How do you hold a scared muscovy?

[pringle]

Ok so I got a pair of scovys on sunday.It was very hard getting them from the cage I brought from the swap into there doghouse/coop but I managed to do it.There doghouse is attached to a small kennel thing so today I decided to build a nice little run around there coop.They loved it but it was time to put them in and the male ended up trying to fly and knocked over the fencing.I managed to wrestle the female in but she gave me some pretty nice scratches.So I ran after the male and using a stick got him cornered.I tried to grab him as you would a chicken but now I have long scratches down my side and started bleeding!So here I am in the mud wrestling with a huge crazy drake and I finally manage to kind of throw him in the coop.To not cause as much injusry next time to me is there any good way to hold a scovy?

 

[MysticalMom]

I don't know if this makes sense and I'm not sure I can explain it right.... but get your hand under him and get both his feet in one hand, so that his toes wrap around your hand. Scoop him up close under your arm so his wings are pinned down. Depending on how feisty he is, you may have to control his head too. But that's how we do it. A pair of gloves doesn't hurt either.

 

[pringle]

So I grab his legs quickly then with the other arm kind of turn him around so his body is between my side and my arm?

 

[Cottage Rose]

As you found out Muscovies are very strong and can use their wings and claws to do some real damage.
They are so powerful we never try to cradle them against our bodies.
Just corner them, and grab the base of their wing where they attach to the body.
One hand on each wing and carry them feet facing out away from you.
Even then they will try to claw you so make sure the person holding them is strong
and not fearful about handling the bird.
MAKE SURE to clip the females wings as older Muscovies are VERY inclined to fly away and try to go back home.
If they are smaller, poor quality type Muscovies you might have to clip the drakes wings as well.
Clipping Muscovies wings is a 2 person job.
One person grabs them by the wings, holds them on a flat surface (pin down if necessary)
and then the other person clips.

 

[pringle]

Thanks soo much!My dad maked it look so easy but I guess not lol the female did fly around a bit so ill make sure to clp her wings but I definitly think the male is wayyyyyy to big to fly.Well I dont want to start another thread so the female as been laying every day now and there are 3 eggs in the dog house and she seems to form some type of nest.Do you think she will go broody or becouse of the new enviroment not?

 

[Cottage Rose]

She will most likely need to settle in and may even stop laying eggs for a bit.
On the other hand if shes the super broody type she might set as soon as she lays a clutch of eggs.
But if she was mine i would take the eggs away from her and let her settle in
because if shes nervous and unsettled she might start setting on eggs then stop midway
before they hatch.
I do this anyway so i can set the eggs all at once so all the ducklings hatch at the same time.
A weird thing Muscovies do when they are about to go broody is set on the eggs all night for the
first few days then go off the nest all day. Don't be alarmed if you see this happen.
Then they will line the nest with feathers and get to setting and set on the eggs
all the time except for getting off to eat and drink and POOP.
Don't be anywhere near their rear end when they do that!
Can we say projectile pooping of the worse smelling poop in the world?!?

 

[Iheart'scovies]

Cottage Rose's description of the holding sounds right on-- just wanted to add that in our experience tipping them on their back a little so the feet kind of point to the sky makes them easier to handle b/c they seem to understand that they are not in control anymore! Also, my husband can do it this way to our drake because his hands are big enough. I cannot hold my drake like this at all though so I lean down and bear hug him instead to pick him up. His back is against my chest and his feet are pointed away from me-- just watch the beak!

Oh, and hear, hear about the pooping-- never seen anything like it!! We call it 'rocket butt'

 

[goosedragon]

Quote:
To be honest I am a big old man and I always used a large landing net( used to land fish on a line). If I had to be 'hands on' a pair of snowmobiling mitts worked best, tough leather those claws are sharp!

 

[goosedragon]

Quote:
you would be surprized my Huge old drake didn't really fly he beat his wings like crazy and every time a foot touched down he would jump-kick and cover 10 feet before he did it again with the other foot. his favorite roost was on the top of the gate in a horse stall he would just hunker down and explode with 2 legged kick and beating of wings he could get to the top of a regular door 8 ft off the ground with that jump. BTW if the duck has a nest with eggs it is very likely she will set the nest and go broody but she may lay 15-18 before she does.

 

[goosedragon]

Quote:
Rose, you are in a colder climate than mine, is there any chance your duck is hover- brooding the eggs during the cold nights? Thats what they do here in NC if we get a cold snap in the spring. Mine didn't do that with mid summer hatches. during those 100+ afternoons they would hover over the nest and fan them with their wings! not big flaps just raise the wing about two inches and then snap back tight to the body. they will do that with ducklings too if water isn't available to the ducklings (I use kiddy pools and only put the ramp in when I am there to life guard - Not in the heat of our afternoons!) Aother trait of mine was to aim their poop at the compost heap unless I was bugging them about something. LOL! reading this before I post I see that 'hover' could be mistaken for flight what I mean is to stand over rather than sit in the nest.