A Few Dumb Duck Questions

[Muscovy Man]

Since I am knew to raising Muscovy ducks, I was curious about a few things that I couldn't find answers to online. Here they are.

When do Muscovies molt into their new feathers?

What is this foamy stuff around their eyes (all my birds get it)?

Is it possible for Muscovy Drakes to get frostbite? But this doesn't make sense to me though, two of my drakes sleep in the house with the hens with a heat lamp and some warm blankets and there is the one drake that sleeps outside in the cold (because he got kicked out of the flock). So those two drakes that sleep inside have some of their caruncles kinda seem, well you know, frostbitten. However, the guy that sleeps outside in the -0 below freezing temperatures, his caruncles are perfectly fine

. Isn't that weird?

Also since they have lost their oil glands, they are reluctant to bath now, since one time they did during a really cold day and I went out check on them and they were Ducksicles lol

(their feathers had ice stuck to them). Should I be bathing them and making sure they are totally dried off? Because they are not so white anymore.

And FINALLY the last question.

I have been trying to find some ware on the internet that provides showing information/standards for Muscovy Ducks. Have any of you got any ideas? Yesterday, my 4H leader just told me, that in the state of Colorado, I can show my ducks in my County but can't go to State

!!

 

[goosedragon]

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The standards aren't supposed to be available on the web they are copyright protected by the APA and they defend it as much as possible. You might search for Muscovy clubs or there used to be an active Heavy Duck Club. Another place to look is the UK waterfowl club or association. their standard mght be a bit different than the US but it is better than nothing. Sorry I know nothing about rules or laws in Colorado.

 

[MDC]

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Ducklings grow in a set of feathers and then will molt some of those about 12-14 weeks. Adults molt usually late in the fall.

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It's foamy eye, I wrote about it in another thread. Can be caused by illness or injury but in my experience the vast majority of cases occur in the winter when ducks aren't practicing good hygiene like they should. If the duck appears to be healthy otherwise, I would not worry about it.

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Yes, they can get frostbite. Usually, the more caruncling they have the greater the chances of frostbite. The drake outside might take more precaution to keep his head warm because he is subjected to more severe temperatures whereas the ducks inside might feel warm and not huddle down so much.


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What do you mean lost their oil glands? I wouldn't worry about bathing them yourself, I'd just provide enough water for them to get in like a rubber feed tub Try to keep their pen dry or at least an area where they can get dry, and provide bathing water every nice sunny day that you have and are able.

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The standard isn't posted anywhere online as far as I know because of copyrights, but I do have a few articles on my website about the standard and judging Muscovy for exhibitions. As far as being able to show them at state level, what was their excuse. I am not aware of any reason why a Muscovy can't be shown at any show that accepts other waterfowl.

http://www.muscovyduckcentral.com

There is a drop down box on the upper right hand side where you can find those articles.

 

[duckluck]

The standards aren't supposed to be available on the web they are copyright protected by the APA and they defend it as much as possible. You might search for Muscovy clubs or there used to be an active Heavy Duck Club. Another place to look is the UK waterfowl club or association. their standard mght be a bit different than the US but it is better than nothing. Sorry I know nothing about rules or laws in Colorado.

Well, I'd say that is unfortunate...why would that be? Why are they trying to avoid educating people? Is to only give the info to paying members or people who buy their books? Personally, that is one thing that is really making me sour on showing horses anymore after 18 years...this business of keeping the sport and info about it only in the hands of certain people, and making it difficult to come by the "right" information, especially for new people. That's something that creates bad relations and drives people away from a sport, not into it...it is estimated that of all people each year who become involved with horses, only 10% will last beyond the first year and only another 10% of those beyond that. Those are BAD statistics, people, and one I certainly hope that the powers-that-be will not bring into existence for the poultry fancy, because while there are a lot more people in poultry than there are in horses, and there are a lot more horses alive in the world today than there ever has been in history, there are also fewer people owning them than there ever has been before and the equestrian hobby is stil considered a "dying sport". If you don't have a mentor of some kind, as I did, it is a dog-eat-dog/buyer beware kind of environment. This forum is a good venue for the newbie to come by useful information, I would certainly hope that the fancy can take a leaf from this sort of book and not dissuade people away from standard-bred poultry by keeping a clique going on the proper information. People will always buy books no matter what is posted on the web; hard to carry a laptop around while perusing poultry at a show. Just my .02 worth.​

 

[goosedragon]

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Well, I'd say that is unfortunate...why would that be? Why are they trying to avoid educating people? Is to only give the info to paying members or people who buy their books? Personally, that is one thing that is really making me sour on showing horses anymore after 18 years...this business of keeping the sport and info about it only in the hands of certain people, and making it difficult to come by the "right" information, especially for new people. That's something that creates bad relations and drives people away from a sport, not into it...it is estimated that of all people each year who become involved with horses, only 10% will last beyond the first year and only another 10% of those beyond that. Those are BAD statistics, people, and one I certainly hope that the powers-that-be will not bring into existence for the poultry fancy, because while there are a lot more people in poultry than there are in horses, and there are a lot more horses alive in the world today than there ever has been in history, there are also fewer people owning them than there ever has been before and the equestrian hobby is stil considered a "dying sport". If you don't have a mentor of some kind, as I did, it is a dog-eat-dog/buyer beware kind of environment. This forum is a good venue for the newbie to come by useful information, I would certainly hope that the fancy can take a leaf from this sort of book and not dissuade people away from standard-bred poultry by keeping a clique going on the proper information. People will always buy books no matter what is posted on the web; hard to carry a laptop around while perusing poultry at a show. Just my .02 worth.

I suspect the book price makes them a few bucks, they will sell to anybody. There have been people telling them for years that they need to sell loose standards (2-30 pages per breed) but No only bound books are sold to cover all the chickens, all the Waterfowl, Turkeys and etc. They tend to be clanish (you should hear what they have to say about this board and the people who post here) they don't seem to realize that the number of Showpeople is going down while the number of backyard poultry owners are growing by leaps. Its like talking to a goose.

 

[Muscovy Man]

Thanks for all the answers guys

!! You guys are the best!!

Here is the answer Goosedragon to your question, I have seen them drop a few feathers all over my property, but don't ducks go into a huge molt sometime in the year?

Hi MDC, when you said What do you mean lost their oil glands? Here is the problem, so every time the get wet now, they are soaking wet and take a very long time to dry off. I am feeding them black oil sun flower seeds in their food now and it is slowly becoming better.

Finally it is your turn, duckluck. I really don't know and also what makes me mad is that, since I am raising these ducks for meat, I can't sell them at fair. You can only sell two types of poultry at my local fairgrounds, Turkeys and Chickens. So I am trying to start a bushiness called Delectable Ducks: Satisfying Your Ducky Desires and 10% of the profits will be going to our local animal organization. I am hoping the get the APA Standard of Perfection for Christmas, so thanks for the feedback.

 

[goosedragon]

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[MDC]

I will simply state that *I* feel there are a lot of disturbed individuals involved any time you combine an animal and a show ring. I personally do not feel the APA is the be and and end all; nor should it be. I respect its history and the fact that someone should be trying to encourage breed integrity, however, too often I see examples of an animal being bred towards a 'standard of perfection' that is simply not practical or purposeful other than 'because we can', and it is anything but perfection. I actually had a breeder tell me that they breed for extremes simply because they can. They will ruin far more practical, beneficial attributes of a breed simply to focus on something completely worthless in the grand scheme of things. (((A good example of breed integrity is the appearance of some of the Welsh I've seen floating around as 'purebreds'. When I had Welsh nearly all of my ducklings had almost indistinguishable characteristics; occasionally I would get a duck w/ an off colored bill, but that was the exception not the rule. I have seen photos of some ducklings here on the board that I wouldn't have guessed were Welsh.)))

Yes, usually in the fall of the year Muscovy will begin to molt, much later than mallard derivs, however. I wouldn't say that there is ever a huge pile of feathers being left behind but with most varieties molt is noticeable because they look really, really haggard before a molt and as the feathers grow in they start looking nice again!

Okay so your birds didn't 'lose their oil gland', Muscovy naturally do not have as much oil production as a mallard derivative and their feathers just get a lot nastier than mallard derivs and they molt quite a bit later than MDs do. My birds have all completed their molt at this point. I had one late molt duck and that was because she had a late hatch clutch of ducklings. Even she is finished now. I am not sure where you live but I am surprised that the birds haven't molted. The environment they're living in also affects their appearance. If they're kept in dirty, muddy pens or do not have access to fresh water on a regular basis they just probably won't ever get that squeaky clean look. While the location in which I live does not usually get enough rain to keep a nice green carpet of plants in my pens, I do not allow mud holes as a general rule except in cases of large amounts of rain, so my birds can usually bounce back and get back to looking nice if they've been subjected to muddy conditions.

 

[NYREDS]

The APA doesn't give the Standard information away for the same reason people who publish other books don't give their stories or information away. The material has value. There are costs associated with producing the Standards & with maintaining the organization & the activities they support. Probably just evidence of my limitations but I have a hard time understanding why people think this information should be given away free.
If you're interested in showing you need to have an understanding of the breed characteristics in order to have any chance of being successful & the only way I know of to develope this understanding is to study the Standard. If there are other poultry people in your 4H group suggest to your leader that the club buy a copy that can be shared.

 

[jazzyfizzle]

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I can't tell you how much this just breaks my heart.

Is there not anything, or anywhere, that people do not act like this? I wondered why there seemed to be few answers to direct genetic type questions. I am eternally, being newly disgusted with human beings.



what a shame