Hybrid question

[laughingdog]

Mulard male offspring can be fertile, just to ward you, but think its only something like 25% maybe at most. supposedly all females are sterile, and only heard one say they lay great eggs so curious if the hinnie or mulard female offspring could be great layers if mixes included campbell/harlequin and or runners? also wondering about noise, health/immune systems, foraging abilities (myscovys find most of own food aside from woman of house sneaking out to feed baked goods,greens ect), and all around hardiness.

 

[learycow]

I have some mules that I hatched this summer.
Mother is a silver muscovy, father is a welsh harlequin.

The offspring are all different colors (some white, some black pied, some lavender pied, some lilac with white neck rings).
They are now about 4 months old. No eggs yet so can't comment on egg production.
Females are LOUD like a harlequin, not quiet like the muscovy. And they are fairly small. The males (I only have 1 out of the clutch) are larger so easy to distinguish like the muscovy breed. But not as big as the muscovy drakes.

They have muscovy shaped heads, bills seem to look like a combo of both breeds. And same with bodies. They have a more upright stance like the harlequins, but bodies are shorter and more round like a muscovy.

Here is a picture of a few of them.

The male is the one on the left. The other 3 are females (picture was taken about a month ago)

 

[bemba]

Mulard male offspring can be fertile, just to ward you, but think its only something like 25% maybe at most. supposedly all females are sterile, and only heard one say they lay great eggs so curious if the hinnie or mulard female offspring could be great layers if mixes included campbell/harlequin and or runners? also wondering about noise, health/immune systems, foraging abilities (myscovys find most of own food aside from woman of house sneaking out to feed baked goods,greens ect), and all around hardiness.

Apparently Moulard females do not lay eggs at all, but as far as health goes mine have all been very fit and healthy, and very pretty ducks too! I have a pair of moulards I bred that are so striking! I often have people wanting to buy them off me. I was told they take 32/33 days to hatch but my moulards hatched on day 27 and my hinnies on day 30. Here is a pic of my Moulards all grown up.

(the 2 at the back) The male (black and white) now has a green/blue/purple sheen all over his body with a metallic pink sheen on his head.