Any thoughts on why he’s doing this and how to make him stop would be much-appreciated!
Jane Sarchet says
Hi Jennifer, thanks for stopping by!
I have some pretty sad news for you I’m afraid, but let me start by telling you about a similar situation I had a few years back.
I hatched & hand reared 2 brothers that the mum had deserted on the nest. One was clearly a little simple & presumably has suffered brain damage (they should have died in reality as their eggs were cold & half hatched when I intercepted) but they grew up into strong boys, The fitter one was the alpha male and when he was a few months old he started attacking me in the same way you describe. He started off my biting me, which when he was little was quite cute, but as he got bigger he would come up to me and attack me, biting my shins and then started flying at me, ans up to my face/head if he could.
This is aggressive behaviour, and sadly there is only one way to stop it that I know of. The last time this boy attacked me I had no choice but to grab him by the throat and have my partner put him down. If he had gone for a child I dread to think what would have happened.
I believe this comes about because our human nature is to ‘pet’ them when they are little and cute, and as they grow they want to exert their power over us and get us in line with their other wives!
Really sorry, I wish I had better news for you
Janie x
Jennifer says
Hello Janie,
Thanks once again for your honest – though sad – reply. I can’t tell you how valuable it is that you are willing to share your time and knowledge with us duck-neophytes – I happened upon your website, and was amazed at how busy and successful you are! Your posts about duck-loss to predation has provided me a small measure of comfort tonight, as we lost our female, Mabel, last night to a predator. I’m at a loss as to what got her, since there are no tracks in the snow (we’re in Canada and have had an exceptionally snowy winter) – however, our Percy was injured in a tangle with an owl the other day, so I suppose it’s possible that the wise old owl decided to settle on the smaller female. I have another question, if you are able to respond, when you have time. We are now in possession of a sad and single duck. We’re trying to decide whether to return Percy to the farm where we purchased him as a duckling, so he can make new friends, or whether to ask the farm if they have an adult female we can purchase as a new mail-order bride for him. Do you have thoughts on the better option? Would he be ostracized as a strange male if he were to return to a farm full of Muscovies? Would he “take” to a new female, brought to our place, fully-grown? I realize there are no guarantees either way, but I thought I’d ask the expert (that’s you) in case there’s a way to salvage our poor diminishing duck family.
Many thanks!
Jenn
Jane Sarchet says
Oh, sad news Jenn :(
To be honest, the farm is unlikely to want another male and if they do take him the chances are they would dispatch him. He would definitely take to another female, or ideally two if you have the room.
Good luck and thank you for your kind words :)
Janie x
Jenn says
I don’t know why I missed your most-recent comment; I came across it reading another post! There have been developments! We dutifully selected a female Muscovy mail-order bride for our lone (and lonely) male, Percy, and she promptly flew away. We think Percy may be a bit of a letch in the duck world, which is why he can’t keep a wife. At any rate, we were sad to lose her, especially as it’s been the worst winter in 30 years in most of Canada, and she likely didn’t survive. Percy was mad to find himself on the singles market again – and without having seen your comment, we got two new females, and he’s a much happier boy, so you were quite right! We’ve kept the new girls in their enclosure until they get used to their new home, and new guy; hopefully by the time our ponds thaw they’ll think of this as home. Thanks again for the great and helpful comments!
Jane Sarchet says
You’re most welcome! Good luck :)
Janie x
Tammy Knight says
Hello, We live on 14 acres with a one acre pond. We have had as many as 19 Muscovy ducks at one time. It all started with me purchasing 6 and having babies and losing some over the years until we were down to one. Some of the ducks flew off to a neighbors pond and some have been killed by predators (a group of dogs kept coming through until we found out who they belonged to and had a talk with them). Anyway, with only one female left we purchased 2 males and 2 females about 2 months ago. The previous owner kept them in a pen all the time. They had never been swimming. Our previous ducks swam all the time. We decided to pen these four new ducks up since that is what they were use to. We have them in a secure fenced in area with a chicken house. One of the females (or both) has laid a few eggs. Each day when we go down we may find one but never see anyone sitting on it. Today, the four ducks were all in the top of the house. I only saw one egg and it had rolled down the ramp that goes to the ground. I used a pair of gloves and put it gently back in the top section with the ducks. I closed the door and when I went back with their food, one of the ducks had done something to the egg because there was no shell anywhere! There was the inside of the egg in a pile and one of the female ducks was eating it. This really bothered me. I guess this has been happening because we know that there has been at least 4 eggs laid but they are nowhere to be found. Why is this happening? I don’t believe that they ever had babies with the previous owners. She got the ducks as babies and then decided she didn’t want them so she had not had them long. When we had our other ducks we never had this happen, but then again, they were not kept in a pen. All of the ducks were free to roam and swim. They came up to our house each evening in a line to let us know they were “hungry”. We lost a few babies to predators but all and all did very well. The babies would be swimming by the 2nd day and was such a sweet sight to see. There were many females that stayed with them and watched out for them. Should we turn these adults out and let them enjoy the pond? Would they be happier and maybe produce better? The previous owner clipped their wings but I guess they have grown back out now and they can fly away from predators, correct? Please advise me about the egg eating. I was hoping for babies. Thank you!
Jane Sarchet says
Hi Tammy, I’ve never seen a Muscovy eat an egg but there are other people that have left comments above that have seen it. Are your ducks on a balanced duck ration and did you previous owner feed them properly? I guess it could be a nutritional problem.
The only advice I have is when chickens start getting a taste for their eggs there is very little you can do about it, and if it is a big problem then you have to get rid of that hen.
If you want the babies I think the best thing to do is to collect the eggs daily and incubate them yourself.
Good luck!
Janie x
roger says
hi according to my count today is hatching day the duck don’t seen broody any more. Went are you suppose to start counting the days..She still sit on her eggs
Jane Sarchet says
Day 1 is the day that sits for 98% of the day/night and only comes off to eat, drink & poop!
Janie x
roger says
hi my duck hatch 8 or 9 eggs of 16 so far, but something strange happen she set apart 2 eggs one hatch the other one trying to hatch but the first one looks weak not as strong as the other one but he look more green feather than his brothers and sister hope it be ok thanks
Jane Sarchet says
Hi Roger, the only way to tell what is going to happen during a hatch is to wait and see I’m afraid. DO let me know how it all goes xx
roger says
hi 12 hatch in good condition 2 never hatch but the 2 that she separated from the rest they still alive but they cant get up i think went that happen they need niacin what you think. 14 0f 16 eggs hatch
Jane Sarchet says
Yay, that’s good odds! Are the two weak ones under their mummy? The most important thing for them is to stay warm and if she’s accepted them then fingers crossed!
Janie x
roger says
SHE DON’T WANT THEN I PUT THEN IN A BROODER TEMP IS ABOUT 87 DEGREE HOPE THAT HELP THANKS
Jane Sarchet says
Good move and good luck with them. Make sure they have shallow dish with water in and you can scatter a little chick crumbs in although they won’t need to eat properly until day 3, as they are digesting the yolk from their egg still :)
Janie x
roger says
hi i have good news, the 2 duckling i put back whit the other and they doing great. i can’t tell who is who. thanks about 2 week i have another batch i think i be more ready for it thanks again
Jane Sarchet says
Well done, it does get easier, I promise!
Good luck with them Roger :)
Janie x
I.Z.G. says
Hello Mrs. Sarchet,
I found your post just recently…
My family is currently raising muscovy ducks; last year the hens went broody but the drake died, so it understandable that we had no ducklings.
However this year, we have not only one, but two drakes, and one of our hens has gone broody recently.
You and many others online claim it takes about 35 days for the ducklings to hatch; it is currently day 39 and STILL no sign of any ducklings.
As you can imagine, this is very disturbing.
We clearly saw that she had been mated by the dominant drake, so there should be no excuse of being infertile- right?
Muscovies are supposed to be able to tell whether or not the eggs are infertile; she clearly kicked out one of her eggs once.
Is it possible that she wasn’t regulating the temp. correctly? Or turning the eggs? Do you think there is still a slight chance of hatching-or should we be prepared to have a few Sunday dinners sometime soon?
This is a big bother to me; I would very much would like to hear your feedback.
Thank you,
I.Z.G.
Jane Sarchet says
Hi IZG, great to hear from you :)
Anything you mentioned is a possibility, however first things first – Day 1 is the first day that the female sits for at least 20 or so hours, does that sound right?
Do other females have access to her nest and is there any possibility that they are laying eggs in it too?
And is there also any chance that predators are taking the occasional egg to eat?
Janie x
Jesslyne says
Hi Jane, we love your site. One of our Muscovy ducks is brooding 15 eggs in the floating duck house on our pond. Should we pull the house to land to prevent the ducklings from drowning? Not sure when they start swimming and walking about….
Jane Sarchet says
Ah, cute! If they are safe from predators where they are, I would leave them on the pond. The babies can swim very early, so long as they can easily get out of the water and back to their house.
Good luck & we’d love photo’s if you fancy sharing any on FB/twitter or instagram :)
Janie x
Jeff Hamilton says
Dear Janie, I can not beleive how horribale some people are. My littel girls eggs hatched when I was in the hospital she had about eight,my nighbors also she had 15 babies.My friend was giveing them food.so they didn’t think I had deserted them.Two days after I got home and about six days before I got home my friend tolled me that they were all GONE mom babies and the 10 to 12 adults that called this part of the nighborhood home for a couple of years.And my nighbors girl and babies.the two days after Iwas home Wildlife State police came to the door(they saw the food bowels in the drive way) they said 6 to 8 ducks were found in the yard across the street they apparently Had BEEN POISENED on a walkker I broke down in tears.people can be so discusting.they all were so gental beuatiful creatures.I could not see wich ones died all I could do was pray. about 6 days latter my girl and all the babies showed up next door. she started to run intill she heard me!! then she stopped.stayed by an old nest at the nighbors.I put down some food about 1 foot away from her.Iwas the only person that coyld get close to her.Italked to her and cryed for half an hour.then Ileft as not to upset her.she adventually left with the babies but did not eat the food!!!! I could only thank god that she had been spared this most horrible thing.food is still out but none of them have even thouched it DO you think they will return??? The nighbor with the other mom and babies stopped putting out food???? she cryed also she said she didn’t want to SET THEM UP.I don’t know what to do I am still so very upset,any advice on this Jeff H in FL
Jane Sarchet says
Sad news Jeff. Animals can get to poison accidentally so it may not be due to someone with a sick streak.
Afraid I have no idea if they’ll come back, but good luck.
Janie x
Denise says
Hi!
We have a blue Swedish hen and decided to find her a friend as she seemed a little lonely since we had to give away the drake( he was attempting to force himself on my little silkie hen and well, we all know that would have ended badly for my little girl) So we settled on a Muscovy female. She has been a little shy most of the day as we let them free range around our fenced in back yard when we are home.
Did notice that when we got close to her or one of our little small breed dogs, the feathers on her head and neck stood up resembling a Mohawk! It was actually a funny site as she suddenly looked like a bad-a** bird from the hood. hahaha!
Why did she do this is what we were wondering? Was it because she is still unsure of her surroundings, a scare tactic to us or the dogs?
We also noticed that when we put them all away for the night, she nipped at our blue Swedish when they got close. We are hoping that this will stop when she settles in and feels more at ease with her comfy accommodations.?The Swedish gets along very well with the Silkie male and hen aka Oly and Daisy. Will Dorie also make friends with them?
Been reading a lot about our new girl and are already attached to her. Her wings aren’t clipped and aren’t sure as we should clip them? The Swedish hen, Daphne, has never had hers done and has never felt the need to leave the comfort of her home. Private ponds, good food, lots of spoiling ,friends that don’t bother her…paradise! haha! Should we be concerned with flight from Dorie?
Thank you for any advice you can share with us. We are new parents of this breed and are wanting to know all we can to make her home as happy as possible.
Jane Sarchet says
Hi Denise :) The mohawk thing is even more pronounced in the males, my drake resembles Elvis when his gets up!
The pecking may or may not continue, unless it’s very aggressive don’t worry about it – they’re all just finding their feet within the pecking order.
To clip or not to clip – you may want to initially just to stop her flying away, they’ll grow back and when she’s settled you can leave them alone.
Good luck!
Janie x
Denise says
Hello Janie,
Thank you for your quick response! Been reading all I can about our new duck!
So, why do the feathers stand up like they do? We seem to notice more if we are around her. We have had her now for three days and can tell she is warming up to her new home. I don’t believe she had ever had the joy of being a “free range duck”. We open the door to their home and the others just come out. The oddest thing happened last night. The blue Swedish actually coaxed her out by doing her head bob ritual and quacking! It was the neatest thing to see.
Our blue Swedish adores water and drinks and swims endlessly. Do Muscovy’s enjoy being in the water as much ? So far she hasn’t shown an interest in the pond or the pool. We are on Iowa , so the summers can get pretty hot.
The pecking was just an isolated incident and they actually get a long very well.
She hasn’t shown any interest in flying away and has only flew up on a wheel barrow to briefly perch. Since we live in town with a large fenced in back yard , we have decided to not clip her wings.
How many eggs does a female lay in a year? Our Swedish lays 1 at least every other day.
She seems very inquisitive! Stretches her neck out,,, turns her head side ways when she hears a bird or a barking dog. While our Swedish is non stop looking for food in the grass, Dorie is a much more laid back. I could sit for hours and just watch my ducks and silkies.:)
So happy I stumbled upon your site when looking for information about the Muscovy’s.:)
Thank you so much!
Denise
Peter says
Two of my girls (out of 6) have been laying at the same spot inside the main coop the past 8 days and there are 16 eggs today. There are four questions I need your help with:
1. How many eggs should be enough for one duck to sit on?
2. Should I wait for the laying girls to go broody before i move the eggs to a new location or it can be done now?
3. Should I split the eggs between them when they have laid enough? (based on the recommended number for question 1)
4. Can the other non laying girls sit and hatch the eggs that are not theirs?
Thank you, any advice on these is mostly welcomed.
Jane Sarchet says
Hi Peter
1/ usually around a dozen but some readers have had their girls hatch a lot more.
2/ I would split them now, although they will probably both continue laying in the original nest. Best thing to do is to pen them up in separate spaces.
3/ Chances are the girl you move out of the original nest will get grumpy and may stop laying for a while. She will eventually start laying in her new spot.
4/ Yes, any broody duck (or hen) can hatch a ducks (or chickens) fertile egg.
Hope that helps!
Janie x
Peter says
Hello Janie
Thank you for the prompt response. It puts things up in proper perspective for me.
I’ll keep you posted on new developments. Thank you and a good day
Ashley says
My husband and I are thinking about getting this breed of ducks. How do they do with confinement? They will have a house and a large pen but ca not be free range where we live..
Denise says
Hi !
Why would my broody Muscovy that is sitting on one of her own eggs and up until this morning, two silkie eggs. She actually carried only one of the silkie eggs out of the nest and promptly ate it for lunch! While her egg is not fertilized, the silkie egg that she ate and possibly the one that she is sitting on could very possibly be.We have heard that Muscovy’s will sit on other eggs ,so we thought since she is broody we would give it a shot.Before we gave her the silkie eggs we tried to discourage her from sitting on her eggs as there was no chance of her hatching them,by breaking up the nest only to have her build a new one.
We also have a female blue Swedish .Before the Muscovy went broody, the Swedish took on the role of a drake,but since the Muscovy is broody that role has switched. Is this normal? The Muscovy bites at both the female silkie and blue Swedish and of course us! haha! If we find that the silkie egg is not fertilized ,do we discourage her from sitting in a nest? Does this harm her? I felt so bad when I took away the first 5 eggs and broke up her nest. She seemed to almost be heartbroken :( She then made a new one and laid some more.Thank you!
mark coopet says
my muskovy duck laid 5 eggs they are now hatching out but each day i find a dead chick outside the coop i now have only 2 eggs left and am hoping these survive but do not know what is causing it please help if you can 0 by the way i also live in cornwall
Jane Sarchet says
Hey Mark, good to meet you :)
I think I may have answered your good lady on Facebook earlier? If you are nothing to do with the lady with the same surname, who also had 5 eggs, do let me know & I’ll answer your questions too :)
Janie x
Sally Jonson says
I don’t live on a lake or in a farm, but I want to raise muscovy ducklings. What should my homemade habitat consist of?
Jane Sarchet says
Do you have a garden at all Sally?
Janie x
Sally Jonson says
Yes
Sorry it took so long for me to respond.
Sally Jonson says
The garden is a fairly small one however.
Amanda wilks says
Hi..we just recently purchased three Muscovy’s I’m sure one female and one male the other one I can’t tell same size as male but doesn’t have much red around face like the female. All three are about 6-8 weeks old they so far don’t want anything to do with us, will that change? We bought from local farmer/breeder so she has multiple Muscovy’s not sure how tame any of them are . we are new to this and feel lost at times
Jane Sarchet says
Hey Amanda, I’m guessing they’re all settled in by now. But the best way to tame them is to feed them regularly with treats such as a little corn or wet bread (not too much of either) or some fresh mealworms. I can’t promise that they’ll ever eat out of your hands, but they’ll soon come to trust you more.
Janie x
Kaz says
We live in a condo in south Florida that has a large man made lake. 4.5 months ago a female Muscovy with 8 babies came to our sliding door facing the lake. We have been feeding them all this time. Six have survived. We feed them 2x daily and all six are 3/4 the size of their mother.We feed her daily as well. A drake has attempted to get close to her but she chases him away. Recently he has come close to the 6 chicks and she allows him to feed with them.
Question: Will she lay while the 6 chicks are still with her or will we have to wait until they leave? When will their wings be fully developed? I await your comments.
Kaz
Jane Sarchet says
Hi Kaz, sorry for the delay in getting back to you. Yes. she’ll still lay when she has young around, but they don’t lay a huge amount of eggs per year so don’t get too excited. If they are around 5 months old, the young will soon be fully feathered and flying, although if you are feeding them they may choose to stay!
Janie x
Tomcat says
I recently bought three muscovy ducks one black and silver drake one black and blue female and one black and silver female. I love my ducks they live with my very talkative call ducks i have three pastelle call ducks and they are also fun far smaller though. I enjoyed your article keep them comming!
Jane Sarchet says
That sweet of you Tomcat, thank you! They are great fun to have around aren’t they? Here’s to a fab year ahead should you choose to breed them :)
Janie x
Kaz says
Hello Jane,
Our mother hen has been with her 6 ducklings daily for about 5 months since we feed them 2x daily. Recently the largest male duck(ling) has been flying away for a few hours and then returns in the evening. All six are able to fly.
Question: When will the mother hen begin to lay again?
Regards,
Kaz
Gary says
We hand raised a muscovy duckling .It turned out to be a drake which continually chases after our golden lab dog attacking her and me . we have become quite attached so cannot get rid of him .If we were to introduce a female do you think it would solve our problem
Jane Sarchet says
Hi Gary, it may help but in my experience when drakes are hand reared they easily become ultra dominant in adulthood. He would certainly enjoy some female company and it may be a good way of directing his testosterone.
Good luck & Please do let me know if it fixes the problem :)
Janie x
Sharon says
We live in Jamaica WI and are contemplating acquiring a pair of Muscovy Ducks male and female. It has been on my bucket list since we retired here. We finally found someone here who raises all kinds of fowl and she has said we can buy them from her, We can choose any age and one of my questions is what would you recommend ? As you said they fly I am worried they may fly out when we first have them. Do you think if we keep them in an enclosed area until they are familiar with our yard that this will help? we have lots of trees where they can roost, so that is not an issue. We also have some chickens. We really want the ducks for pets and try to keep the mosquitoes at bay. Any advice you can give us as new duck parents? This is a wonderful website and I read with great interest all of your remarks and others that have these ducks in their care.
Jane Sarchet says
Hi Sharon! If you get youngsters then they won’t be able to fly for several months which will give them plenty of time to get used to you and the regular food you serve them! With only 2 it’s unlikely they’ll choose to fly away, but you can always clip one wing to make flying more difficult if you are worried about losing them – if you copy & paste this link it’ll show you how to do this on a chicken – it’s exactly the same for a Muscovy https://hedgecombers.com/2012/02/11/3-simple-steps-to-clipping-a-chickens-flight-feathers/
Good luck & do let us know how you get on :)
Janie x
Jane Sarchet says
Hi Sharon! If you get youngsters then they won’t be able to fly for several months which will give them plenty of time to get used to you and the regular food you serve them! With only 2 it’s unlikely they’ll choose to fly away, but you can always clip one wing to make flying more difficult if you are worried about losing them – if you copy & paste this link it’ll show you how to do this on a chicken – it’s exactly the same for a Muscovy https://hedgecombers.com/2012/02/11/3-simple-steps-to-clipping-a-chickens-flight-feathers/
Good luck & do let us know how you get on :)
Janie x
Kaz says
Jane, At what age are Muscovy ducks mature to breed? We have six 8 month Muscovy ducks that drakes continue to mount. Are they mature enough to breed?
Thanks,
Dave
Karen says
We were given a drake and the following week picked up three girls for him. He seems to have really bonded with one and the other tags along. However the third one is an outcast. They are penned at night and when in the pen the drake constantly nips at her and the females, especially one will grab her wing and nip at her as well. The poor thing runs from one end to the other to get away from them. When they are let out she goes off by herself and can be found just sitting by the pond. She spends all day by herself until I shoo her down to pen for the night where the others are waiting by the door and they start on her as soon as she comes in. I have always read muscovies get along so well and thought I was doing everything right getting three females for the one drake. I have searched the internet for answers to this behavior and have found nothing. Any idea what is going on?
Jane Sarchet says
Aw Karen, that’s so sad to hear :(
There will always be a pecking order amongst birds, and this is how they determine their hierarchy. Your bullied girl will always be bottom of the list in this group of birds I’m afraid – if it is too upsetting to watch you could rehome her, or if you have the space section off with a new male, or even a young girl. Heck ever a young female chicken would make better company for her!
However, do bear in mind that this behaviour is entirely natural for ducks, and we only find it upsetting as we put our human emotions on to the situation.
Good luck & do let me know how you get on
Janie x
karen says
Janet,
Thank you for your response. I may have someone nearby to rehome her with if things don’t improve this week. I guess it is reassuring that it is just the pecking order. I did not realize went on in the duck world. There is so little information on it. Everything I read said they get along great except if ratio of drakes to hens is off.
Can I ask you a couple of questions since I am a newbie at raising muscovies? If we wish to eat eggs how long can they be left outside to safely consume? I do have one of the girls starting a nest with 6 eggs so far and am hoping they are fertile and will hatch but I won’t always hatch the eggs in the future. If and when they hatch do I need to separate mom with ducklings from the others or is it a watch and see thing on how they all get along? The family that gave me the drake said they bring their eggs inside to hatch with the eggs start cracking since mortality is high if left with mom and then they give the ducklings back to mom after a couple of days. Does this sound right to you? I have read they make excellent moms. Thank you so much for answering. I don’t have too many resources so you are a godsend.
Karen
Jane Sarchet says
Hey Karen, its always an idea to separate the mother & babies until you get to know your birds – mine are all fine together but they have a huge pond, island and free range of the farm so can get out of each others way whenever they wish. I have heard of some males, and even other females, attacking babies.
If you want to eat the eggs I would collect the them daily, this way you know how old they are and they’ll be cleaner.
I have raised eggs in an incubator (which is adorable although a lot of work) and under a mother (or a broody hen) but have never taken chipping eggs off a broody to hatch. You can hear the ducklings chirping from inside the egg and feel them moving which the mother will be aware of. If you take them away I imagine it would stress her out, even if you replace they with fake eggs as she’ll be getting no feedback from them. Not saying this is wrong at all, just something I’ve never done.
Good luck with them, the babies are just too cute :)
Janie x
karen says
Thanks Jane. Appreciate your feedback. I think she is getting ready to sit. 9 eggs this morning and all bunched up together, not spread out like before. She was sitting yesterday evening but got up when I put food out and she was not sitting this morning but like I said all eggs were bunched up together in the middle of nest and not spread out. I can’t wait to start my 35 day countdown.
Karen
Jane Sarchet says
So excited for you Karen! Just remember that all is just as nature intends, and it is a very rare clutch that has every egg hatch, or every baby survive. It won’t make it any easier, but hopefully it’ll help ;)
Janie x
Steve says
Hi
We have c 30 Muscovy ducks (50/50 M/F)
22/23 of them are < a yr old!
Too many young drakes!
I need to offload some!
Any advice?
Jane Sarchet says
Only one I can think of Steve, and that involves putting them on the menu.
Janie x
James says
I have a couple of feral Muscovy ducks that laid eggs next to my front porch. I’d like to get them in the backyard where I can put a little kiddie pool and shelter up for them. How do I get these ducks to move. Also, one of the males of the bunch is a real pisser and is not friendly at all.
Jane Sarchet says
Hey James, it’s hard to move these ducks where they don’t want to be, and even if you do move them the chances are they’ll fly off as soon as you turn your back!
I would recommend getting them used to you by giving them small amounts of feed on a regular basis. Over time move the feed bowls a little closer to where you want them to reside.
The unfriendly drake will probably just have had bead experience with other humans. He may never particularly like you, but over time he will come to realise you mean food and safety. It’s unlikely he’ll be aggressive with you, but rather move away form you when you get too close.
Good luck with them!
Jane x
Debs says
Hiya can anyone help me my Muscovy duck is sitting on a clutch and one duckling has just hatched what should I feed it just chick crumbs?? The mum is keeping it warm is there anything else I need to do. Will the duckling be ok with the other ducks and one drake or should I shut it away from them all with its mum? Any advice would be greatly relieved as this is my first ever duckling!! Thanks
Jane Sarchet says
You don’t need to feed it anything for the first 2-3 days Debs as it’ll be digesting the contents of the egg still. If the other ducks take too much of an interest you can separate them, but try not to stress mum too much.
Now take a deep breath and trust nature to do the rest ;)
Good luck & enjoy those little cuties!
Janie x
Val says
Mama has moved them.they were with us since birth.we live on canal in florida.now they go further up the canal.and did not sleep on our property for the first time.do they look for a safer place?one of her babies was missing ,so sad
We became quite attached to them.
Jane Sarchet says
Aww, they may just be used to moving around Val. However you may find they come back to nest at the same spot next year. Fingers crossed!
Janie x
ea fa says
I’m a novice Muscovy owner. I have a pair which may be a year old. I saw him mount her once; I see no eggs or nest. They’ve adapted well w/my other breeds of ducks. When can I expect her to start laying? Would she automatically become broody once she starts saving her eggs in the nest? Thanks!
Jane Sarchet says
Hi ea fa, thanks for getting in touch!
The female will start laying anywhere between 5 and 9 months, usually depending on what time of year she herself hatched as they don;t tend to lay through the winter months. It is certainly possible for a female to get instantly broody when she fills her first nest with eggs, but don’t be disappointed of she is too immature to see the clutch through, often the second clutch is much more successful.
Good luck!
Janie x
Carol Kirsch says
I am searching for information on Muscovy ducks. I live in Florida and we have them on the ponds in our golf course, all year round. A clutch that hatched back in February lost their mom to a cat attack when they were around 6 weeks old. We were afraid they wouldn’t make it, but six of them have survived and thrived. Our neighborhood has become very attached to these six and they get fed regularly by all of us. The six have continued to stay together, but I’ve noticed that lately that 2 of the 4 seem to be breaking away. I wondered if they were now of breeding age ? I keep trying to find out as much about these cuties as I can, but haven’t had much luck. Your site is the best I’ve found so far. Can you tell me about when they will mate; how do I tell the males from the females, although I think I know already; is the head bobbing part of the mating ritual. I just have so many questions. Can anyone help lead me to resources? Thank you.
Jane Sarchet says
Hi Carol, thanks for getting in touch!
As the grow they will be very easy to tell apart – the boys are much bigger than the girls & have more red caruncles on their faces.
They are likely to split into 2 groups depending on the amount of drakes (boys). Some drakes can be aggressive, even to the brothers, causing the lwly ones to break away.
The head bobbing is just part of their lovely nature, just like the tail wagging.
Do enjoy your flock, and especially when they give you some young :)
Janie x
lisa says
My muscovy duck hatch a duckling than killed it by smothering with its feathers is that normal and why
Jane Sarchet says
Not exactly normal, but it does happen Lisa. And sorry but I have no idea why :)
Janie x
Anita says
Wandered on to your page when I was looking for answers. I live on a canal in so Florida . I feed my muskovys they live in the canal. One particular female has brought me three broods. The first two were 9 and up. This last one was two. She seems to have lost one duckling :/ and I noticed this am she is being followed by two males again and has seemed to abandon her lone duckling. I feel
So helpless listening to this baby crying for its mama wading around in circles . I’m afraid it will be snatched up by a larger preying bird. What can I do? Any info would be appreciated .
Jane Sarchet says
Hi Anita, if you can catch it, feel free to do so. You can keep it in a warm place (ideally under a heat lamp) and hand rear it. It is a lot of work.
Or you can leave it to nature to decide on its fate – which I appreciate is really hard when you can hear it calling for its mother.
Good luck and if you take it on, let me know if you need any help
Janie x
kelly says
hello i was wandering if u could help me had 5 muscovies they are all gone but one male and female so we got 8 more from a diferant breeder and our two raised them now we have our male original and three new males and five new females and original female and the new ones are getting ready to breed but the original male isnt fooling with them only the males that were in that 8 group we know we need to cull at least two but are wandering if we can keep the original and one new or should cull all three new ones or should cull original and one of the new thank u
Jane Sarchet says
Hi Kelly, I have a kept a young male alongside my alpha male with no problem. I think the issue comes into play when there are too few females to 2 males. It sounds like you have 6 females, so 2 males should be fine.
If the young male becomes aggressive & continually tries to kick the original drake off the top spot, you may need to choose one only to keep.
Hope that helps!
Janie x
Pony Walker says
We have a black Spanish male turkey and 11 Muscovy ducks, 9 females and 4 of them have been sitting on eggs for weeks now. One is in her lay box inside their duck house (12’x12’x12′). Their house is inside a very large fenced dog run (we live on several acres). The other mothers wandered out of this area for their nesting. Our dog is not left in the dog run/duck area unless we are present (out of an abundance of caution). Our nights are cold, just above freezing, and the days are mid 50’s to mid 60’s right now. Should I bring the mothers and eggs inside now before they hatch or wait until they hatch? I don’t want to disturb their nests if not needed but am worried about the babies freezing upon hatching. Also, when I bring the mother and babies inside the house (we will have an area in our laundry room for them with a heat lamp), do I allow the mother ducks out for awhile during the day? And, assuming the 4 mothers’ babies hatch near the same time, does each mother and her babies need their own “home” inside the same laundry room? This is our first attempt at hatching, which wasn’t planned at all, but then we discovered they were nesting under bushes. Getting excited and worried at the same time.
By the way, these ducks and our turkey are wonderful pets! They each have their own personality, know their names, follow us around – our turkey has taken over the job of herding the ducks, lol! Thanks for your help!
Jane Sarchet says
Hi Pony, how exciting! My one word of advice would be, to relax! Ducks have been doing this forever and have a deep down knowledge about what does & doesn’t work :)
I have moved nests in the past, but would only ever do it again if the birds were in immediate danger. The babies won’t freeze when thy hatch as the underneath of mummy duck is soooo warm.
When you do bring them in, it’ll make life so much easier if you can let them come & go as they please. Do keep an eye on them that their is no fighting or aggression from your other animals, but fingers crossed they all get on & observe their boundaries.
Hope that helps & please do let us know how you get on!
Janie x
Kathleen Dorkin says
HI Jane. I am in South Africa and we have 8 Muscovy ducks which we adore. We have two broody females who are persisting on being broody….it’s two months now!! We have broken up their beautifully made nests, we have raised them off the ground onto a wooden stick deck…we have seperate them into “solitary confinement”…no good. They just keep sitting, we have to pick them up to get them to their food tray…they have stopped foraging, (our ducks are free range all day), we put them on the little dam a few times a day and they’ll stay for awhile then rush back to a spot to sit…..we Sr desperate! Please help!
Jane Sarchet says
Hi Kathleen :) Oh bless them.
I’ve never had this issue but from everything I’ve ever read on the subject I would say keep doing what you’re doing. One thing, if they are together, I may try separating them – so they can’t see or hear each other as there is a chance they are winding each other up into continued broodiness?
So sorry I couldn’t be more help but please do let me know if you find a way of breaking their cycle :)
Janie x
Mark H Goldberg says
Hi Jane. I have a question that I did not see in your thread. I have been feeding my muscovy’s for many years now and I’m about to move relocating to a home approximately 6 miles away also on water. Is it advisable or even possible to relocate my beloved Muscovies to my new location and will they likely remain? Your answer would be greatly appreciated
Jane Sarchet says
Morning Mark, great to hear from you!
OK, if it were me I would try and capture the birds (how likely is this?) and have an enclosed run in place at your new residence that you can pop them in.
If they currently live free they won’t exactly be thrilled by this, but if you keep them shut in for a week or two I would hope that they would choose to stay when you let them out again.
If possible make the run walls out of something they can see through so they can see the lake and get used to the sounds and sights of their new home.
I’m afraid I have no definitive answer as to whether this will work or not, but wish you all the luck in the world. Please do let me know how you get on!
Jane x
Denise says
I have 2 Muscovy male ducks. They have been hissing a the chickens. My husband went out to see them and they had one of the chickens down on her back. What can I do to stop this. We were told to put them in with the chickens to keep the predetors out. But now that they have gotten older, they are getting mean with the Chickens???? What do I do?????
Jane Sarchet says
Hi Denise, they need a girlfriend. Ideally one male to two or three females. If you want to keep both boys together, you need a lot more girls to sto them fighting.
Good luck!
Jane x
Robin says
I inherited some muscovy ducks with the house I bought, they are right in with the chickens. However the ducks aren’t laying at all. Do they only lay in the spring/summer months? Also, they seem to eat a lot more than the chickens, so I’m worried the chickens aren’t getting enough to eat.
Jane Sarchet says
Hi Robin, yes they aren’t the most productive laying breed of duck so don’t expect egg sin the colder months.
They won’t eat more than they need so just ensure that there is enough food down to satisfy all the birds :)
Jane x
Patricia J Barton says
I live in SW Florida and just found a nest in my front yard today. No idea how long they have been there. I want to protect from the snakes and can if it is okay to move the nest. If so, what is the best method of moving the nest. There are 7 eggs, mama and daddy
Jane Sarchet says
I have never had any luck moving a nest and getting the mama to sit on them again. I would recommend you just remove the eggs entirely and dispose of them. She’ll find a new site to start laying in her own time :)
Jane x
jon says
i have a male on who is maybe about 6 months old, we got him from a family whos child chased it with sticks around there yard and its started agressivly pecking at us now we have him and read you hold him down and he will calm down. but another reason we were told was that he wants a female with him to mate with and not sure whats the right answer to why hes pecking he still pecks abit when touched so maybe hes frightened he will be attacked is this a thing he will grow out of or he’ll do this from now one?
Jane Sarchet says
Hi Jon, if he lives alone he would really benefit from having a couple of lady friends. You may find this makes his aggression disappear as he’ll have somewhere else to focus his testosterone ;)
Good luck!
Jane x
Katy Emmons Moore says
My husband and I are very interested in buying some Muscovy ducklings. We live in the country and just want them to enjoy watching them grow. Enjoy watching them grow old as we grow old. Please call Katy at 409-767-1053 or email at [email protected]…….facebook is Katy Emmons Moore
Thank you
Jane Sarchet says
Hi Katy, sorry but I don’t sell Muscovies and I live in the UK so not really able to help you find some locally.
Good luck with your search.
Jane x
ksb927 says
HELP! Is there a way to discourage a female from incubating eggs? I would like a (wild) female Muscovy to continue laying eggs in same spot (like you might have a chicken do for egg collection) so that she does not find an inappropriate/unsafe spot, accumulate & incubate eggs. I DO NOT want the eggs hatching. She will sit on as few as one now. This seems like a fine line, if could be achieved at all? If sitting is hormonal, is there a way to break the cycle, ye keep her coming to the same spot? (full explanation below if you want to wade thru it). Thank-you for any help or suggestions you might give me, and for sharing your knowledge to everyone.
Karen :-)
*******************
There are a pair of wild Muscovy ducks that have taken up residence on my property. I live on W. coast of FL on a small set of Keys/saltwater Estuary. There really are no others around, to my knowledge. The female 1st appeared a yr ago December…just passing thru. I believe by appearance that she was young still. A few days later the male (who I thought maybe was the parent of the “little one”) showed up. There was a lot of chatting going on when they got together. Once Spring rolled around, it was evident that the “parent” was actually a male…and the smaller female spent Spring, Summer and Fall laying an egg a day all over creation (some places better than others)…just feeding the raccoon & possum population by night :-( She could fly…he never appeared able, and almost seems like a 747 trying to take off. She occasionally flies low over the water up the Creek and only once high into an oak tree. They spend all of their time on the ground foraging, sleeping under the trees, swimming in the Creek, and sleeping on my dock at night. Last yr she did make it to 4 eggs in my neighbor’s boat before the raccoons got them. This yr she was up to 7…on the ground in a dead corner by my fireplace. She had decided to incubate them one night, but I knew she was truly a sitting duck there. No way out if a predator came. I accidentally startled her off, and good thing, as that night the eggs were raided. I was feeling bad for her, but knew that w/all of the predators out here (raccoon, possum, bobcat at times, dogs, snakes)…SHE would not likely survive…much less the chicks. Also, we already have a huge group of wild peacocks…w/new peachicks yearly. Many ppl who have moved out here from the city are not happy about the birds :-( so I am sure as prolific as the Muscovies are, there would be an issue. And, FL does consider them a nuisance…so no protections for them. Now, to my current Problem: Momma duck began to use a huge flower pot sitting atop a potting table as a nest. It was half full of stones and the rest is oak leaves accumulated. She had been in and out of it before, but finally deemed it acceptable. She had accumulated 6 eggs, and I felt I still had a little time to figure what to do about it…relocate her, set up alarms and cameras, remove the eggs…whatever. Well, on day six, she decided to incubate! I panicked, and next morning when she left to forage, I took all but one egg. I didn’t want her to find a nesting area that made her vulnerable, and hoped the single egg would just have her keep laying there trying to accumulate more. I would keep taking them…trying to keep her safe from both predators, and angry neighbors :-( Well, to my surprise…she will now incubate even one egg! She stays all night, leaves for about an hour early after laying her next egg. Forages for about an hour and returns for about 3 hours. She then is gone again foraging til dark. She bathes and drinks and preens, then she is then back on the nest, and I am up all night running the raccoons off. They have discovered her whereabouts on the table. Is there any way to not discourage her from laying her eggs there, but to keep her from incubating? I know that seems mean to do to her, but too many negatives otherwise. I am only finding info on how to MAKE/encourage them to incubate…not stop them. When she first had the 6 eggs, she laid them only in all of the leaves. Now with one or two in there, she has a pile of down you could fill a pillow with. By all accounts, she should be ‘bald’! The male still is here, but doesn’t hold vigil right near the ‘nest’ so much as at first. He does run to greet her when she is out and they chat, but she seems to vocalize and poof up and behave differently towards him a good deal, though they do still spend some time together. Karen :-)
Jane Sarchet says
In a word, no. She’s a wild bird so you’ll have your work cut out for you trying to make her fit your plans I’m afraid.
If you want her to stop sitting in the flower pot, you need to remove all the eggs from it. My girls are all free range on our farm now, just comign to the back door for feed a few times a day. If they make a nest somewhere and I remove the eggs, they find somewhere else to lay.
The only way to make her lay in the same spot for you, is by shutting her up in a vermin proof run.
Hope I’ve nailed your question, but do shout if I missed the point (it’s early & I’m only on my first cup of tea :)
Jane x
ksb927 says
Jane…I’m the same, but with coffee here, and little sleep for several nights. Thanks so much for your reply. I guess I was wanting to understand what changed when she went from laying an egg and leaving til the next day, laying another egg & leave…..to, laying that one egg more that initiated the incubation process. Trying to rationalize, I had hoped that with removing all but one egg, she might start the accumulating process again, and drop the ‘sitting’ til there were more eggs. That didn’t happen, though her routine did change these last two days/nights since I posted to you. Day before was a bit cool and breezy…she spent most of the day on the nest, yet came off before dark and stayed on the dock with Daddy duck. I had hoped the cycle was broken. Then yesterday she was back early, laid her next egg, but was on the nest most of the day. She still left to forage etc, but returned before dark this time. She was on the nest for the night, but left around 4am and went to the dock….before she laid her egg for today. She has never done that, and is still out there now. I went out and collected her only egg from yesterday, so will see what happens. I hate depriving her of hatching her ducklings…I can tell she would be a great Mom. I just don’t foresee anything good coming from it between predators and grumpy neighbors, who would have them ‘removed’ if numbers multiplied. I would be broken-hearted if anything happened to either of them, as they are so cute together. They are probably similar to your free-range in that they come to the door for food etc…are comfortable around me…though I have never handled them at all. Since I know she will lay an egg a day at least until Winter, I was hoping for her to do so in a safe place that I could monitor. As yet, I haven’t been able to bring myself to do anything with the eggs :-( though a friend has agreed to bake with some. I know I have run on again here…but thank you so much for taking time to get back to me. I read every post and answer in your thread. You are very kind to share your time and knowledge. Karen :-)
Bruce says
Muscovy ducks are an invasive species in Florida. Also their poop can sicken dogs who step in it and lick their paws.
Jane Sarchet says
I’d heard they were classed as vermin in some places Bruce, but not about the danger to dogs. Thanks for the info.
Olivia Lewis says
Can you tell me why they eat there eggs before they hatch
Jane Sarchet says
Hey Olivia, I have no idea why they do this if I’m honest. I’ve only seen it once from my oldest mother duck who has always been the most maternal of ducks.
The babies that survived sadly all died too as she seems to have given up her maternal instincts for good :(
Sorry I couldn’t be more help.
Jane x
carol says
We have been raising French White Muscovies for over 5 years and have had over 100 ducks at one time or another. They are split into 2 flocks.
We found out that the best way of looking at them is not individually, but as a flock. If they decide to eat a baby when it is hatching, it is the mother taking care of the flock. There must have been something wrong with it. If they shun a baby, just let them “do their thing” and turn a blind eye to it.
So many times, in the beginning, we took in the “shunned” baby duckling, raised it ourselves, and if it even lived, it ended up having eye problems, was lame in some way, or other health problems. We cried and cried over them until we took on the “flock mentality” and let them do what God gave them the instincts to do. We have a very healthy flock now – no weird eye problems, or lameness. It is super hard to harden your hearts not to “save” those yellow fluff balls, but in the end, doing it the “flock way” is actually more human, LESS emotional and way better for the flock.
Love our Muscovies!!
Carol
p.s. We have the original Papa/Granddad duck “The Professor” or “Professor Dilly Dally” or just “Dilly”. He has the greatest temperament, hence, we have very sweet ducks and drakes now.
He got lame in a fight with another drake and has been partially lame since. I’ve recently started to massage his legs, thighs, neck and spine, and he responded to this fantastically! He LOVES his massage, and is able to stand up and walk a bit after it.
We also used swimming therapy for him – letting him swim in an enclosed tub (horse trough with a plastic dog house on top) He swam for up to 3 hours in there and was able to walk out on his own afterward. being about to move the leg AND not having his full weight on it, really improved the lameness and he was able to walk almost normally. He began to lose his buoyancy when he molted so we had to stop and he went back to being lame again.
Jane Sarchet says
Hey Carol, I hear you. It is SO hard to make those decisions, but I agree that they help the flock be healthier, and save a crazy amount of tears too.
Amazing that your drake loves his massage, so cute! And good on you for making his old age more comfortable, keep up the good work!
Jane x
Brianna McCune says
I’m an 11 year old girl and I love love LOVE ducks and I’m getting a few baby Muscovies and I needed this info thank you very much
Jane Sarchet says
Hey Brianna, that is SO cool! I hope you adore those babies (I know you will!) and do shout if you ever have any questions :)
Jane x
Cecilia Santos says
Hi Jane, I’m really hoping you can help me. I live in Miami, Fl and have a situation with Muscovy baby ducklings that are in danger. Of course no Wildlife rescue group will help me since they are not protected here. So Mama duck and her 12 ducklings have been visiting my front yard for the past 5-6 weeks. I’ve fed them regularly and they’ve always hung out at or very near my home. But suddenly, about 3 days ago, only the ducklings showed up. Mama was nowhere to be seen all day. The next day, same thing. I became worried for their safety and decided to catch and trap all 12 of them (what a mission that was!). Even after all the noise they made, no Mama appeared. So I had to assume something really bad happened to her and she was gone for good. I’ve been keeping them in a crate, safe and with plenty of food and water but they refuse to eat. Then today (3rd day of her gone missing), Mama suddenly appeared! I was so happy!! She was wagging her tail and they all ran up to her and they all walked away together. But several hours later, I saw the babies all by themselves, again, all huddled up in my front yard. No mom to be seen.
I am so saddened by this! I now have to assume that she is abandoning them on purpose! Or maybe they are refusing to follow her? Either way, I’m so worried for their well-being… they are unprotected and not eating. I know it’s especially dangerous overnight.
Please tell me… do you have an idea of what could be going on and if there’s anything I can do to help? I don’t know how long mom will be gone for this time and if she’s even coming back! Is it best that I trap them again? Or leave them out for mom to come back for them again?? I know they wont make it without protection! Thank you so much in advance for any info that you can provide.
Jane Sarchet says
Hi Cecilia, lovely to hear from you :)
Like humans, sadly not all mummy ducks are great mothers. The mother should be protecting them 24/7 for the first few weeks so chances are she’s just not that into being a mummy.
If you are desperate for the babies to survive then you could take them in and hand rear them, or you can leave their fate to nature. If you choose the latter, please do so with no guilt. This happens every single day in the natural world, and we are seeing if from a very human, female and maternal viewpoint <3
Good luck!
Jane x
Cecilia Santos says
Hello Jane and thank you so much for taking the time to respond and for your kind words. So an update: mom did come back a whole day later but it seemed that the only thing she was interested in was food. I got so happy when I saw her again until I saw her pecking at the babies whenever they tried to get close to the food. She wanted it all to herself. It actually worried me how aggressive she was getting. She left as soon as she was full and her babies didn’t follow her this time. So I started planning to trap them again and do my best to raise them until they could be on their own. But lo and behold something magical happened!! The next day, a lady came to my house to pick up a dresser that I was giving away for free. It turned out that she runs a cat rescue organization but had plenty of experience with all sorts of animals, including ducklings. She volunteered to take them all, raise them for a few months, and release them by a canal next to her home, where she’s released others in the past. Btw, I did take down her info and her rescue group is legit . I am sooo happy and thankful for those babies’ luck!!
Thank you again!
Catriona says
Hi Everyone
had a lovely read and learning lots from your page. I acquired a breeding pair in December and now have 11 ducklings. Well not ducklings anymore as mother hatched in May – they are 15 weeks now. However, just recently the mother douck has out casted two of the ducks which judging by their size are females. They are now not allowed in the duck house. Is this common place and would anyone know the recent for such aggressive behaviour towards two of their own?
Thanks so much
Catriona
Jane Sarchet says
Awww, that’s sad :( To be honest, we’ll never really know why an animal does certain behaviour, but I’ve not personally had this happen with my girls, although it is pretty common between the boys.
Perhaps they are seen as a threat of some sort?
Good luck & sorry I couldn;t offer more help :)
Jane x
Dean Chapman says
1 of our 2 Mucovy mums just hatched an egg 1 of 8 60 days after she laid it…The other mum hatched 6 from 9 in 34 days…That must be some sort of record ?
Jane Sarchet says
WOW!!!
Ben Andrews says
Hiii
I just got my girlfriend a Muscovy duck for our anniversary called Charlie. We have no idea if it’s a boy or girl yet so we’re guessing it’s a boy for now. Is there anyway to find out while he’s about 6 weeks old? Also is there any other tips you could give me about raising him? Like can he be potty trained? Or how much living space does he need when he’s fully grown?
Any other tips would be welcomed
Ben
Jane Sarchet says
Hi Ben, my number one tip for you would be to get two other ducks for ‘him’ to live with. Ideally you’ll have one male and two females. They are highly sociable creatures, and if it is a boy, and you keep him with no female to relieve his testosterone on, he could well end up attacking you (or certainly a female) as he tries to dominate her. It may sound weird, but it’s happened to me. We had to cull the duck that I adored so much because I’d spoilt him.
No, I don’t believe you can potty train a duck, although to be fair I’ve never tried. I believe you can get nappies for chickens, so possibly you can for ducks too? Sorry, no idea.
Good luck
Jane x
Sandra Gey says
Hello! I live in SW Missouri and we’ve newly acquired day old Moscovies. We have predators with coyotes, owls, hawks, etc. and were wondering if we should build an enclosed pen, open shed/lean-to, or just let them roam.
We have a wonderful pond where we have some geese and wild ducks visit occasionally, Do you think that they would be a problem if ours were out in it?
We have electric net fencing that we keep our chickens in and would probably let our newly acquired ducks in their own fencing but then they wouldn’t have access to the pond. Ideally, we’d like them to play out in the pond all day and then put them away at night. Is this even feasible?
I love your blog, it’s so full of good info.
Thanks!
Jane Sarchet says
Hey Sandra! I would certainly keep the ducklings safe whilst they are little, and beyond that it’s entirely up to you.
Here in the UK we only have foxes to worry about, but we still lose one or two adult ducks a year to them.
Honestly, I’m not sure what to suggest with the number of predators you have.
Perhaps speak to other poultry keepers in your area to see what they recommend?
Jane x
Susi says
I don’t know if anyone is still here but I found this great page after I was trying to find out more about Muscovy ducks. A pair have been dumped at a local wildlife spot. We know it’s “dumped” as both have been pinioned so they did not fly there themselves. We visited two or three times a week to supplement the food for the other ducks and swans and have really taken to Terry and June as I have named them. Terry is awesome. Whenever he sees us get out of our vehicle he runs to us, tail wagging. He makes a kind of panting noise, which I guess is the hiss you mentioned. He reminds me of a feathered dog. June is not quite as exuberant but is always ready to have a good scoff of the grain we give them.
I am curious though about the extra feeding in the winter months. Should we go more often with more food during the winter? Or encourage the locals to take food into them as well? Or will they manage with the couple of days a week alongside their natural food?
Ideally, I would like to remove them to live with our Campbells and Aylesburys, but currently I’m being overruled! lol
Jane Sarchet says
Hey Susi, love the names! :)
I guess it would depend on the amount of other birds there, the amount of wild food available to them around the area they live and how cold your winters get. Personally, I wouldn’t let my flock skip a days feeding, but they’ve been brought up here with constant access to food.
If they are on a public pond I’m guessing other people go to feed them?
I think you need to decide whether they are your responsibility or not. If the former, then removing them to join your flock would be the easiest for you in terms of feeding them daily, but if that isn’t appropriate then you need to see yourself as a friendly visitor that supplements their diet by visiting them a couple of times a week. They’ll be very grateful either way :)
PS aren’t they the best? They really are such friendly birds!
Philip moody says
I have a question for a friend of mine . He has a small pond , he has install more then one shelter .and the ducks don’t go in them . He lives in Connecticut and the ducks just stay out in the cold . Is ok for them to be out in the cold weather .He is also worried they may become food for coyotes and fox if their out in the open . .
Jane Sarchet says
Hi Philip, free range ducks will nest wherever they choose. Sadly it may take an attack to teach them that their chosen place isn’t ideal. Short of shutting them in at night, there’s not much that can be done I’m afraid.
Janie x
Denis Dooley says
“Muscovies are not related to any other duck, in fact some believe they are descended from geese rather than ducks.”
So, this is not quite right.
Muscovies are quite definitely related to “other” ducks. Now, other domestic ducks are placed in a different genus and species and are, therefore, all much more closely related to each other than Muscovies. However, if they were not related at all, they could not be hybridized. But they can be hybridized, resulting in what are known as “mule ducks” or “mulards”. .
Muscovies are placed in a subfamily with wood ducks and Mandarin ducks (which also perch and nest in trees). I believe the confusion comes from the fact that this subfamily also includes a number of ducks that look like geese, including Egyptian geese. Other domestic geese are more closely related to swans than they are to Muscovies. But all ducks, geese and swans are in the same taxonomic family and are all related to some degree.
Jane Sarchet says
Thanks for that Denis, very interesting :)
Chris Baillie says
Great informative website!
Would two female muscovy ducks be OK without a drake? I have 3 hens on my place. And lots of grass I’m hoping they can help keep down.
Many thanks
Chris
Jane Sarchet says
Absolutely, we’ve now removed the drakes from our flock as we no longer want babies. The ladies will still lay and go broody given half a chance, so best to remove the eggs as they go to prevent them sitting on infertile eggs and losing condition.
Enjoy your Muscovies :)
Julie says
Dear Jane,
I love your website, so informative! Thanks for all the work you’ve put in.
I’m really hoping you can help me.
I live by a lake where we had mallard ducks all my life. About a year ago someone abandoned a female Muscovy duck near the late. I adopted her and she has since become my best friend. Unfortunately she has a chronic calcium deficiency which can make her very sick, especially when she’s broody. We don’t have a drake so all her eggs are infertile and I am keen to remove them when the time comes. I noticed, however, that she smells differently when she’s broody and sitting on her nest. Is this normal or an indication for illness?
Another question I have is if it’s possible to keep two female Muscovies without a drake? I would love to find a feather friend for my duck. Although she gets on with the mallards just fine, you can tell they are very different types of ducks and don’t speak the same “language”.
Thanks so much for your help!
Jane Sarchet says
Hi Julie! Yes, there is definitely a smell to a broody duck. I assume it’s because they aren’t swimming/washing as often as usual.
If her eggs are infertile it’s best to remove them from her asap, as she will lose condition the longer she sits on them.
Yes, two female muscovies would be perfectly happy together – there will be a pecking order, so you may notice some mild aggression, so please don’t be alarmed if this happens.
Good luck!
Jane x
Bill Kanellopoulos says
I have a Muscovy duck since a duckling my daughter rescued her with a damaged wing. She’s totally mended not clipped and has decided to make our home her home. She’s health and 2 yrs old. Unfortunately there are no drakes around. She lays hers eggs but not being fertile, its sad to watch the effort and dedication. My question is, if I can find or purchase a few fertile eggs for her to hatch, will she know and more importantly will she raise the ducklings, so she can get satisfaction she deserves. Can you help Regards Bill
Jane Sarchet says
Hi Bill, and absolutely yes! They don;t need to be duck eggs even, I’ve popped fertile hen eggs under a broody duck and she raised them perfectly (in this instance just be careful if Mummy duck has access to water as she will leave the babies on the shore and they will be vulnerable to predators & the cold.
Good luck!
Jane x
Zufallig farm says
From the time the first duckling in the clutch hatches, how long should we wait to see how many other eggs hatch before disposing of them???
Jane Sarchet says
Mama duck will decide when the remaining eggs are no longer viable. She’ll permanently leave the next and mother the hatched ones, the leftover eggs can then be disposed of.
Ellis Rayner says
Hello, I have a question, I have two female Muscovy. Neither have been with a drake therefore the eggs will never fertilise. My question is how often can you take eggs? Can you take them straight from their nest? One of my ducks had gotten really miserable lately and not sure why. She recently started laying and we usually leave a few in the nest so they continue to lay on the same place: but I’m worried because we’ve taken them she’s upset about it. Can this be the case? She just mopes about now and seems off.
Jane Sarchet says
They can get pretty miffed if they are broody and want to settle on a nest. However I find the best way round this is to remove the eggs daily, it’s by leaving some in the nest that their maternal spark is ignited!
Good luck!
Janie x
Timon says
Hi guys I bought three adult females and a male from a different breeder but they have’nt mated or laid any eggs in two months. Can it be that the females are too old perhaps?
Jane Sarchet says
Hi Timon, Muscovies aren’t the most proficient layers, so it could still be a little early in the season for them. Our girls are laying now, we’re in Cornwall, UK. If you are in a much colder place, yours may be about to start.
Do you know how old the male is?
Becky says
I have a pond where I built a floating duck house for my muscovy’s….I have a female on a clutch of 12 or so eggs in the house in the middle of the pond…my question is do you think they’ll be ok hatching there. I have ramps built so they can get back up. I haven’t read anything about how soon they can swim anywhere.
Jane Sarchet says
Yes, absolutely perfect Becky! So long as they can get back on the ramp when they’ve has enough, a floating house would be favourite duck house :)
Sandy says
Hello Jane, We live in Miami where feral Muscovys are abundant. Sadly, many people view them as a nuisance and treat them inhumanely. A hen with 9 ducklings showed up and I made our backyard available to them for safety. We have provided plenty of water and waterfowl feed for them. They are amazing hunters! In only three days, not a bug could ne found. We would like to keep the hens. How can we identify the drakes? They are 2/3 grown and will soon have wing feathers yo fly away. Help!
Jane Sarchet says
Hey Sandy, if you’re feeding them they’re unlikely to fly very far! The males will grow up to be much bigger then the females, there are ways to sex them by looking at their nether regions, but I personally don’t bother as there is a risk of damaging them if you’re not skilled at it.
Janie x
Steven wiblen says
Hello all, just a general question. I have 3 Muscovy ducks and one Drake, they are all running with chickens amd sheep in an acre padock. One duck is just starting to lay which is great but here in oz its winter, temps around 1 at night and 20 during the day (Celsius). When they hatch is it necessary to bring them inside to a brooder? Im generally of the opinion that ducks have been raising duckings for years without intervention, but the night temperatures do concern me. What would should i do?
Cheers
Steven
Australia
Jane Sarchet says
They’ll only start actually sitting on eggs when they feel the time is right to hatch, so I shouldn’ worry overly at this point.
That said, there’s nothing to stop you taking the eggs every day to cook with, and then leaving them be when the weather starts warming up :)
Jane x
Angela says
Hello. There’s a Muscovy duck with a nest close to my apartment. She has one little duck and currently sitting on 4 eggs on her nest ( used to be 12 :( ). My question is about the little duck, yesterday it was walking just fine but today it seems to be wobbly and has to sit after a short distance. It got bigger overnight, so my husband is saying it’s probably just getting used to its legs. What are your thoughts? I gave them some peas, I read somewhere that it will help to make the baby duck’s legs become stronger.
Jane Sarchet says
Hey Angela, there could be all manner of reasons to be honest.
Keep an eye on them but don’t fret too much if the baby gets poorly – sadly this is how nature works and it can be sad at times.
Jane x
Erika Faust says
Hello,
I have 5 muscovy ducks , that I love dearly! We have 2.5 acres of land with a half acre pond that they enjoy. Recently , they have been trying to cross the road for some reason and I am concerned they will be hit by a car. I dont know why they want to cross the road , they were raised here and are about 1 year old , never tried to cross until recently! Any advice on how to keep them in yard ? I have been going outside and guiding them back everytime I catch them trying to cross but of course I cant stay home all day and watch! Any help is appreciated.
Thank you
Erika
Jane Sarchet says
Hmmm, would it be an easy task to rig up some fencing? Failing that, perhaps you could put signs either side of their crossing asking drivers to beware of the ducks crossing?!
Jane x
Linda walker says
A Muscovy showed up on our property with a good size pond. It appears to be domesticated. I believe it’s a male? What is proper food, and care does it need? We have a two year old granddaughter, and I need to know if they have diseases, This is all knew to us and I don’t want to love it to death, by feeding it wrong or ? We have a lot of nature around where we live, some could be very leathel.
Thank you
Linda Walker. North west coast of wa. State
Jane Sarchet says
Hi Linda, an unmedicated chicken feed should be OK.
Jane x
Bianca says
Hello. Can you keep more than 1 male as freerange or will they fight?
Jane Sarchet says
Hey Bianca, they will probably fight, however if they are brothers and are reared together, they may be OK together long term.
To minimise the risk they will need lots of room (so the submissive one can get away) and plenty of lady friends to share :)
Janie x
Jennifer Mathis says
Hello. Thank you for your kind and informative site. I live in Tennessee. I have a small remote cabin high on a dry red clay hill surrounded by hundreds of acres of hardwood. We have always had chickens, dogs, a half wild cat or two, and a myriad of domestic strays and wild animals that come and go for food or help as needed. At the moment we have around 45 chickens, 10 roosters, 2 Turkey, and 2 geese. My son brought home a muscovy pair this summer that someone was tired of caring for. I wasn’t pleased at the time for we have no pond nor a means to dig one. However, we took them in of course and they have adapted well to the new surroundings. Possibly too well… the female sat on 15 eggs and hatched every single one yesterday. It is Fall, winter will be here in short order and we have 15 hatchlings. I’ll figure out a solution for shelter, but my real problem is the geese. They are trying to take over the maternal duties of the mother muscovy. The moment they hatched the geese ran the mother off and huddled around the hatchlings honking and hissing at any chicken, dog, human, truck, or if the wind blew too hard. We gathered the babies and Momma and put them in a large cage. The geese are hovering around the cage of course, but at least momma muscovy can remain with them. This is a temporary fix. Not sure what I’m going to do for long term. I could cage the geese but they have always been free range and are the “watchdogs” of the flock by day. I fear entrapment and stripping them of their prideful duty would be a major stress. I’m hopi ng by caging Mom and babies the geese will eventually lose interest and return to the rest of the flock. Any suggestions? Thank you, Jenn
michelle moore says
i have a momma on a nest in my tree about 8 feet off the ground. if any eggs are left and are to hatch, when and how will the babies get out of the tree? i am concerned they will get hurt. the tree is between my driveway and the yard. i’m worried about them hitting the pavement. any suggestions?
Jane Sarchet says
Hey Michelle, I’m so sorry your comment got lost in the system and I would imagine you’ve sorted the issue out yourself now.
However, for anyone else reading and looking for an answer, this obviously is not an ideal situation. The babies will jump out of the nest and probably survive, however when the mother duck flies back up to the nest, they will be stranded on the ground and at danger from the elements and predators.
My advice in this situation is to remove the nest as soon as you see the mother making it. Even if it already has some eggs in it, I would remove & dispose of the eggs and destroy the nest. Being broody she’ll make another nest elsewhere and ideally where you feel she and the babies would be safer.
Janie x
Renee says
We have a just had a mother hatch ducklings (8 so far) and she is in a run with a male muscovy and 3 hens, will they be ok to remain in the same pen or should i seperate them? Also do i just provide a shallow water dish for first few days then duckling feed?
Jane Sarchet says
Hi Renee, mother ducks will protect their babies well but if you do keep them all together, just keep a close eye on them all. If the hens & drake are nice natured, they should be fine :)
Janie x
AZMuffy says
Thanks for the info on the Muscovy name…I thought it was related to Moscow!
Now for “MY” problem. Yesterday, 1 January, I went out fairly early to put out cracked corn for the ducks and song birds. Within 20 minutes, a white female Muscovy came to eat…WITH 6 BABIES!
Mama had been a regular visitor since they were given to our property managers in August. There are 7 Muscovy, I believe 2 others are also female (Black feathers). Anyhoo-little white gal has been showing up alone for about a month. I thought the gang was shunning her, now it seems the reverse was/is true.
My question is “How likely is it the babies will survive?” I live in the Southern Arizona desert, so it rarely gets below freezing (although it has been just above freezing the last week . The ducks live at a small pond, with Mallards and Pekins and other duck, and come to my yard once or twice a day.
Thanks!
AZMuffy says
SAD news, in a way…all 6 Muscovy ducklings are gone (dead).
Prior to the disappearance here’s my observations on the ducklings:
ON 2 January, my neighbor saw Mom and 3 babies behind her house, sunning near a bench.
The next day (3 January) I had Mother Duck and her 3 surviving offspring (2 yellow and 1 black and yellow) came into my yard at about 0820. The food was low, so I had to bring more out. I thought they would leave when I got out, as they did the day before. Sure enough, the babies were skittish and started to run, first to Mama Muscovy, then a bit toward the path back to the pond. Mama jumped at first, but then she remembered “this human gives us food,” and she started to move toward me….but not too close.
After spreading around the cracked corn, and cleaning water, I returned to my kitchen to watch. Mom and babies seemed fine, so I left the window to do some chores.
During the 3 times I checked on them before noon, only one stands out: One of the larger black male Muscovys (Blackie) came to eat and drink. Later, he put himself about one-half a duck’s length to the side of Mama’s tail. At this point, the 3 youngsters were well hidden and warm under their mother. Big Duck’s presence kept away all the other birds, except a pair of Gambel’s quail (They are a nervous breed, so their visit was unusual, and very special).
Hours went by, the Big Duck left after 30-40 minutes. At his departure, I put out more corn, plus a mix of seeds for the babies. The little duck family stayed in the yard sunning, eating, drinking, sleeping and walking around, never going more than 4 feet from MamaDuck, until 1430–6 HOURS!!
Sorry this is so long, but I felt some folks might be interested in baby behavior.
Now that MamaDuck (I call her Vixen) has no young, I wonder if she is going to try to have another brood? Vixen came to eat on 4 January, with 3 males and another female in the morning. Later, mid-afternoon, the largest male(Biggie) came to eat, and she came with him, to eat and drink more.
Gabriela Briceno says
Hi Janie!
I am a student at Chatham University, PA, US. We have Muscovy ducks on our campus and we are trying to think of small enrichment projects we can do to help our ducks be a bit happier and healthier in the winter months. After reading your post, and learning that Muscovys aren’t necessarily avid swimmers, I was wondering if you had any advice for toys or physical enrichment things that would help our ducks feel more at home?
Also, we have 3 females and 1 male. The male is very aggressive toward all of our volunteers that go in and check on the ducks regularly. Other than pinning him to the ground to calm him down a bit do you have any suggestions for dealing with an aggressive drake?
Thank you so much, hope to hear from you soon!
Vin says
Hi Janie,
I love reading Hedgecombers! I live on a large acreage in France surrounded by forest (with a resident fox or two). I’m looking at getting half a dozen 6-7 week old Muscovy youngsters to bring up free range. There’s plenty of weeds and bugs and I’ll give them fresh water twice a day, with maybe a handful of feed in the evening to encourage them to stay put. The spot for the water is under an apple tree and Im hoping they will roost there for safety. If I find eggs to eat then fine, but Im really looking for a flock to keep down bugs and weeds. I hadn’t intended to build a duck house or run. Am I doing this right in your opinion?
Thanks
Vin
suzanne Blair says
I’ve just adopted my first Muscovy. She is living with my goose and an Indian runner. We lost the runners pair (sister) just before Christmas. I am assured that they will all get along and I am amazed that in 24 hours the other two dont mind her being around. They are not “friendly” yet but I am told they will do. She is ony 12 wks old. So like a goose, do they only lay 1 clutch a year, wheras a runner lays most of the year?
Are they really more goose than duck? I have noticed she makes the same noises as my goose did as a gosling. thank you
Wendy McKergow says
Hi Jane i have a small hobby farm and my Muscovy duck sitting on 5 eggs unfortunately i had to move her and her eggs to a different spot due to a nasty Buck given to me now she isn’t going back to sit i tried locking her in with them and she just stood waiting to get out have i done the wrong thing? Regards Wendy
Rhonda says
Hi — super helpful info! We live on a lake and enjoy many feral Muscovies. One mama duck laid 22 eggs in Mid-March in a large planter on our dock. She has been faithfully sitting for close to 8 weeks now… way past the 35 day norm. One baby hatched two weeks ago, survived for two days, but haven’t seen it since. Most likely because mama went back to her nest. Question… these eggs aren’t hatching, and yet she tirelessly tends to them 24/7. We definitely have several males around and the eggs are super transparent, so we can see the babies are in there. What’s going on? What’s taking so long? Are the other eggs not going to hatch now?
Thanks — Rhonda & Erik
Heather says
Hello can you help . We had muscovy duck lay eggs in our garden. We came out and found that an animal ate her 2 nights ago. We did have a friend with a incubator to put them in. She probably has been sitting on them for about 28 days already. What should we do. Thank you.
Jane Sarchet says
That’s so sad Heather :(
Sorry I didn’t get to your message earlier, I’d love to know if you hatched any ducklings from her eggs?
Jane x
Liza says
Three Muscovy ducks appeared on my pond about 6 months ago. 2 females and a male. I started feeding them cracked corn, now they expect it. I named them Gomer, Skippy and Daphne. ( if anyone watched the Andy Griffith Show, you’ll understand) they are free range and go from pond to pond on about 3 acres. Daphne has since hatched out babies. They immediately went to the water. Yesterday I seen two were ducklings missing. I found both with hurt legs. Evidentially my horse had stepped on them. The first one I found could limp,so he jumped out of my hands and scurried to the pond with his mom and siblings. I found the second and his leg was really broken, bad. I was deciding what to do, and Daphne flew out of the pond to attack. Of course I put him down and backed off. She kept coming at me, very aggressive. After I got away, I worried myself sick last night. All I could do was pray for the situation and ask God to take care of his creatures.
This morning, all were together swimming in the pond and came up to eat.
Now, my worry tonight is the coyote I seen stalking them today. Knowing I cannot catch the babies and protect them, because of her aggression, what are any ideas on what to do? Thank you
Jane Sarchet says
Hey Liza, oh boy that’s a sad tale. I’ll be honest, over the years I have cried soooooo many tears over situations like this.
As the years went by I realised that I could only do my best for the animals in my care. If they were living in the wild they would have a lot harder time of it, have less food and more predator attacks. So honestly, do what you can but try not to lose sleep over them.
Nature is nature, you are doing a wonderful job keeping them well fed and cared for x
Hasha says
I raised a group of Muscovy ducklings and only one survived..a beautiful female the we named Niomi. She’s been around for almost a year now is best friends with the cat and hasn’t ever wandered or flew off too far and always comes back home at night. Now it has been 4days since I’ve seen her…do you think that she could be off somewhere with a nest or just flew off somewhere? I did just rescue another duckling and introduced the two but she seemed excited about having another duck around so I don’t think she would have left because of that. I know I’m probably just working myself up but I am worried about her. I hope she is safe doing duck things if anything.
Jane Sarchet says
It’s hard to tell Hasha, I hope she’s come back by now x
Paul says
I have 4 muscovies, 3 females and one male but one of the females been picked on and is having to spend it’s time alone in the coop for almost the whole day. There’s always alot screaming at each other. What does this mean?
Jane Sarchet says
Hey Paul, bird are horribly hierarchical unfortunately, and this isn’t uncommon. If you have the space you could separate her from the others and get her a drake to keep her company.
Good luck
Janie x
Myrna says
I HAVE SIX MUSCOVY DUCKS THEY ARE A GEM LIKE KIDS THEY LOVE TO FOLLOW ME AROUND THE YARD AND ARE QUITE HAPPY WHEN THEY SEE ME EVERY DAY
Jane Sarchet says
So cute Myrna, they are gorgeous birds :)
Janie x
roger says
hi one of my Muscovy girls is nexting but my other 2 female are fighting whit her one of then i slaying eggs but not hatching then yet let me know what you think
Jane Sarchet says
Can you separate them Roger?
Janie x
roger says
i am specially at feeding time that went they”re
together other times they are in peace