first timer

[Daniellej51113]

I recently got 2 muscovys I have never owned a chicken or duck so it's all new to me. I have so many questions. Can't tell if they are male or female??? What do they like to eat other than bugs and duck food... and any other info you could give me that u think I might need to know. 

 

[Alexandra33]

Hi! Welcome to the exciting world of owning ducks!

First off, you can tell a duck's gender a couple ways: the voice and tail feathers. Adult drakes will have tail feathers that curl up, as you can see in this picture of my Mallard drake, Marshall.

But even before they fully mature, drakes (males) will have noticeably different different voices as opposed to ducks; it will be raspy and hoarse-sounding, almost as if he has a case of laryngitis. Sometimes you can even tell when they are ducklings, but not always. Ducks (females) emit shrill, piercing squeaks as ducklings, and loud, clear quacks as adults.

It sounds as though your Muscovies have a good diet. As far as treats go, the universal go-to duck treat is peas, although you shouldn't give them whole peas when they are tiny, as they are a choking hazard. Chopping them or blending them is a good option, but once they are old enough, they LOVE whole peas. I always get organic frozen peas and thaw them before I hand them out. Other good treats are corn kernels and cheerios.

I'm by no means an expert, but I would be happy to try and answer any questions that you might have. Some very knowledgeable duck owners are Amiga and Miss Lydia, and I definitely respect their experience. Enjoy your babies! Ducklings grow up way too fast.

-Alexandra33

 

[needlessjunk]

Muscovies are not like most duck breeds and cannot be sexed in the same way. You will have to go off of size. @Miss Lydia would be able to tell you more. Welcome have you seen this link? https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/750869/raising-and-caring-for-ducklings#post_10611711 Ducks need more niacin than chicks and you can add Brewers/nutritonal yeast to their food to prevent leg problems.

 

[Alexandra33]

Muscovies are not like most duck breeds and cannot be sexed in the same way. You will have to go off of size. @Miss Lydia would be able to tell you more. Welcome have you seen this link? https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/750869/raising-and-caring-for-ducklings#post_10611711 Ducks need more niacin than chicks and you can add Brewers/nutritonal yeast to their food to prevent leg problems.

Thanks so much for the correction, needlessjunk. The last thing I want to do is lead anyone astray with mistaken information. Since I've never had Muscovies, I wouldn't know, but now I do!

-Alexandra33