Is Cookie going through a PHASE?

[thepromise]

To start, it was about a year ago, when two wild mallards from the nearby park flew into my backyard. They decided to start up shop in a hollow tree, behind the barn. Mrs. Mallard laid eight eggs and sat on them day and night! While Mr. Mallard decided having only one Mrs. wasnt enough. I come home one day and find, Mr. Mallard getting his freak on with Snow [my muscovy] while Webster [my Muscovy drake] sleeps in the coop. So after 23 eggs and 35 days later, 7 of the 18 that hatched happen to be Mulards!!!

They were so pretty, but since they couldnt reproduce, they became dinner!!! I kept one who was very beautiful. COOKIE

Well my muscovy hens are starting to lay again and I find out Cookie has been rolling 11 of her mothers and aunts eggs out of their nest and into a hollow log!!! are some of the 11 eggs hers, cuz i caught her only once rolling an egg from her mother? And i thought Mulards couldnt reproduce, so any thoughts??? Is this just a copy cat thing she's doing cuz my other hens are doing it???? Has anyone come across this!!!

 

[duckyfromoz]

As a cross breed she would be able to lay eggs but they would not be fertile.

 

[Birdcrazy]

Ooh I've never seen a mallard x muscovy, you should post a pic of beautiful, Cookie

 

[Luke0987654321]

Quote:
ditoo

 

[keeperofthehearth]

Birdcrazy wrote:
Ooh I've never seen a mallard x muscovy, you should post a pic of beautiful, Cookie
ditoo

X 2

We need a pic of "Cookie"​

 

[duckluv]

x3 pretty please with a cherry on top post a photo.

 

[sourland]

Mallard drake X muscovy hen produces females who CAN NOT produce eggs. The reciprocal cross produces females who may produce non fertile eggs. As a kid, I had a hen from the mallard drake X muscovy hen who went broody and set on three eggs and a rock. I got her some fertile eggs and she hatched and raised them.

 

[katharinad]

You don't have a mule, you have a hinnie. She can lay eggs, but they all will be infertile. Here is some information from www.metzerfarms.com They talk about Pekin, but the same applies to Mallards.

http://www.metzerfarms.com/FAQ.cfm#Mule
Muscovy and domestic ducks (such as the Pekin - which were developed from Mallards) are very different as they have been genetically isolated for over 50 million years. They can be crossed but you get some very interesting results. If you cross a Muscovy male with a Pekin female you will hatch moulards (or mule ducks); if you cross a Pekin male with a Muscovy female the progeny are called hinnies. In Europe and in Asia many mule ducks are produced because of their large size, quality liver and reduced fat content in the carcass. Artificial insemination has been developed in ducks due to the desire to produce mule ducks. If left to mate naturally, the fertility is only 20-30%. Artificial insemination brings the fertility up to 80%. Whereas a Pekin takes 28 days to hatch and a Muscovy takes 35 days, a mule or hinny takes 32 days to hatch.

Approximately 60% of mule ducks are males. Some of their characteristics are like the Muscovy as they are large, quiet, slow moving and have long claws but are also like Pekin as they swim well, the males and females are much the same size and they do not fly. Hinnies are not grown commercially. Male hinnies are much larger than female hinnies, like the muscovy, yet the females look like Pekins but fly quite well. Mules and hinnies cannot reproduce. Both males are sterile and only the hinny females lay eggs (though they cannot hatch). If you have Muscovy and Pekin together, the chances are poor that they will cross but if they do, a hinny will probably be the result as Pekin males can catch Muscovy females more easily than Muscovy males can catch Pekin females.