Duck Breed Focus - Muscovy

[Chaneys Ranch]

Do you own Muscovies? Are you a Muscovie breeder? If so, please reply to this thread with the your thoughts and experiences, including:

· What made you decide to get this breed?
· Do you own them for fun? Breeding? Some other purpose?
· What are your favorite characteristics about this breed?
· Post some pics of your birds; male/female, chicks, eggs, etc!

Thank you great thread!
We got our first 4 Muscovy in 2012. My youngest DD picked them from a private breeder.
We keep several, and they are multi purpose for us. I added several more in 2014.
Drakes are huge and awesome table birds.
They are all raised like pets here, no matter what purpose.
I have nothing negative to report! Super smart, social, comical.



Adore this duck breed! If I had to choose I would only keep scovys.

Miss Physco. Only Muscovy thats ever bit me! She is my nest hider, and stashes eggs in very inconvenient locations.















This is my oldest hen, Huey and also my top hen.




Mother goose brooded and raised these babies.

 

[casportpony]

Quote: Muscovy to Muscovy = almost 100% fertile eggs.
Quacker to Muscovy or Muscovy to Quacker = very few fertile eggs

Is that what you mean?

-Kathy

 

[HickoryHollow]

Muscovy to Muscovy = almost 100% fertile eggs.
Quacker to Muscovy or Muscovy to Quacker = very few fertile eggs

Is that what you mean?

-Kathy

What I was hoping was this. I would leave the Muscovy in the same run as the Khaki Campbells. From eggs size, I could collect the Khaki Campbell eggs for the incubator and either collect the Muscovy eggs for eating, or once they want to set, leave them for the duck to hatch. But I don't want mixed breeds, so will this work. I am starting to have my doubts.......

 

[hennible]

Muscovy to Muscovy = almost 100% fertile eggs.
Quacker to Muscovy or Muscovy to Quacker = very few fertile eggs

Is that what you mean?

-Kathy

That's what I was wondering

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

Quote: My Muscovy hens just won't accept a mallard drake. They fly off and leave them sitting there. I keep pekin, snow mallard, rouen and a few oddballs. The Scovy ducks will have no part of any of those drakes.

 

[RezChamp]

I got a few of these ducks because they were so different looking and the fact they are a strictly "new world" species. Also the fact they grow so big and the fact they eat tons of flies. oh ya...they can fly away from terrestrial predators. So... looks, meat and eggs, insect control and not totally defenceless.
I hadn't thought about their inability to handle the cold as well as the "mallard" breeds. So after loosing 20ish to the (very) sub-zero temps here I gave up on that dream.
Again, they do taste good and have good tasting eggs, good at insect control and evading ground predators.
Oh ya.... colors and patterns. I dislike "standardization" though, so the variations in colors and patterns is also a plus for me. And some of them are so pretty. Pied Lilac, Calico Marked Blue, Choclate Brown & White. Blue and Black in an Andalusion pattern. WOW. Genetic diversity is good.

 

[Miss Lydia]

My Muscovy hens just won't accept a mallard drake. They fly off and leave them sitting there. I keep pekin, snow mallard, rouen and a few oddballs. The Scovy ducks will have no part of any of those drakes.

I am thinking a Muscovy drake would have his way with some of the ladies though.

 

[casportpony]

 
My Muscovy hens just won't accept a mallard drake. They fly off and leave them sitting there. I keep pekin, snow mallard, rouen and a few oddballs. The Scovy ducks will have no part of any of those drakes.

I am thinking a Muscovy drake would have his way with some of the ladies though. 

My Muscovy drakes are naughty, lol, but the Peking is something else! For some reason the girls don't fly away when he chases them.

-Kathy

 

[Miss Lydia]

My Muscovy drakes are naughty, lol, but the Peking is something else! For some reason the girls don't fly away when he chases them.

-Kathy

Must be his handsomeness lol

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I got a few of these ducks because they were so different looking and the fact they are a strictly "new world" species. Also the fact they grow so big and the fact they eat tons of flies. oh ya...they can fly away from terrestrial predators. So... looks, meat and eggs, insect control and not totally defenceless.
I hadn't thought about their inability to handle the cold as well as the "mallard" breeds. So after loosing 20ish to the (very) sub-zero temps here I gave up on that dream.
Again, they do taste good and have good tasting eggs, good at insect control and evading ground predators.
Oh ya.... colors and patterns. I dislike "standardization" though, so the variations in colors and patterns is also a plus for me. And some of them are so pretty. Pied Lilac, Calico Marked Blue, Choclate Brown & White.  Blue and Black in an Andalusion pattern. WOW.   Genetic diversity is good.   

I am in Wisconsin, it gets pretty cold here, my muscovy do fine, they do need a place to go into during bad weather, my will even take bathes in well below zero temperatures.