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LittleT said:
Thank you for BYC & for accepting my request to join! I hope I have chosen the right site for my question. I have a love of all birds and water fowl, and presently live on a lake. Recently a group, perhaps a “gaggle”? of Muscovies, has came to my yard and decided it’s bird friendly. It started with one, and increased to 9. They were intent on eating the fallen black oil sunflower seeds that had fallen from my bird feeder. After researching a bit, I found that these are not ideal full-time food. So I went to the local farm store and bought cracked corn and duck feed. I toss out about 4 cups of equal parts of this mix each morning with a bucket of fresh water near. They have been coming to my yard every morning for a feeding then crossing the road to the lake to take a dip. They usually come back again in the evening around 5 PM for another snack, before returning to roost for the night near the lake again.
I have noticed two of the larger older males are completely covered with their yellow oil. Their feathers look stiff and oily all over. Not just where they’re oil gland is. Where once their feathers looked smooth and lovely, they now look oily ALL OVER and the feathers are getting caked and separated. I’m wondering number one; Is this normal? Number two; is perhaps the food I’m feeding them too rich and causing them to produce too much oil? They travel from yard to yard in the neighborhood and I’m certain that most of the neighbors they visit are feeding them bread.
On another note, since I’ve been feeding the Muscovy, I have additional visitors three Canadian Geese and a Mallard and his leucistic female mate.
Thank you or your new visitors for your input on my two oily Muscovies.
-LittleT
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That is so nice of you to get the proper feed for your new residents. I had pure white Muscovy when I first started out with ducks and my girls always got wet feather About a month before they would molt in the fall the yellow would be all over their feathers. It’s very noticeable on pure white birds. If your in Fla. I haven’t a clue when Muscovy molt, here in the mts of NC they have their big molt in Sept. I have a feeling your new Muscovy have been dumped rarely do you see all white in a feral population not around here anyway. Hopefully your new Muscovy will molt soon and grow back their pristine feathers. Most people do feed bread but thankfully your helping them by feeding them what they really need in nutrients. :welcome
 
LittleT said:
Thank you for BYC & for accepting my request to join! I hope I have chosen the right site for my question. I have a love of all birds and water fowl, and presently live on a lake. Recently a group, perhaps a “gaggle”? of Muscovies, has came to my yard and decided it’s bird friendly. It started with one, and increased to 9. They were intent on eating the fallen black oil sunflower seeds that had fallen from my bird feeder. After researching a bit, I found that these are not ideal full-time food. So I went to the local farm store and bought cracked corn and duck feed. I toss out about 4 cups of equal parts of this mix each morning with a bucket of fresh water near. They have been coming to my yard every morning for a feeding then crossing the road to the lake to take a dip. They usually come back again in the evening around 5 PM for another snack, before returning to roost for the night near the lake again.
I have noticed two of the larger older males are completely covered with their yellow oil. Their feathers look stiff and oily all over. Not just where they’re oil gland is. Where once their feathers looked smooth and lovely, they now look oily ALL OVER and the feathers are getting caked and separated. I’m wondering number one; Is this normal? Number two; is perhaps the food I’m feeding them too rich and causing them to produce too much oil? They travel from yard to yard in the neighborhood and I’m certain that most of the neighbors they visit are feeding them bread.
On another note, since I’ve been feeding the Muscovy, I have additional visitors three Canadian Geese and a Mallard and his leucistic female mate.
Thank you for your input on my two oily Muscovies.
-LittleT
Click to expand...
Welcome. Beautiful pictures. Thank you for helping them. I am not a duck person but there are plenty here.
 
Miss Lydia said:
That is so nice of you to get the proper feed for your new residents. I had pure white Muscovy when I first started out with ducks and my girls always got wet feather About a month before they would molt in the fall the yellow would be all over their feathers. It’s very noticeable on pure white birds. If your in Fla. I haven’t a clue when Muscovy molt, here in the mts of NC they have their big molt in Sept. I have a feeling your new Muscovy have been dumped rarely do you see all white in a feral population not around here anyway. Hopefully your new Muscovy will molt soon and grow back their pristine feathers. Most people do feed bread but thankfully your helping them by feeding them what they really need in nutrients. :welcome
Click to expand...
Thank you so much for the input. I am in the Southernmost part of Illinois, at Lake of Egypt and for future readers, it is April when I am posting this, not sure when molting season is here, but our weather has been cold/hot/cold all Spring! I wouldn’t be surprised if the ducks were “dumped” here at the lake. Although a neighbor said they think they belong to a person about 3 blocks away on a peninsula. I don’t know if it’s normal for them to roam this far, but they just appeared in my yard and I love them. I call them my “feathered dogs” because they follow me all over the yard as I plant flowers, or pick up sticks etc. If I sit down they all come and sit around me! I’m in love!! 😍
 

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