Duck Breed Focus - Muscovy

[klemele]

There is a good possibility that they will hatch but the ducklings will result in "Mule Ducks" which means that they cant reproduce, it happens when you breed Muscovy ducks with other breeds. So if the eggs hatch beware that you cant breed them as a result. Keep us posted with the eggs!!!

 

[Alex1010]

She sat today, 11 duck eggs and 5 turkeys. In a week I'll add 4 chicken eggs

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

Okay, I have a question. I have gotten a Male Muscovy and is it normal for them to get to the size of a 4 foot wingspan and up to 13lbs? He also started to mate with her the second day with us and still don't know if they are still mating to this day? How long should I wait to see if they have fertile eggs? And I hear Muscovies are very good birds when it comes to being broody, do you think she would be broody or I would have to do incubation??

Males are much larger! My average weight for a hen is 5-6 pounds. Most hens will go broody with a good sized clutch, that can be 8 or 20! I prefer letting ducks brood. Muscovy eggs are a little harder to incubate than our mallard derived species like pekin, rouen etc..

I have 2 female muscovy and 1 crested male - the females laid eggs - like 20 of them - the girls take turns sitting on them. I have heard that they probably wont hatch - please advise so I know what to do with the eggs

If they do hatch, they will be a "mule" since Muscovy are more a cousin to the duck breed, not a true mallard derived species. Just like breeding a donkey to a horse, the resulting Mule hybrid is infertile. It really depends on your intention for the ducklings. They will lay eggs, but those eggs won't hatch. Some folks use the offspring as a table bird.

 

[Alex1010]

Hey guys my female started sitting today and I noticed one of her eyes were closed and watery?!! Anybody seen this before

 

[mom of silkies]

There is a good possibility that they will hatch but the ducklings will result in "Mule Ducks" which means that they cant reproduce, it happens when you breed Muscovy ducks with other breeds. So if the eggs hatch beware that you cant breed them as a result. Keep us posted with the eggs!!!

Oh really? I didn't know that, that's very interesting. Does it matter what you cross them with or is it no matter what when you crossbredd with muscovies the offspring won't be able to reproduce?

 

[klemele]

I am pretty sure it doesn't matter what breed, but they will produce the offspring which won't reproduce. So if you breed them in hey would need to be pets or meat birds. I know someone who bred a Muscocy with a different breed and were normal ducks without the reproduction.

 

[hellbender]

One would likely come nearer successfully crossing a Muscovy Duck with a small breed of Goose. I may try that some day when we get everything in order.

This year we are bringing in White Muscovies that have been specifically bread for meat production. We have to drive to Pennsylvania for them but should be worth it.

 

[anniemg89]

Just a few questions. I'm new to duck ownership and definitely new to Muscovies. I've never even heard of them until I got 3 of them. All of my ducks are about 10-11 weeks old. (Approx)
1) can I leave them out at night? I live in western NH and have a 5 foot fence around their area. It gets about 35-40 degrees here at night, and for now they go to bed by themselves when the sun goes down. I have their heat lamp in there that goes on around 7:30/8pm. I would love to be able to keep the door open to their house to let them free range at night too, but I'm not sure if that's ok. I also have 4 khaki Campbell's.
2) when will I know who is male and who is female? And when will they start mating? I plan on letting the mama incubate the eggs herself when it's time, but having an approx time when they start mating would be wonderful. Given i have a female at all.
3) will they breed with my khakis? My scovies are all white with black patches on their head. I think if they bred with my khakis it would be a beautiful combo!

 

[tmorgan46]

Just a few questions. I'm new to duck ownership and definitely new to Muscovies. I've never even heard of them until I got 3 of them. All of my ducks are about 10-11 weeks old. (Approx)
1) can I leave them out at night? I live in western NH and have a 5 foot fence around their area. It gets about 35-40 degrees here at night, and for now they go to bed by themselves when the sun goes down. I have their heat lamp in there that goes on around 7:30/8pm. I would love to be able to keep the door open to their house to let them free range at night too, but I'm not sure if that's ok. I also have 4 khaki Campbell's.
2) when will I know who is male and who is female? And when will they start mating? I plan on letting the mama incubate the eggs herself when it's time, but having an approx time when they start mating would be wonderful. Given i have a female at all.
3) will they breed with my khakis? My scovies are all white with black patches on their head. I think if they bred with my khakis it would be a beautiful combo!

Your pen sounds like it does a good job but not sure of what type of predators live in your area. We lost a drake this past December after being left out at night. Wrong time to realize you have fox in the area. On that alone, I would provide shelter for them at night. Muscovy also are originally a tropical bird; they do okay in the cold but they are not winter hearty like other types of water fowl. You should be able to tell between the ducks and the drakes now. Females stay small, with smaller legs and feet. And their voices should also be developed in the next few weeks that will give you a clue as well. Soft whispery twills are the girls and soft quite hisses are the drakes. If you have drakes, they'll breed with just about anything. You'll want to keep a 3:1 or 4:1 ratio to be on the safe side for your girls. The higher female to male ratio the better for them. They'll potentially over-breed otherwise. They'll probably breed the Khakis but more than likely the offspring will be like a mule and unable to reproduce. Hope this helps and answers your questions.

 

[anniemg89]

Your pen sounds like it does a good job but not sure of what type of predators live in your area.  We lost a drake this past December after being left out at night.  Wrong time to realize you have fox in the area.  On that alone, I would provide shelter for them at night.  Muscovy also are originally a tropical bird; they do okay in the cold but they are not winter hearty like other types of water fowl.  You should be able to tell between the ducks and the drakes now.  Females stay small, with smaller legs and feet.  And their voices should also be developed in the next few weeks that will give you a clue as well.  Soft whispery twills are the girls and soft quite hisses are the drakes. If you have drakes, they'll breed with just about anything.  You'll want to keep a 3:1 or 4:1 ratio to be on the safe side for your girls.  The higher female to male ratio the better for them.  They'll potentially over-breed otherwise.  They'll probably breed the Khakis but more than likely the offspring will be like a mule and unable to reproduce.  Hope this helps and answers your questions.  

I think I have all drakes :-/ based off of what you told me. Bummer! Thanks for the info. definitely helps! And answered all of my questions