Muscovy ducks are strong and sturdy and good fighters on top of that so they should have no problem to hold up against the khaki drakes.
I would advise against this pairing, though.
I am keeping runners with muscovies and they get along but don't express much interest for another. The drakes...
I am no expert on this matter,but I know from experience that shaving causes skin irritation.
Would it be possible to only cut the feathers with a pair of scissors so that the crest would be off but the skin unharmed?
Thank you for your reply and your input.
She has lived a longer and richer life than moulards (especially a handicapped one) can usually expect, and it has always made me happy so see her enjoying herself and sad to watch her struggle and being shunned by the other ducks.
I suppose it's time...
After a considerable time of absence I felt the need to visit BYC again and I also have a question.
Some may remember that I have a handicapped duck in my flock. She has been limping since I got her and she is also suffering from seizures for year now. The vet can't do anything about it and...
Thanks for your contributions, I hadn't thought about neurological issues or problems concerning her inner ear yet.
I'm pretty sure she's eating. She also still goes foraging and gets around quite well.
Getting her to an avian vet will be a problem though because there's no expert in my...
Didn't get a good performance from her so far because she behaved pretty normal for most of the afternoon, I'll keep you updated.
I have a little experience at keel feeling, before my pekin duck died of old age she became noticeably thinner and suddenly I could feel her keel where I couldn't...
Thank you very much for your replies.
I will try to make a video. Since I only have a smartphone at my disposition the quality will leave much to desire, but better than nothing I suppose.
When I picked her up yesterday she was heavy as always and I couldn't feel her keel. To be completely...
Hello Everybody,
it's been a while since I've been active here, but now I have an issue and need some advice.
My mulard has been acting strange lately.
A few days ago she began to go into "spasms". I documented one of these episodes with the camera of my smartphone. I already caught her and...
Oh, that would have been my secons guess.
According to wikipedia, the more usual term is "shell game". But until a few hours ago I new neither of these words...byc can be enlightening in all kinds of ways.
From looking at your location I assume that you are also not a native speaker I had to look the English term up for this, too, but this was the first thing I thought of when I read about this method here.
Aside from giving your ducks good mating conditions, you have not much influence on fertilization itself. When the guys from my poultry club complain collectively about low fertilization rates, they usually blame the weather. It may also be the drake at fault here or just a subject to random...
Since it's already dark outside and I never shot a picture of the whole pond, this will have to suffice for now.
Note that this concept could indeed use some improvement but the overall idea is valid. It covers about 6 m² and is 45 cm deep. I need to clean it every two weeks, but the ducks...
My pond is completely artifical, a hole in the ground covered with a layer of pool liner. I have a submergibl pump to get the water out. Then I use a small shovel to transfer the mud into a bucket and throw it away. Not the most elegant method, but it gets the job done for almost ten years now...
I would not use this body of water as a duck pond. Botulism is indeed a concern, the ducks will dabble in the mud and spoil the water with their feces so the water will also go bad pretty quickly and stink horribly so the ducks will even refuse to use it at all. I have to clean out my pond every...
Muscovies can go broody about three times a year, so I guess it is okay to let her raise campbells thrice a year, but more often could be too exhausting.
Mine stay quite calm during the procedure, my oldest duck is actually quite cooperative. I guess she simply can't draw a connection between me, the scissors and her problems to get off the ground afterwards.