Is it ok for me to want to be involved for the well being of 10 feral muscovies that live in the retention pond by my house ?

[Anna verano]

I have been feeding the muscovies for a year and they feel more like pets .. They seem to think I'm there human & they love my daily visits to see them & give them healthy treats .. I can hand feed all 14 & 4 let me pet them & they no longer flinch when I reach over them when I'm passing out treats .. how can I keep them save .? Also the last three batch of baby ducklings have all died because the turtles are eating them the poor babies dont last a week is there anything I can do to help ? The poor moms seem devastated.

 

[CrazyCochin]

is the pond on your property.

 

[CrazyCochin]

A BIG welcome to backyard chickens @Anna verano , I hope you enjoy our community.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Since these Muscovy are feral you can take them home and keep them safe if that’s what you want. Not much you can do about the turtle they may even be protected. I am a Florida native an remember well how huge those snappers get, poor babies ducklings. You’ll need to have a safe place for them to sleep at night so predators don’t pick them off. And very important is birth control which means picking up daily laid eggs so your 10 don’t become 40 or more in one season.. that is why they are hated so much there they multiply so fast. I have had Muscovy since 2004 they are wonderful ducks but I have to keep my girls from sitting on their eggs or I’d be over whelmed and I love ducklings. All the best with your little family

 

[Anna verano]

is the pond on your property.

No it's not my property it's at the local shopping center & the reason I got involved with the muscovies because they were running all around the parking lot & I was worried they would get hit by a car , so I started buying wild bird seed and frozen corn & peas to feed them & since I've been doing that they stay down at the pond ( I visit them several times a day to check on them & make sure they are all ok )

 

[Isaac 0]

No it's not my property it's at the local shopping center & the reason I got involved with the muscovies because they were running all around the parking lot & I was worried they would get hit by a car , so I started buying wild bird seed and frozen corn & peas to feed them & since I've been doing that they stay down at the pond ( I visit them several times a day to check on them & make sure they are all ok )

Feeding them Duck feed or All flock Chicken Feed would be much better for there health then wild bird seed and corn.

 

[Anna verano]

A BIG welcome to backyard chickens @Anna verano , I hope you enjoy our community.

Thank you I have been visiting your community for awhile getting all the duck knowledge I could get & I learned so much . With the advice shared here I managed to save a juvenile duck from botulism and a new layer who was egg binding.. they are so worth helping their lives are just has precocious as our own ..

 

[Anna verano]

Feeding them Duck feed or All flock Chicken Feed would be much better for there health then wild bird seed and corn.

I ordered duck food on line once but they did not like the pellets, I will definitely buy the all flock chicken feed .. thank you so much for your reply it means a lot to me that I've found a community that love ducks just has much as I do

 

[Isaac 0]

I ordered duck food on line once but they did not like the pellets, I will definitely buy the all flock chicken feed .. thank you so much for your reply it means a lot to me that I've found a community that love ducks just has much as I do

You're Welcome!

I'm sure they wouldn't resist some Mealworms or Frozen Peas as a treat occasionally.


Welcome to BYC!

 

[Duckfarmer1]

I absolutely love Muscovy ducks too. So I’ve very glad to hear that you are caring for these in the middle of a parking lot!!! I just hope nobody yells at you for it!! That would be terrible. Keep up the good work and please take pictures