muscovy ducks

[minister man]

I would like to have a few Muscovy hens that walk around the yard, graze eat bugs, lay eggs. I would also like to keep a drake, but I understand they can be rough on the hens and nasty with people. Not interested in that. Would it be possible to free range the hens, and pen the drake separately and put him in with the hens every couple of evenings when I want fertile eggs?

OR, because the drake is twice the size of the hens, build a drake pen in the middle of the hen pen that has an opening that the hens can go in and out but the drake can't.

Has anyone done anything like this? or would i be better off to have khaki Cambells?

 

[Miss Lydia]

Do you still want a drake if you get KC? I have had many Muscovy drakes and the only one who was not nice was the one I hand raised becasue he was rejected by hs mama and imprinted on me all the rest were raised by mama Muscovy and never got near me to bite or act up. But I also have 2 Runner ducks who don't mess with me but they can be very rough on the ladies unless you have plenty for them. 1 Drake to at least 4 and up ladies is always best. Muscovy included. Many people don't like drakes but I do and feel they have a significant place in the flock you just have to have the right ratio.

 

[minister man]

Yes, I would still have a drake with Khakis

I would hatch some to keep my little flock going ( i have a sportsman if they don't set) but I have 4 standard poodles, and I thought I could scramble the eggs to use as dog food for them.

 

[Miss Lydia]

The ducks eggs are also wonderful for baking with making all bake goods moist and delicious

 

[minister man]

When you say that the only drake you had that was mean was a hand raised one, do you mean raised in a brooder instead by by a duck? does that mean you wouldn't buy ducklings to start?

 

[Miss Lydia]

I raised him inside by himself so he imprinted on me as his mama and then as a potential mate. He was not really mean he just liked to chew on my clothes my boots and when he was very young he would jump on my back if I turned away from him but that got resolved when we got him his own females. All drakes are hormonal and when young very hormonal.
Of course get ducklings since you'll have more than one they will imprint on each other more so than you. He may feel like you are a threat [hormones]and might even bite your boots when you come into their area but I really don't think it will be much of a problem. I wouldn't let young children try to pick up a full grown drake especially a Mucovy drake who are very large. He never went after my grandkids just my husband and me but not to the point when he really injured either of us. I just lost him to age first of this month he was going on 13.

 

[ruthhope]

I have muscovy drakes. They are not mean. There are many feral muscovy around where I live in NE Florida, and the feral drakes are not mean. Muscovy drakes are very misunderstood. Some people are very negative about them because they have carruncles. Others are negative because they don't quack but make a huffing sound when they are excited. It isn't hissing -- there is no ssss sound. It is huffing and puffing, but I hear people that don't like muscovy say they are hissing.

My muscovy drakes are rescues or rehomed domestic muscovy, that cannot be released to the wild. All drakes are prone to being dumped once their owner recognizes they are a drake not a female. drakes are difficult to rehome because of the need to have 3-4 females for every drake. Muscovy drakes are no more likely to beat up on female ducks than any other drake.

Daffy, my muscovy drake that I hand raised in the house, like Miss Lydia's, bonded with me and still follows me around when I am in the garden. At this time of year he is prone to biting my shins and calves -- demanding attention. For these next few months, I am walking round with a cane in my hand that I waft in front of his face when he comes up, and he leaves me alone. This behavior will settle down by summer when his spring hormone surge is abating. He is otherwise a huge affectionate lump of duckiness: he loves to sit on a step by myside and be cuddled. one of my other feral muscovy, that was rescued as a duckling, was very disturbed the first spring I had him. I have written about him elsewhere in this forum. I think he had the ducky equivalent of post traumatic stress disorder from his early life experience when he almost drowned and was left for dead in a retention pond by his mama and clutch-mates. He was reformed by his second year. This is his third spring and he sometimes squabbles with the other drakes [asserting pecking order] but doesn't fight me. My third muscovy drake is a rehomed domestic muscovy that is non-confrontational. He is getting beat up by my pekin drake that is half his size. The muscovy is quite able to stand on the pekin and let him know who is boss, but he prefers to move away and that just incites the little terror to chase him. It is quite bizarre seeing a fully grown 15lb muscovy drake running across the garden with a 7lb pekin drake chasing him!! But that's what I get every morning as soon as I let the pekin out of his overnight dog crate in the duck coop.

So if you want a muscovy drake --go for it! They come in lovely colors and have great personalities. Did I say they are nosy? Mine love to come up to my patio doors and look inside to see what I and my puppies are doing. If I ever chose a muscovy drake, as distinct from taking whatever drake needs rescuing or rehoming, I would love to have a lavender drake. But Daffy is an extremely handsome black barred muscovy drake and he knows it: he struts around like a turkey!! Butter, the white muscovy is another gorgeous drake, and O Pato my third boy is handsome when he washes. He isn't fond of washing!!!