DEMENTED MUSCOVY DRAKE ATTACKING FROM BEHIND!

[RebinNH]

My seriously disturbed muscovy drake surprised me yesterday. He followed me pecking my feet and legs but not viciously like he generally does. I picked him up but could not put him in time out in the dogcrate on my patio as it has rat traps set in it [5 rats caught in 3 days -- but that's another story.] So I sat down on a cinder block with him on my lap. He didn't struggle; didn't peck or fight, and seemed to enjoy being petted. After 5 minutes, I wasn't comfortable, so I stood up and took him over to my back steps where he stood next to me as I sat, and clearly enjoyed having his carruncles stroked. I was talking to him an stroking him -- underneath and his chest, I didn't try stroking his back. We had a lovely close time for upwards of 20 minutes. Later in the day, he took himself into the kiddie pool where he hasn't gone all year except when I have thrown him in, and then he got straight out. He spent a few moments standing in the water, got out, and when he realised it hadn't hurt him, turned round and got back in for a big splashy bath. MMmmm, Why? I don't know, but today he is back to his aggressive self and didn't enjoy being stroked!!

Wow! That is what I am intuiting about muscovy drakes. I think some are totally wacky. Just way to hormonally challenged. I really feel a bit sorry for them, as I wonder if they are feeling the effects of some kind of breeding error. Is there such a thing with ducks?

When I took my drake to the farm yesterday he was on his best behavior and was clearly a bit overwhelmed by all of the animals but SO curious! There is definitely a lot going on in that little brain. I hope he did alright over night and is settling in. The rescue host has not had ducks so we spent a lot of time talking and sharing info. He did have a moment where he decided to take off and flew about 1500 feet down her sloped driveway from where he had waddled all the way up to the barn to see where he would be sleeping. She had set up a nice cozy bed, food and water in a small stall with a blind chicken. He also flew up to the wall that separated that stall from the donkey stall next door. He was showing us just how adept he was until he flew into a pole partitioned off front door of tht stall that for some reason he thought he could fly through and then he basically fell down to the floor, where we had to retrieve him. Hopefully he doesn't do that again, especially if no one is there to rescue him. I do see how ducks have no depth perception.

 

[RebinNH]

My Muscovy names are Ruth, Faith, Hope and Joy and Dolly I’ve had Alice,Lavern and Shirley,and Emmie.

Great names. I'm thinking of Fern and Luna but still considering. I like Dolly a lot too. The ll names like Molly and Sally are favs as well. When I did dog training the teacher used to say that the best recall names for dogs start with a hard consonant as they are easier to hear from a distance. Wonder if that is true for ducks. I just call them all with duck,duck,duck,duckie,duckie. The later (duckie...) gets more high pitched.

Jupiter and they got to look at each other through the porch door window and stared for at least 10 minutes when I decided he (and I ) had enough. He perked up after and took a splashy bath.
Meanwhile the two girls laid an egg last night! They seem somewhat traumatized and totally muddy and have not touched the food and I'm concerned water and yet one laid an egg! I'm in awe. Should I take the egg out and them out into the yard and put them in the kiddie pool or a large basin and see if they'll wash or do you think I should leave them alone in their area on the porch until they do something...like eat? These are ducks that grew up in a pen with multiple breed ducks and had a mud floor (I didn't see any green). Don't even know what they ate but the farmer was raising them for eggs. Their poop is avocado, yellow and white in color and runny until one of them has done a more solid looking pile (in pic, sorry about that - as I know all of you see plenty of poop!).

 

[Miss Lydia]

Hopefully they will eat soon. Do you have any mealworms? you could offer some on the floor in front of their bowl then mix some into their feed bowl to see if that will get them going on feed. Or some shredded lettuce in their water bowl. Just be sure they have access to grit until they are outside where they can get their own.
They probably would love a bath if you can let them have one where they won't be tempted to fly off. In other words, until they know they are home it wouldn't be a good idea to just let them out unless they are going to be in a covered run.

 

[RebinNH]

Ok. Gotcha. I did try some mealy worms (probably right as you were suggesting it!) and they went for them. Then put a larger basin with water in there with some floating Mazuri and again they went for that. Didn't eat it all but a fair amount. My drakes have always liked the organic grower feed but these two seem not to know it is food. I'll try putting the mealy worms on top. The sun coming out seemed to perk them up. I will try having a bathing basin out on my deck, which is what the porch door exits on. I don't even need to pick them up (yet) and will let them walk out.
The vet just said I can bring some poop and she'll test it. Once I know if they are alright I can begin to introduce my lonely, curious drake.

 

[Miss Lydia]

I bet they will love him and he them. Be sure to get some pics of them enjoying their bath.

 

[RebinNH]

I was too busy hosing them off while they soaked and wing beat the water with all their might, to snap a picture! They loved the large dish basin (my drakes always loved it to) and although they almost did not fit in together, did so at times and other times took turns. The thing that got them in was the kale. Once they started to gobble that, they just took the plunge. They were totally delighted and it went a long way to them beginning to trust me. I have my doubts that they have EVER cleaned off in a tub, though one has significantly better feathers and came up almost white (as she should). The other still looks pretty dingy (after over an hour of washing and preening) and her feather quality worries me a bit. Even her carunckles are not good color. She is smaller and I'll bet she was picked on a lot. Maybe didn't get the nutrition she needed. At least she doesn't stink anymore and she seems so much calmer. They both crashed all snuggled together even before I turned off the porch light after tucking in Jupiter in his coop.

 

[Miss Lydia]

They sure probably think they have made it to heaven compared to where they were.

It may take some time to get those feathers clean but they will. The more they bathe the more they will preen and get those feathers oiled up good.

 

[RebinNH]

I watched the muddy one and she seems not to reach back far enough to actually hit her oil gland. Have you seen this before?

 

[Miss Lydia]

Can't say that I have I mean it could happen here but I haven't noticed it with having more than 3. When I had 3 solid white ones for some reason at the end of summer they would have wet feather whereas the others wouldn't. This would be about a month before molt. Then they would molt and their new feathers would be beautiful. Always only happened with my solid white ones with blue eyes. She may just need more practice since it doesn't sound like they had much in the way of bathing water where they were.

 

[RebinNH]

RIGHT, THAT MAKES SENSE. ONE OF THE THINGS I LIKE SO MUCH ABOUT MUSCOVY (HAVEN'T HAD OTHERS SO I DON'T KNOW) IS HOW CLEAN THEY LIKE TO KEEP THEMSELVES. THEY LOVE THAT WING BEATING BATH!
Ooops, sorry about the caps. Didn't know it was on. I think I should not even introduce the kiddie pool, as they have most likely never been in water (as you say) and it may be a bit too big and too intimidating. Especially with the one whose feathers are not well oiled.
I was also wondering now that I have females and they will lay eggs, do I need to change out the food for them but if I do will the drake do as well? I use organic feed with 16% protein (Scratch and Peck grower) but do I need to get layer feed, oyster shell, and grit? I ran out of grit and because my drakes roam on grass, didn't feel I needed to get more. Also I was reading about the whole egg production thing and boy! it seems like a lot can go wrong! The egg one of them laid yesterday was pretty small. More like a chicken medium/large (depending on whose selling) than a duck egg.