i need reasons to tell my hubby why i should get muscovy ducks?

[FarmerRob]

They are the best fly control you could possibly have, better than chickens. They will eat them by the hundreds if available.

They will police up any spilled feed anywhere they have access to.

Mostly, they don't quack but make a hissing sound if they are alarmed by something.

They are the most delicious of all ducks, their silky smooth breast meat has been described by many as being similar to veal.

If you do not own an incubator, you will not need to spend money on one since a mama muscovy will sit any egg you put under her.

Muscovy eggs are delicious but I recommend not eating them since the meat is so good I think it is better to hatch them all and raise them until harvest size.

 

[NancyDz]

I found this on someone's craigslist ad for Muscovy ducklings:

Muscovy ducks are overlooked by most people because of their warty face, but these birds are practically a must-have. Little known facts about these incredible ducks are:

* Musvovy's is a farm's perfect fly catcher. Flies make up a large part of a muscovy's diet, normally making up almost all of the diet for the ducklings. Young muscovies will scout around the ground and literally catch flies in mid-air to gobble up. It's a lot of fun seeing your fly catchers at work as they bob their heads around and dart after tiny black bugs. Muscovies are opportunistic eaters and will happily wolf down nests of mice, small snakes, and practically any bugs they come across, including slugs.

* Unlike all other breeds of ducks, muscovies can't really quack. They make an exotic, chattering-hissing noise when they greet you or talk to one another. This keeps the noise down.

* Being a larger duck, they are extremely friendly and don't act anywhere near as skittish as other duck breeds. They will happily come up to you, bobbing their head, chattering and wagging their tail (yes, when they're happy they wag their long tails like a puppy

.

* They are much more disease resistant than chickens making them more hardy than raising a bunch of broilers for the freezer.

* They are easier to brood than chickens since they grow faster. Within 2-3 weeks they don't require a heat lamp outside in this weather (the down grows before the feathers do and insulates them really well).

* You can sex muscovies faster than other duck breeds, and even faster than chickens, to know exactly what you have. Males grow larger than the females and the size difference is pretty obvious by around 2-3 weeks of age. This gives you the ability to sell "sexed" pairs and trios of muscovies while they are still ducklings without having to tell someone "I don't know what I have."

* Muscovies are a South American tree duck, so they don't dabble and play in their water as much as your other breeds of ducks.

* The mothers are fantastic, often hatching out clutches of 15-20 ducklings at a time. They're not picky about what eggs go under them, either, and will happily hatch 1-2 dozen chicken eggs for you with a much, much better hatch rate than a regular styrofoam incubator (they will average around a 90% hatch rate).

* Like geese and other ducks, muscovies can be live harvested for their down to make quilts, stuffed dolls, pillows, and anything else you can think of.

* Duck eggs are healthier for people, and are being hailed as the egg of choice for cancer patients (chicken eggs are acid-based while duck eggs are alkaline). Duck eggs are also much larger than chicken eggs, giving you large and jumbo eggs right away without the hassle of waiting for your pullets to stop laying small to medium sized eggs. They are fantastic for baking, making breads, cakes, pies, and cookies lighter and more fluffy/crispy.


I

 

[Dar]

now i want ducks


o honey.........(trailing off into the distance)

 

[Goat_Walker]

UGH!! I want some

how old are the scovies you are getting? do you know i the owner has extras - can ship?
They are the best ducks you can have, because they dont make noise to bug the neighbors , they are great parents, protective. They also dont need a pool like other ducks, as they are a larger breed and get water logged easily. The occasional swim in the tub is enough.

 

[Dar]

how hardy are they?...will i have house mates for the winter?

 

[Laskaland]

Bugs, flies, ticks, grubs, beetles, weeds... all will disappear from your yard.... If that is not reason enough, I don't know what would be.
Ducks are great weeders and muscovy especially will eat the ticks, flies, etc... AND they ARE quiet
good luck!
christina
PS- can't you just sneak them in with the rest of your chickens or whatever??

 

[taraann81]

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They are very hardy. I'm also in Ontario and you can see mine tromping through the snow banks on all but the VERY coldest blizzardy days! They have never had any ill effects from the cold.

 

[vfem]

I just show up with the animal without even asking. He knows I'll fight until I get what I want... and once he sees how cute it is... he won't say know and he rather night fight about it.

 

[Mrs. Glassman]

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Dang, Me too. DH is not going to be happy with the influence this board has on me.

 

[chixie]

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I got my ducks... hubby said I can get three and the man told me if i take care of them he would give me one so.. i have 4... they are like 2 weeks old.. he had a bunch more... I asked him if he would ship them and he said no..

I only had to cry and tell my hubby I was gonna go take a nap...

I will try to get pics up tomorrow