Can muscovy drakes fly?

[Buxton Ducks]

I have 5 Muscovy hens and 1 drake (Boris). All of them are 1-2 years old. I am very new to scovies and I am in love with them! The issue I am having is the hens love to hang out on my roof and poor Boris has zero flying ability. He paces back and forth on the deck until his girls return to him. I was curious whether no drakes can fly? He is bigger than my largest mallard-type duck (even my jumbo pekin boy). The girls are so agile and it is awesome to watch the wing about. Boris gets extra angry when my mallard drake joins the girls on the roof!

 

[Going Quackers]

Most mature drakes? no, the sizing of them makes the agility poor. I do have one guy who is a few years old and he can *just* scoot up to the 4ft fence but some days he cannot seem to pull even that off lol

So anyways, poor Boris is stuck.

and the mallard drake is dead clever

 

[casportpony]

I had one get spooked and that sucker flew across our property and into the windshield of an oncoming car, but he's the only drake I have ever seen fly more than a few feet.

-Kathy

 

[Buxton Ducks]

Okay so Boris is just a normal boy then! My mallard drake is the first to jump off the roof and go hiding by Boris when a hawk comes by. I guess it's good that they don't hold grudges...

 

[Miss Lydia]

Before my Muscovy drake came to live with me he lived at the river along with 2 other drakes, they were lean and could fly quite well. I use to enjoy seeing them come around the bend flying above the river then land on the water, but my guys are too heavy to get off the ground. Especially after the age of 2 yrs.

 

[casportpony]

Before my Muscovy drake came to live with me he lived at the river along with 2 other drakes, they were lean and could fly quite well. I use to enjoy seeing them come around the bend flying above the river then land on the water, but my guys are too heavy to get off the ground. Especially after the age of 2 yrs.

My Kenny used to fly 50 yards, but that's when he was only 10 pounds, haven't seen him even try in years, lol.

-Kathy

 

[Miss Lydia]

My Kenny used to fly 50 yards, but that's when he was only 10 pounds, haven't seen him even try in years, lol.

-Kathy

lol, Yep mine like to eat too well, although till around age 2 I do clip one wing to keep them grounded after then they are too bulky to fly. I haven't seen any of mine go far but getting them down off the top of their house isn't much fun so I put a stop to that. Especially in the winter when the hoses are frozen and I can't blast them with water.

 

[Going Quackers]

Okay so Boris is just a normal boy then! My mallard drake is the first to jump off the roof and go hiding by Boris when a hawk comes by. I guess it's good that they don't hold grudges...

Pretty much. I think in some ways this is good, my females will use their flight as a get lost option to the boys and fly up out of the way if they are not interested in being "bothered" .

 

[scottgun]

Domesticated males can get up to 14 lbs and when they get that big they don't take to the air very well or often. Around the pond by my office, there are quite a few drakes in the 10-12 lb range and they will regularly fly around the property, in short bursts, usually 50-100 meters. At that size, they are still agile enough to give chase to females. Mating seems to be their only reason to fly.

It's kind of ironic that when these guys grow beyond a certain point, they probably loose their edge for mating. They still put on quite a show, though, head bobs and tail wagging that the ladies still seem to find impressive. As often as I've seen the drakes chasing the hens, I've often seen the hens displaying favor and attraction to their favorite drake.

I've seen the drakes fight before too. These contests usually occur out in the water and can get quite violent. While the smaller drakes have the ability to fly away, the larger ones can stand their ground and this seems to be most important.

 

[Going Quackers]

Domesticated males can get up to 14 lbs and when they get that big they don't take to the air very well or often. Around the pond by my office, there are quite a few drakes in the 10-12 lb range and they will regularly fly around the property, in short bursts, usually 50-100 meters. At that size, they are still agile enough to give chase to females. Mating seems to be their only reason to fly.

It's kind of ironic that when these guys grow beyond a certain point, they probably loose their edge for mating. They still put on quite a show, though, head bobs and tail wagging that the ladies still seem to find impressive. As often as I've seen the drakes chasing the hens, I've often seen the hens displaying favor and attraction to their favorite drake.

I've seen the drakes fight before too. These contests usually occur out in the water and can get quite violent. While the smaller drakes have the ability to fly away, the larger ones can stand their ground and this seems to be most important.

I have a pretty good sized flock and a few drakes within it, so i do see how the dynamics change as they age and grow. The fights can be quite dramatic i am in a valley, you can hear the wing bashing when two drakes of good size go at it.

The things you watch outside your office are displayed here in my flock, instincts run strong in this breed, they have quite the vocals and physical displays more than most realize, they often get boxed in as being mute, large, lazy ducks that sit about.. far from it.