EEEK...It's DUCKS

[setter4]

I'm just updating this to say that the duckies went to their new home today...
Thank heaven the ducks are gone!!! lol I took them up to a friends about 3:30 and he took them right up to his barn. His wife was on her way home with 2 Rouen ducks they are adopting from a wildlife rescue so the heat lamp was on in the barn and everything was ready. I'm glad they are gone, they were really cute and would probably be easy to get attached to but OMG do they POOP a LOT! lol



I think I am going to need HELP!
We got a call about a duck at the local PSU campus who seemed to be injured. It appears that someone dropped 2 of them off back around the beginning of Sept. 1 of them seems to be doing ok but this one appears to be at least slightly injured and just doesn't seem to be adapting well to the outdoor life. There are lots of ducks at the campus and they get fed well but this little one is just not doing great.
Tonight my DH, his daughter and ex-wife managed to get her but not her "friend". Our daughter goes to school at the campus and her Mom works there so they have been watching this duck since it got cold. We may have the other one by morning.
I haven't really checked her over closely yet. I thought I'd let her settle for the night. She is in a dog crate in the basement bathroom. lol
I have no duck experience at all. What is she???Is she a she? A Call of some kind?
I gave her water and some food. She doesn't have to have a place to swim right a way does she? They said the almost never saw her in the water.
I think we are going to need to find a place for her where she has some shelter from the cold weather.
Anyone near Altoona Pa. need a dick or 2? She (?) is cute

 

[Smartie_Pants]

That is a muscovy, and yes I'm pretty sure its a duck. Drakes get a curled feather at the base of the tail and have a much redder face. She does not need a place to swim right away, but it looks like she needs a deeper waterer. Ducks HAVE to be able to dunk their heads in so that the water completly covers their beak. They have to use the water to flush out their nostrils and beak. Make SURE you do not feed her any kind of medicated chick or chicken food. A gamebird or waterfowl feed should be used.

 

[Cara]

From the pic she looks like a Muscovy.

 

[setter4]

Quote:
Shouldn't it be BIGGER?? i thought Muscovy were BIG ducks. Jeez, goes to show what I know...huh! Thanks Guys!
How old> They said she has been around for about 3 months but looked very young when she first showed up.

 

[Smartie_Pants]

Muscovy's BECOME big ducks as they grow. She is pretty big for her age. They fully feather at about 1 month, so I would say she is probably 4 months old. There is a possibility of her being a mix, which could make her a litte smaller, but most likely her size is just due to her age and poor nutrition. Muscovys need their feed to have a higher percentage of protein that most ducks get, and that attributes to her size. So if she didn't get that, it could have hampered her.

 

[shelleyd2008]

It depends on the breeding. The ducks don't get as big as the drakes.

Muscovies do not go in water that much. Their oil glands are not as developed as other ducks. She would be fine with a dish pan or something to wash off in. Use a gallon jug with a hole cut in the side as a waterer. She won't make a huge mess, and she'll be able to wash her face off.

 

[DuckLady]

Muscovies are different in that the best way to tell the sex is by size. Since you have only one, look at the feet. If they seem outsize compared to the rest of the body, rather like a teenage boy, then it is likely a male. Muscovies don't get a curled drake feather like the mallard derived breeds.

From what I can see it looks like a young female. Muscovies peep for a long time, longer then mallard derived ducks.

Females will start "twirtling" when they get past the peeping stage while the drakes will talk in breathy hisses.

If you get the buddy, you will be able to tell right away if they are different sexes. Males will end up 2 to 3 times the size of the ducks.

They are very friendly, intelligent and personable ducks. Start making friends and they will make great pets!

Congrats!

 

[Smartie_Pants]

Quote:
Oh, I didn't know that. I stand corrected. You learn something new everyday!

 

[Wildsky]

Aww very cute. I have a bunch of teenage muscovy's - the girls are smaller than my BIG rooster - in body size, they're longer than the roo, but the body is smaller.

 

[setter4]

Quote:
NO NO NO...musn't get attached to duck...duck must go to OTHER HOME! lol DH is threatening to take her to the local Chinese restaurant! lol
I am waiting to see if we will have just one or if the other one shows up too, then I will start looking for a home for them.