Muscovy caruncle

[iajewel]

When we breed, as breeders of any species, we try to remain "pure" well.. for the most part. So, why with Muscovy do we as domestic breeders strive for the red, not black ( like the wild counter part, and original duck) caruncle?

 

[fmizula]

that is interesting. i dont think i have seen a black one before. i am quite new to duckies though. do the caruncles have a purpose for the bird?

 

[dumb_cluck]

Seems like any dark pigmentation is not acceptable:

http://www.muscovyduckcentral.com/witt_farms/judgingmuscovies.html

 

[goosedragon]

Quote:
Well I read the article through and did NOT draw that conclusion. Just for the record I have seen some of John Paul Witt's birds that did have dark pigmentation on the caruncle. (that is where the judging article was posted)

 

[Bleenie]

I wish there were more with the gypsy face, I have been looking for a dark-faced drake for 2yrs and no luck yet. I've seen about 2 but they were small birds.... I ADORE the look of the dark caruncles, especially on the drakes but i like to keep my birds chunky.

 

[iajewel]

This drake is massive and has some of the black, not like the wild ones though.



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I think the reason the black birds may be smaller is that the wild birds are also smaller. The ankle bone is connected to the heel bone you know.

 

[AquaEyes]

Quote:
Because the domestic muscovy is not a pure species -- it is a hybrid that is "mostly" wild muscovy, with some intermixture with the Comb Duck / Knob-Billed Duck. And wild muscovies do have some red coloration in the caruncles, but it was exaggerated in the domestic strains. The standards for domesticated species often have nothing to do with the appearances of wild ancestors -- they are drawn up at the whim of the people who decide what they want to selectively breed.

 

[iajewel]

This has not been proven that they are a combination of the mentioned. I agree that there has to be some hybridization, however this has not been proven.

 

[iajewel]

Quote:
No the gypsy coloring is not exceptable, then again, neither are the very large meat type Muscovy we breed or the very small call type my DH is working on. The show type is just that. Like in working dogs vs show dogs, there is sometimes a huge type difference. The same goes for the Muscovy.

 

[AquaEyes]

Quote:
Well, even so, rarely is a domesticated animal bred to the standard of its wild ancestor. The whole purpose of domestication is to selectively breed a species -- thus it evolves by artificial selection to look different from its ancestors. And as the farm fox experiment showed, there are unintended changes in appearances that often accompany that process.

Besides, if you want the domesticated ones to look more like the wild ones, there's nothing that says you "aren't allowed" to select for that appearance yourself. The "show standards" are not the only "standards" to which a breeder may breed, and even they vary from country to country -- because they are an artificial set of criteria set by people's preferences. I know from learning about muscovies that there are breeders who select for REDUCED caruncling overall, despite the mandates set forth by the "show standards."

In other words, breed them the way you want.