Muscovy Ducklings

[Miss Lydia]

Looks like the picture didn't embed.... I'll try another route

https://m.facebook.com/photo.php?fb...5706300209258.57642.100003096706428&source=48

Of course they are adorable, I am very partial to Scovy's.

 

[robinjs11]

I got 4 muscovy ducklings when they were 1 week old that were hatched by their mothers and they were very scared the first week. I wanted them to be tame and was worried at first but they became very brave around 3 weeks old and walked right up to me. Once they realize you feed and water them, they will be happy to see you. Mine didnt eat any treats until about 3 weeks old and they loved mashed bananas and kale. Mine are now 6 weeks old. The pic of them sitting in my hand was the size they were when they finally didnt run away from me and I was so excited that I had to take a pic!

 

[Datacross]

I got 4 muscovy ducklings when they were 1 week old that were hatched by their mothers and they were very scared the first week. I wanted them to be tame and was worried at first but they became very brave around 3 weeks old and walked right up to me. Once they realize you feed and water them, they will be happy to see you. Mine didnt eat any treats until about 3 weeks old and they loved mashed bananas and kale. Mine are now 6 weeks old. The pic of them sitting in my hand was the size they were when they finally didnt run away from me and I was so excited that I had to take a pic!

Cute! I'm eager to see what gender they are. (With how timid they are I don't want to vent sex them and freak them out) but I have a pretty good feeling it's a drake and a female. That makes me feel a lot better though! I just really don't want them to be afraid of me. I only attempted the treats because back at my neighbors, with their mother, they would eat watermelon and tadpoles when they were outside so I was trying to just make them feel at home a little but they wouldn't eat it so it is what it is.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Cute! I'm eager to see what gender they are. (With how timid they are I don't want to vent sex them and freak them out) but I have a pretty good feeling it's a drake and a female. That makes me feel a lot better though! I just really don't want them to be afraid of me. I only attempted the treats because back at my neighbors, with their mother, they would eat watermelon and tadpoles when they were outside so I was trying to just make them feel at home a little but they wouldn't eat it so it is what it is.

When my ducklings were around 3 weeks old they would follow their mama to where I gave out treats in the afternoon and the most fav of all is dried meal worms. When I put them to bed in the evenings with their mama, I'd sprinkle the mealworms over their water and also some on the floor and food. It didn't take them long to know they were going to get a special treat each evening. Now they just run to where I am standing when I bring them out and whistle for everyone they are 7 weeks old. It's a good way to train them to go into their building every evening too knowing they are going to get something special.

 

[Datacross]

I've heard several people say that. On an upside, they don't make the loud "help" chirp when I enter their brooder anymore. They still run from me and.. I dont know how to describe it... they sound like their rolling their R's in their throat. A kind of "purring" sound maybe. If they do turn out to be a female and a drake I should probably look into getting another female, correct? I don't want the drake to overwhelm her

 

[Miss Lydia]

I've heard several people say that. On an upside, they don't make the loud "help" chirp when I enter their brooder anymore. They still run from me and.. I dont know how to describe it... they sound like their rolling their R's in their throat. A kind of "purring" sound maybe. If they do turn out to be a female and a drake I should probably look into getting another female, correct? I don't want the drake to overwhelm her

It would be nice for the girls if there are 2 at least. I find my Muscovy isn't quite as crazy as some say about their drakes are but he is 5 yrs old. I have some Runners who are now 7 weeks and will soon learn how different Runner drakes are compared to Muscovy.

 

[robinjs11]

When we picked ours out, we wanted 3 ducks and 1 drake and the breeder helped us by feet size. The drakes had much bigger feet even at 1 week old and even though its not 100% accurate, it has held true for ours. Our drake is the darkest duckling.

 

[Datacross]

When we picked ours out, we wanted 3 ducks and 1 drake and the breeder helped us by feet size. The drakes had much bigger feet even at 1 week old and even though its not 100% accurate, it has held true for ours. Our drake is the darkest duckling.

I'm almost wondering if their color pattern might be sex linked, although I have no way of knowing because the drake was wild. But the one that's brown with black feet is exactly the mothers coloring while the one with the wild markings is only what I presume would be the drakes coloring. Also, don't even know if these two are from the same clutch because she sat on two clutches but oh well.

We actually spotted both of the female muscovies the other day. The second one had stopped coming around once she laid but they were both eating tadpoles out of the ditches the other afternoon together

 

[Joshbaker8452]

Yes this is my first small batch of muscovies naturally mated and hatched by mother. I took them away from her after 1 month since it was getting cold and she got stressed from not going to the pond in backyard. We wouldn't let her take the ducklings because of predators(this is her second batch she lost her whole first batch of 18 ducklings to predators) but anyways she got stressed from not being able to take them and left. So we took them in, but even before that I'm sad to say they were being malnutritioned and it's all our fault not supplying the correct stuff but now they are 4 to 5 months old and molting and growing new feathers, MUCH larger then before since they got all their necessities. I'm worried that even though they are much larger they still aren't correct size for age. I will post pictures.

 

[Joshbaker8452]

We got all our muscovies from a breeder / farmer, all our drakes and hens came from him. I've seen pictures of people's drakes but they don't seem to be as big as ours. They are massive, min. 12 lbs atleast maybe more. Could it be the ducklings are growing so slowly, since their father was so big? And as soon as we started feeding them correctly their size shot up extremely (ducklings) , but now I'm not sure if they are correct size for age?