Recent content by MDC

I think I can confidently say the solid chocolate in the first photo is a duck, I believe it's companion to be one also but I'm more reserved with that guess as it looks like a drake in the bottom photo, to me. Check out their wing feathers. Ducklets will have faster growth of their primary...

Usually you can tell if a bird is going to be a whitehead as it will have white feathers interspersed throughout the normal color of the head. This can take a over a year, if my memory is correct. I'm thinking some birds don't get a full white head until they're 2 or thereabouts.

I, too, have pulled them, but the problem with that is that the feather begins to grow again and you have to do it more often. Clipping is only required once a year, after the molt.

There can be differences in strains / types of duck. A photo would be nice, ducks s/b relaxed and not being chased, all ducks in same photo, in profile, if possible, and not too close of a shot - it doesn't hurt to have some background in the photo. There are several differences in gender...

Hi, If I could offer some unsolicited advise, I would do everything in my power to separate those nests and give each bird her own eggs. In my experience shared nests turn out disastrous, sometimes even a total wash. The ducks tend to fight over the eggs, rolling them to and fro, and eggs end...

Hard to tell by your photos. Try taking photos when they're relaxed, in natural positions, where all 4 are in the same photo. Profile is good, like you've done, and standing is good. You don't have to have a real close shot of the birds, sometimes moving away is better. The first photo was...

Your duckling will most likely be a chocolate barred, from the looks of it. Of course, the light of the photo might skew the color of the tail but in the one photo it appears to be chocolate from where I sit. The blue bill (chickens have beaks, ducks have bills ) on what would otherwise be...

In my location with birds that are hatched normally (usually late May or first week of June) they might lay a few eggs sporadically during the late fall but will soon stop until spring. It is the older, mature birds that are first to lay and first to set in the spring, as a general rule. I...

Barred ducklings are yellow downed as ducklings with "blue" bills & color-tipped tails. If you're familiar with the basic down colors of the varieties you can tell the color the barred duckling will be, most of the time by the color on the tip of the tail. I believe that the duckling in...

That is a black pied duckling. What you think might be barring is actually due to the 'wild type' gene. Those feathers will molt out around 12-14 weeks & will be sold black after that.

Quote: Absolutely! Unless a package is insured, at best they treat it like any other package whether you write fragile on it a million times or state that there is a newborn baby inside, other times they treat it like a soccer ball. I think at one point there was a Dateline episode done on...

I called Dr. Allen the other day and what I took away from the phone call was that essentially you can carry on business as usual with privately owned Muscovy that do not inhabit public bodies of water, ie lakes, rivers, & streams. The regulation is going into effect March 31st as is but they...

Even with the regulation going into effect at the end of March, you can still own Muscovy "to eat". I'd like to see one FWS person prove that I'm not someday planning on eating any and/or all Muscovy that I own, sell, or plan to buy. It's like the sales of raw milk in some locales, it's...

I encourage everyone who owns Muscovy to contact Mr. Allen & tell him about YOUR feelings on the matter, how this regulation will effect you, etc. I have received an Email and have read at least one other post from individuals who state that there will be a push to 'rescue' standard-bred...

Stress usually disrupts the laying cycle for up to about 14 days, give or take. This can happen when they're bought/sold taken to shows, etc. It also takes about 14 days for them to get back into laying after they're done brooding ducklings. This is normal and nothing to worry about. Also...