I purchased 4 ducklings from a local source a few months ago. The lady said that they were pure muscovies. The mother was brown and white and she said the father was green. I took that to mean the iridescent black/green common to muscovies. However, these are free range birds on a pond. The ducklings have feathered out now, and 3 of the 4 are barred. They are also my three drakes. The fourth is a duck hen and she is solid black. Here's the thing. I already had a couple of ducks and needed a drake from these babies. But I am wondering if these are some sort of cross b/c I have never seen a barred muscovy. The are absolutely beautiful, but I have been told that crosses are sterile. It is hard to get full-grown muscovy around here and it took me a couple of months to find these babies. Should I go ahead and start looking for another group of babies to raise up to get a drake, or is there a chance that these barred drakes are pure muscovies???? I will try to post pics later. Is it common for wild ducks to cross w/ domestic free-range muscovy hens? Are there any tell tale signs of a cross? They are beginning to get the characteristic caruncles. Any help would be much appreciated! I will try to post pics later. Thanks, everybody!
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