mean muscovy

[Going Quackers]

Darn.. i was led to believe about a year was when they were then getting sexually active, and assumed young my drakelets were just mimicking dad (the males don't bother each other but dad mostly getting meaner with sister , and daughters some too). would it help if poster had a female at least for their boy?

No. not even close lol wish it were true! but you have to compare it to the ducks coming into lay, they do that as young as 4mths.. average 5-6mths so that is right when the male counterpart starts considering his options.

The OP could definitely benefit from more ducks, they do better with their own kind, chickens are okay but don't have the same likes and behaviours as ducks do, especially Muscovy, not to mention mating can result in death of a female chicken so best to remove and/or curb that.

 

[laughingdog]

They can come into lay as early as four months??? The One hen i got only started to lay at about a year (supposedly), at around first of july maybe end of june, with her sis laying about a month before (she had clutch of 24 trying to hatch), both fed on whole corn before i got (forage and chick feed now with veggies and scraps trimmings treats cat and dog food they steal ect). my young scovys only two months, with most different sizes. would it help to pen runts and feed them separate? Runts suspected females first ones hatched and fourth size of mother, aside from one others say female that is almost to about size of boys just different shape ect (she is treat/food hog).

 

[cosbackyard]

Different breeds lay at different ages. One of my KCs started laying at about 3.5 months. The other just over 4. I don't think they all lay that early, though.

And chickens? Much later.

 

[laughingdog]

suspected hens..???

My "egg laying whites" (pearl white leghorn), started laying at three months. por bird sounded like she was being murdered as she ran around trying to get that egg out, then we both just stared at it for a while.. i was wanting to get more leghorns as that one gave at least an egg a day. i wanted to try to get production strain KCs and hopefully they'd lay as good to better (I'm told they lay bigger than jumbo eggs even), and compare the twos as layers and pets together, and use scovy as broodys hopefully.

I had to go break up a battle between two young scovy suspected hens, and funny how mother was in middle either trying to break up or joining in. its odd how when scovy fight the other scovy seem to crowd around and seem to egg on, but when chickens fight or they see scovy fight the non fighters seem to stay way back! The silver one was still trying to go after littler brown and white for minutes after id pried the brown one off of the silver, and the brown and white was happy to get safety of my lap with pets and cuddles for about an hour before she decided she needed to go back to flock.
Scovy are pretty smart and neat but weird.

 

[Going Quackers]

They can come into lay as early as four months??? The One hen i got only started to lay at about a year (supposedly), at around first of july maybe end of june, with her sis laying about a month before (she had clutch of 24 trying to hatch), both fed on whole corn before i got (forage and chick feed now with veggies and scraps trimmings treats cat and dog food they steal ect). my young scovys only two months, with most different sizes. would it help to pen runts and feed them separate? Runts suspected females first ones hatched and fourth size of mother, aside from one others say female that is almost to about size of boys just different shape ect (she is treat/food hog).

Different breeds lay at different ages. One of my KCs started laying at about 3.5 months. The other just over 4. I don't think they all lay that early, though.

And chickens? Much later.

It was one of my scovies, she started laying at 4mths, i was just as shocked as anyone lol I also already had my baby from March come into lay, she has now ceased with the short days and cold but she laid through Oct quite often.

It does varies, there are no set hard rules, most will come in at 5-6mths but if that falls in the change of weather/light you may have to wait till the following year.

I don't think it would help to pen separately, unless your sure they are not getting their fair share.. i have 3 feeders out of a multi purpose complete feed and 1 feeder of whole corn. Then they forage, that is for the big flock which consists of 20 birds, 18 are Muscovy. I find they eat at differing times, but i have yet to see a failure to thrive. Mind you the majority of the birds were raised here from ducklings or eggs, my recent addition a several month old female has managed to ease into the flock as if she had been here since hatch, lucky break there.

 

[Going Quackers]

Quote:

suspected hens..???

My "egg laying whites" (pearl white leghorn), started laying at three months. por bird sounded like she was being murdered as she ran around trying to get that egg out, then we both just stared at it for a while.. i was wanting to get more leghorns as that one gave at least an egg a day. i wanted to try to get production strain KCs and hopefully they'd lay as good to better (I'm told they lay bigger than jumbo eggs even), and compare the twos as layers and pets together, and use scovy as broodys hopefully.

I had to go break up a battle between two young scovy suspected hens, and funny how mother was in middle either trying to break up or joining in. its odd how when scovy fight the other scovy seem to crowd around and seem to egg on, but when chickens fight or they see scovy fight the non fighters seem to stay way back! The silver one was still trying to go after littler brown and white for minutes after id pried the brown one off of the silver, and the brown and white was happy to get safety of my lap with pets and cuddles for about an hour before she decided she needed to go back to flock.
Scovy are pretty smart and neat but weird.

There cute! It's not unusual to have a tussle between females, especially when youngin's are growing up and finding there place in a flocks pecking order, as for the let's go see a fight, for sure happens all the time because i have some buffs they go off on this quack fest and then all crowd around.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Quote:
There cute! It's not unusual to have a tussle between females, especially when youngin's are growing up and finding there place in a flocks pecking order, as for the let's go see a fight, for sure happens all the time because i have some buffs they go off on this quack fest and then all crowd around.

I love it when they crane their necks to see what's going on. My geese get very vocal when a fight breaks out they are the ones who alert me that something is amiss. Everyone else is just enjoying the fight.

 

[Going Quackers]

I love it when they crane their necks to see what's going on. My geese get very vocal when a fight breaks out they are the ones who alert me that something is amiss. Everyone else is just enjoying the fight.

Maybe that is why the buffs go off so boldly? i usually know a fight is happening just based now on their vocals, then you hear the wing banging because around here it's usually the boys...

 

[Miss Lydia]

Maybe that is why the buffs go off so boldly? i usually know a fight is happening just based now on their vocals, then you hear the wing banging because around here it's usually the boys...

I know even though the boys have some kind of truce going right now, I have noticed they are still pretty touchy if one gets to close to the other, And my one family of 4[1drake 3 ducks] have finally let their sister back into the stall with them, when the 2 sisters went broody they would not let the one be inside with them. after about 3 months she has spent 2 night in the stall with them all. It's like having kids.

 

[Going Quackers]

I know even though the boys have some kind of truce going right now, I have noticed they are still pretty touchy if one gets to close to the other, And my one family of 4[1drake 3 ducks] have finally let their sister back into the stall with them, when the 2 sisters went broody they would not let the one be inside with them. after about 3 months she has spent 2 night in the stall with them all. It's like having kids.

LOL, yeah the two fighting were my eggy and yolky... dumb bunnies but they are likely fighting over those buffs, they still house together(the 4) but that may change, although my March babies still stall at night together(2 drakes, 1 duck) they go about together mostly all day too, they fight over their sister... all is tolerable now spring maybe a different story, i will likely have to re-evaluate the flock then, to many drakes but at least the main boys have only fought once in the last several months, too busy keeping up with the young in's!