BREEDING FOR PRODUCTION...EGGS AND OR MEAT.

[misfitmorgan]

I never realized just how large ducks could get. Sounds like the Muscovy is worth keeping for meat purposes since you wouldn't have to butcher as many to get a decent amount of meat.

They are definately nice for stocking your freezer. The young 5-6 month old scovie we ate most recently fed 3 adults 2 kids and we had left overs so not ad at all. If you have ever heard the term barbary duck that specifically means a muscovie...in fact if you google the term barbary duck...all that comes up is muscovies. They are a true Barbary duck as in their non-mallard and the only non-mallard domesticated ducks we have. FYI their also capable of full flight and long distances...like going south for winter and returning in the spring lol.

 

[LindaB220]

Has anyone raised Corn X along side Red ranger and compared food intake, growth, final size and dressed weight/appearance/meat ratio? My friend holli got corn X and red ranger to raise side by side the same age, they will be butchered at the same time...but she keeps them in the same pen so we can guage food intake. So far they are a month old and the red rangers are the same size as the corn X. We really dislike the corn X and wouldnt even have any of our own this year if we didnt get them when we bought chick feed...we are wanting to get red rangers next year assuming these ones dress out nicely and take a similar grow out time. So far we just use our culls and extra roosters we hatch to fill the freezer. Between them, the ducks, and the rabbits we dont lack in the meat department.

That's interesting. The problem with CX's is you have to keep the feed separately. They love to go out and wander the fields and eat. But you must start this at a couple of weeks old. Let them out and throw down some oats or wheat and let them graze until time to put them up . Then 1/2 cup each will do them. Keep them penned the last couple of weeks to tenderize the leg portions. It may take 9 or 10 weeks to get to. Size, but you have raised happy, healthy birds.

 

[misfitmorgan]

That's interesting. The problem with CX's is you have to keep the feed separately. They love to go out and wander the fields and eat. But you must start this at a couple of weeks old. Let them out and throw down some oats or wheat and let them graze until time to put them up . Then 1/2 cup each will do them. Keep them penned the last couple of weeks to tenderize the leg portions. It may take 9 or 10 weeks to get to. Size, but you have raised happy, healthy birds.

We are not really in a rush we have them on a low protein actually to try to slow down their growth for our own chickens, they are getting 16% protein and then scratch grains...what they dont eat the big chickens do. When they get old enough they will have their choice of free ranging or not...atm the new farm we are moving to has a lot of resident smaller prey birds for some reason so until their bigger they are in a building or a pen. They were in the house until about 4-5 days ago and they ran all over the house "free ranging" so hopefully thats a good sign for slower growth. We really prefer our chickens being active instead of just laying by the food so we are happy so far with the meaties.

 

[JRNash]

That is exactly what Im hoping for Bramblefir. Everything will be fenced AND electrified. There will be 11geese and an assortment of chickens. Accidents do happen though.

 

[ronott1]

We are not really in a rush we have them on a low protein actually to try to slow down their growth for our own chickens, they are getting 16% protein and then scratch grains...what they dont eat the big chickens do. When they get old enough they will have their choice of free ranging or not...atm the new farm we are moving to has a lot of resident smaller prey birds for some reason so until their bigger they are in a building or a pen. They were in the house until about 4-5 days ago and they ran all over the house "free ranging" so hopefully thats a good sign for slower growth. We really prefer our chickens being active instead of just laying by the food so we are happy so far with the meaties.

broilers need the protein, so it sounds like they are in a nutritional deficit.

Why not feed them flock raiser and encourage them to free range?

Going back to comparing the ranger with the broiler, The broiler should be bigger at 6 weeks than the ranger at 14 weeks. The breast on the broiler will be three times or so bigger. The ranger will have bigger drums and thighs. I have seen pictures of this.

 

[gjensen]

I am not an expert on Muscovy. I know more about them in a wild setting than I do domesticated.

They are in fact water ducks. They do roost in trees, and can and do much of their grazing in open clearings and fields. They are non migratory birds.

Barbary duck became a term that is more related to the carcass of a Muscovy duck, or a dressed Muscovy.

Now a couple questions about domesticated birds. Are the heavier strains as prone to fly? Wild Muscovies rarely get over 8-9lbs. A friend of mine's Muscovies here are in the 15lb range. Can clipping the wings (or a wing) prevent or curtail their inclination to fly?

 

[misfitmorgan]

The cornish x are not deficient as far as we can tell they leave feed in their feeder tray, the 16% protein we are feeding is a flock raiser. We have layer mash for hens, chick starter for chicks, fryer ration and mash for ducks, wild game feed for pheasants, and everyone gets scratch grains and shell corn as well as free choice oyster. Is there something else we should be feeding?

 

[misfitmorgan]

Muscovy are tree ducks, that is their classification as opposed to a water duck...that does not mean they dont like water, they love it....it is distinction between domestic flight birds and flightless like rouen and pekin.

Muscovy will in fact migrate if they think their home is unfit. They are documented muscovy that migrate from mexico to florida as well as many cases of people with 100s of muscovy who go to feed their one morning and say 150 are gone...the next spring their back.

Yes the term barbary duck refers to the carcass but only the carcass of a muscovy which is why I mentioned it.

No the large ones still love to fly and do it well. The 20+ lb drake will fly from the ground to the top of a 50ft tree effortlessly. French white muscovy are the largest muscovy, they were specifically breed for meat production in captivity and eatten back into victorian times.

We have tried clipping wings or a wing, they still want to fly and will test their wings many times daily to see if they can get off the ground. As soon as they can, they are flying again...so you would have to clip over and over.

 

[ronott1]

The cornish x are not deficient as far as we can tell they leave feed in their feeder tray, the 16% protein we are feeding is a flock raiser. We have layer mash for hens, chick starter for chicks, fryer ration and mash for ducks, wild game feed for pheasants, and everyone gets scratch grains and shell corn as well as free choice oyster. Is there something else we should be feeding?

I think your feed is fine. For production, feed conversion and getting the most growth for the money spent, levels of proteins in the formulation makes a difference. For the broilers, a ration that looks like the middle column should be best:




Some discussion from the study:

 

[hellbender]

@hellbender I don't know if I missed it or not but why are you after white Muscovy ducks instead of let's say Pekins or Rouens? They are both very good for meat.

misfitmorgan answered the questions as well as anyone could!

@misfitmorgan Thanks but I would never opt to buy or even receive free eggs to hatch. Too much left to the caprice of the USPS.