Duck thinks it's a Chicken ~ Won't go in the water ! What do I do ?

[nikki_r5]

One day this Muscovy Duck (female, I think) had been pacing back & forth in the old orchard behind my chicken pens trying to get in.
I could see that it's wings were clipped ~ honestly, they'd been cut so bad you could tell the blood feathers had been cut.
Though it had been some time since, it appeared to be "ok", but I wanted to look at her wings !
My husband lured her thru the fence w/ food. We guided her into the pen where I had just the one chicken Molly.

I had put a wading pool in there. The next day she let me pick her up, I put her in the pool & she got right out ! Later, that day I tried it again but I held her & let her float. I took my hands away & again she got right out !

Now, it's been a week- Molly has died, Duck won't leave the spot where they sat together and she still won't get in the pool !
I think she was either raised with chickens or had no access to water or other ducks . . .
(I don't have any other ducks to teach either !)

 

[austrolover1]

I am a chicken owner who knows very little about ducks in general. But I am pretty sure that ducks don't have to have water; they just enjoy it a lot! Well... most ducks do.

 

[chickens really]

Muscovy ducks do not really like water to swim in...

Cheers!

 

[mrchicks]

We have 4 muscovies. Three love the water, they splash and play for hours in their pond. The fourth one is called Stinky, she stands on the edge and watches.

 

[Weehopper]

Don't ducks need water in order to eat? I know nothing about ducks, other than they are flock birds. Sounds like yours is lonely. You might consider getting another duck.

 

[Adalida]

My Muscovy isn't much of a swimmer either. She will hang out by the pool when the others are in it, but it's rare that she gets in, and she only gets in for a few minutes, unlike the other ducks who will stay in until they splash all the water out.

 

[mrchicks]

Don't ducks need water in order to eat? I know nothing about ducks, other than they are flock birds. Sounds like yours is lonely. You might consider getting another duck.

Yes they do. But they just need to be able to get their head under. Swimming is optional. All of our flock except for Stinky spend as much time in the water as out. They are clean and beautiful. Stinky on the other hand, she gets tossed into the big pond every few days just to make her get wet and clean off. She hates me for the rest of the day after her bath.