And One Lonely Muscovy...

[sourland]

I'll differ and say that I think she is a hen. As has been stated mallard derived and muscovies do not speak the same language. She would be happier with another Muscovy for company. I agree that you have too many drakes. Multiple drakes breeding the same hen in water can result in her inadvertently being drowned.

 

[JacobAndDevorah]

Definitely good to know about getting some of those drakes out of there. We had a chicken situation a couple of months ago...three really aggressive roosters. We ended up eating them, which was upsetting to our kids, but they were so aggressive that four of our hens were losing all of their feathers and looking like skeletons. Once those three roosters were gone the hens grew feathers back in a couple of weeks and everyone seems happy. We have a rooster still, but he is kind to the hens and only chases our dogs when they come near the fence. Which is fine. He is doing his job!

Anyway, I had wondered about there being so many drakes and was watching it, but the hens don’t seem upset, but then again, what does an upset duck look like? I think we should just take care of the situation before it becomes more serious.

There are two female muscovies for sale in our area. Maybe we will get them. And we will definitely do something about the drake ratio. We are new to this, but we don’t want our birds to suffer too much while we learn.

 

[Miss Lydia]

I’d def get those Muscovy females if you intend to keep the Muscovy you already have whether female or drake?

 

[thumper650]

Since you ate some Roos, maybe there will be roast duck for Christmas dinner.

I could never slaughter and eat my birds, not only because I was given them under the pretense of keeping them as pets, but I'm a wimp.

I admire those that can do it though.

 

[chickens really]

Hello. That will be awesome if you get rid of the Drakes and keep one back if breeding is in your future plans? Definitely go pick up the two female Muscovy so the one Drake/Hen has company. Once breeding season hits you will have lots of problems with so many Drakes and the high hormones raging..
Best wishes..

 

[Going Quackers]

Unless raised as ducklings together then i find they keep to their own kind. That said Muscovy and mallard derived breeds can communicate just not probably as well as their own kind would.

On a couple of occasions I've had Muscovy either raise a mallard derived bird(in that case the result was the duck ran with scovies despite being a pekin) and Muscovy raised with mallard derived and eventually breed with the ducks and have mules.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Did you get the Muscovy females? @JacobAndDevorah

 

[momma2many1974]

View attachment 1621128 View attachment 1621127 View attachment 1621126 View attachment 1621125 View attachment 1621125 To answer some of the questions:

1) We are pretty confident she is a female, but we are fairly new to this, so if someone looks at the pics and says otherwise, please let us know! This would also help us in determining if we should take on a couple of females, or a drake...

2) She came into the flock (gaggle?) with two Ancona females. They are younger than the rest of the birds, and it seems that the two she came with are lower in the pecking order, but still have been taken into the group, while the Muscovy never was part of anyone. Even when she came to us as a duckling, the two Anconas she came with we’re together, but she seemed off on her own.

3) We got all of our birds as babies and without knowing their genders. And we got pretty unlucky with the ducks (much more lucky with our chickens). So we have 15 ducks. 10 are drakes, and they are pretty...um...busy guys, if you know what I mean. Counting out Lonely Muscovy, who we believe is a female, we have five hens and the boys are interested in all of them except for the Lonely Muscovy, who they completely ignore.

4) I attached some pics showing how they all run together without her. She is always the one to the right kind of all by her lonesome. In the one with the pool they are drinking from the pool and she is drinking from a little puddle to the right. She seems so lonely. It makes us sad. When she does try to approach them they all run away. The chickens are usually around her, although she is clearly not one of them, either.

Thanks so much for responding. We want to figure out how to help her...or him? Getting your advice is really wonderful.

View attachment 1621128 View attachment 1621127 View attachment 1621126 View attachment 1621125 View attachment 1621125 To answer some of the questions:

1) We are pretty confident she is a female, but we are fairly new to this, so if someone looks at the pics and says otherwise, please let us know! This would also help us in determining if we should take on a couple of females, or a drake...

2) She came into the flock (gaggle?) with two Ancona females. They are younger than the rest of the birds, and it seems that the two she came with are lower in the pecking order, but still have been taken into the group, while the Muscovy never was part of anyone. Even when she came to us as a duckling, the two Anconas she came with we’re together, but she seemed off on her own.

3) We got all of our birds as babies and without knowing their genders. And we got pretty unlucky with the ducks (much more lucky with our chickens). So we have 15 ducks. 10 are drakes, and they are pretty...um...busy guys, if you know what I mean. Counting out Lonely Muscovy, who we believe is a female, we have five hens and the boys are interested in all of them except for the Lonely Muscovy, who they completely ignore.

4) I attached some pics showing how they all run together without her. She is always the one to the right kind of all by her lonesome. In the one with the pool they are drinking from the pool and she is drinking from a little puddle to the right. She seems so lonely. It makes us sad. When she does try to approach them they all run away. The chickens are usually around her, although she is clearly not one of them, either.

Thanks so much for responding. We want to figure out how to help her...or him? Getting your advice is really wonderful.

My female is the Queen. She rules them all! Does she chirp or make a hissing sound? Chirp=female hiss=Drake.