Getting rid of my chickens!

[Outrun Acres]

Muscovy can definitely be herded, i do it everyday with our flock and earlier this year i had 17 of them i put in, the ducks all taught the younger ones how to do this.

As for a chicken vs duck? eh, sounds like dogs and cats to me, both serve purpose, both have pros & cons. I keep both and will continue too. It truly falls down to what you need & want, not one being inferior to another.

It's true Muscovy's are terrible to herd. I have two border collies and an Australian Kelpie and have herded ducks at ASCA trials before. The only breeds you want to herd are Indian Runners and/or Khaki Cambells. Your ducks must have been trained using some other stimulus to go where you want them to go. I don't know of anyone that uses them for herding purposes. In my experience the majority of people who use ducks to train their herding dogs generally stick to the Indian Runners because they naturally group together when under stress, like sheep do.

 

[Outrun Acres]

How nice that your muscovies go back by themselves at night. I wasn't so lucky. Mine would inevitably fly up and roost on our roof. Got to be quite a mess.

BTW, what you're talking about is not herding. Herding is when you get your ducks (or geese, sheep, goats, etc.) to go somewhere that they DON'T want to go. ie. through the narrow open gate of the garden, or into the door of a new coop, corral or even a carrier. My ducks are pretty used to going out durring the day, but when I have to leave early and they're not ready to come in yet it can be very hard to get them all to cooperate and get them back into their corral.

A herding dog would round them up and chase them in the direction I want them to go...... whether it be into their corral, their coop, or even into the middle of the road if I wanted.

 

[Senna95]

How cool that you herd. I'm just getting started. I have a 1-year old belgian terv, and we're both having a blast learning!

 

[Going Quackers]

It's true Muscovy's are terrible to herd. I have two border collies and an Australian Kelpie and have herded ducks at ASCA trials before. The only breeds you want to herd are Indian Runners and/or Khaki Cambells. Your ducks must have been trained using some other stimulus to go where you want them to go. I don't know of anyone that uses them for herding purposes. In my experience the majority of people who use ducks to train their herding dogs generally stick to the Indian Runners because they naturally group together when under stress, like sheep do.

Well i certainly wasn't speaking of using them for dog trials, we were speaking of getting your ducks to move as a flock? At least that is how i understood this conversation.

I really just don't know what more i can say, we have always herded the ducks and it is NOT because they always want to move on or go in it's just we've maintained a consistent and early learned way of handling it.

I have not once said the breed was comparable to runners and so forth but as Storeys guide to ducks states, Muscovy are harder to herd than other breeds but harder certainly does not mean impossible.

 

[Outrun Acres]

How cool that you herd. I'm just getting started. I have a 1-year old Belgian terv, and we're both having a blast learning!

It is a very fun and addicting sport! The trials that were closest to us were ASCA trials and they always had ducks. Even when I didn't compete in those classes, they were the most fun to watch! Belgian Terv's are such beautiful dogs! One of my friends used to show his is
AKC trials and did quite well. We moved last year and since then I haven't been taking lessons or trialing. The most work my dogs get to see these days is when our neighbor who doesn't have a dog needs to worm his goats! I wasn't able to start my dogs on ducks because they would rough them up too much . We had our advanced titles in Cattle and Sheep before we decided it was "safe" to do ducks. I would love to get some Runners down the road, but I will most likely get some sheep or goats first .

I don't think people on this thread really understand what we mean about "herding" ducks. There is a big difference between a dog herding ducks, and a human shooing ducks. That was the only point I was trying to make. If you took a group of Muscovy ducks and a separate group of Indian runner ducks that had had limited human contact before and tried to make them go to a specific area, the Muscovy's would scatter, and the runners would stick together. So Muscovy ducks that go were you want them to go have been trained to do so whether people realize it or not. Sometimes we don't understand that we have trained our animals to do almost everything they do, good behavior and bad. Birds learn remarkably fast. So fast that to humans it can be imperceptible

 

[Herducks]

I have a friend that teaches herding lessons hold trials, etc and she has indian runners, call ducks, and muscovies. Muscovies are not used for trial but she does use them very often in training advanced level dogs. I have not worked muscovies myself, just sheep, calls, I.R. and Welsh Harlequins, but I have seen it done. It is more difficult which is why only the advanced level dogs do it.

 

[Going Quackers]

I don't think people on this thread really understand what we mean about "herding" ducks. There is a big difference between a dog herding ducks, and a human shooing ducks. That was the only point I was trying to make. If you took a group of Muscovy ducks and a separate group of Indian runner ducks that had had limited human contact before and tried to make them go to a specific area, the Muscovy's would scatter, and the runners would stick together. So Muscovy ducks that go were you want them to go have been trained to do so whether people realize it or not. Sometimes we don't understand that we have trained our animals to do almost everything they do, good behavior and bad. Birds learn remarkably fast. So fast that to humans it can be imperceptible

This thread wasn't about running dog trails though, someone simply stated that Muscovy could not be herded period so that made getting them into housing or where you wanted them to go an issue. I stated in my experience I have been able to herd them in and that it is possible to do so, not touted they are the best breed for it but that it again is simply possible to do so, to get them where you need.

I haven't said they haven't been somewhat trained? As i said the adults teach the young which have obviously been taught by us to do so, i am just saying it is doable, not impossible.

 

[cluckcluckluke]

I'm getting 4 Female and 1 male Duck to add to my 4 hens and 1 Rooster.I am so Eggsited!!!Lol!!

Not the best mix, sorry.

 

[cluckcluckluke]

How do you herd, like what is it and could I possibly herd my 2 Runners o do you need more ducks than 2.lol.

 

[Miss Lydia]

How do you herd, like what is it and could I possibly herd my 2 Runners o do you need more ducks than 2.lol.

Most of the time walking slowly behind them with your arms stretched out can herd them where you want them to go, you can also use long poles as arm extensions. I have had a couple of my Scovies not want to go where I was herding and go up the steep bank behind our house, when that happens I just wait till they come down and try again. it's been along time though even the youngest are easy to herd they must watch their older flock members and learn from them.