my ducks don't quack

[Maougna]

My ducks don't quack and the drake makes a wheezing sound not dissimilar to an old steam engine . Is this normal ?

 

[Welshies]

What breed are they?
Muscovies don't quack like other ducks, and some kinds of ducks are very quiet.

 

[Maougna]

Sorry I don't know what breed they are , maybe you can tell me .

 

[widelacing]

That is definitely a muscovy. It is naturally almost silent but the drakes do wheeze and the females sometimes give a quietish, high pitched cry. Very pretty babies, by the way.

 

[Welshies]

That is definitely a muscovy. It is naturally almost silent but the drakes do wheeze and the females sometimes give a quietish, high pitched cry. Very pretty babies, by the way.

x2.

Here's some quick info on Muscovies for you:

Mature weight: females 6-8 pounds, males 9-12 pounds
Males: have a lot more caruncles (red fleshy stuff like wattles on chickens), no sex or drake feather, much bigger, hiss
Females: smaller, quiet, less to almost no caruncles
Muscovies originated in the jungle and rainforests, and are not Mallard-derived unlike most ducks. So, if you cross a Muscovy with ANY other breed, it will hatch out what is know as a "mule duck"- an infertile cross breed often used for meat.
Muscovy meat is leaner, more like red meat than otherduck meat, and a delicacy. Their breasts are much bigger.
Muscovy ducks can fly, so you can clip their wings or cover their pen.
Muscovies don't lay very many eggs- the average Mallard-derived breed lays anywhere from 130-315 eggs/year (average of all breeds), but the Muscovy only lays 35-120 eggs per year. However, they are excellent mothers, and often used to incubate other ducks' eggs.
Muscovies have bigger claws than other breeds of ducks, and are stronger. They also eat more bugs and more easily digest grasses than mallard-derived breeds (Although, Mallard-derived breeds can learn to thrive on grass).
Muscovy eggs take longer to hatch- they take 35 days (34-37 days), whereas Mallard-derived breeds take 28 (26-30 days), and chickens only take 17 days (15-19 days).
Muscovy ducks like to roost, so they must be provided with roosts.
If you want to keep a duck with chickens, or ducks and chickens together, a Muscovy is your best bet because they aren't as water-obsessed as Mallard-derived breeds.
I would have gone with Muscovy except for the fact their meat isn't standard "duck" meat, and they lay so few eggs.

 

[widelacing]

I thought chickens were 21 days?

 

[Welshies]

I thought chickens were 21 days?

Oh. I could be wrong, I don't have chickens, just going off of what my neighbour told me.

 

[Maougna]

Thank you for the info ! We have them more as pets but we do eat their eggs sometimes . They have a really nice temperement and , yes , wonderful mothers . It's been very ineteresting to see how she teaches her babies . They spend most of the day in the pond but she regularly takes them for long walks to explore the world . It's so funny to watch them scooting along behind her . We have two other ducks who are now both covering eggs so I guess we'll have to make some decisions soon as we're going to be overrun with them ! Thank you once again , so now I know that they are Muscovies and that it's normal that they don't quack and that the old man wheezes . One other thing , I'm fascinated by the head bobbing thing but a search on the internet didn't come up with an answer . I'm surprised that nobody seems to know why they do it .

 

[Welshies]

Thank you for the info ! We have them more as pets but we do eat their eggs sometimes . They have a really nice temperement and , yes , wonderful mothers . It's been very ineteresting to see how she teaches her babies . They spend most of the day in the pond but she regularly takes them for long walks to explore the world . It's so funny to watch them scooting along behind her . We have two other ducks who are now both covering eggs so I guess we'll have to make some decisions soon as we're going to be overrun with them ! Thank you once again , so now I know that they are Muscovies and that it's normal that they don't quack and that the old man wheezes . One other thing , I'm fascinated by the head bobbing thing but a search on the internet didn't come up with an answer . I'm surprised that nobody seems to know why they do it .

I've not yet heard of the head bobbing thing.

Also, that's why I didn't pick Muscovies. I think they're pretty but I wanted good layers (selling eggs), good mothers, and good meat ducks (that taste like your usual duck, to keep my family satisfied). I also didn't want flyers because we have very few hawks here and I left the run uncovered. If Muscovies did lay more eggs, I may have gotten some, though. They come in so many colors, too. Most duck breeds only have one to four colors, usually one or two, but Muscovies, Runners, and Calls come in many colors. Black, white, ripple, chocolate, silver, blue, silver splash, etc.

 

[widelacing]

By the head bobbing I have observed, it seems to be a communication thing. I have seen Khaki Campbells and muscovies do it.