Muscovies.... few general questions

[destiny_56085]

This is my first attempt at raising muscovies. I have alot of experience with other waterfowl. We raise exhibition african and brown chinese geese, small flock of call ducks, mandarins, and snowy mallards. I've had many medium to large breeds of ducks too over the years.

I've never been a fan of the run of the mill commercial bred muscovies. I saw some at the MN State Poultry show last fall and actually liked them. I got on the list with Hauger Waterfowl and am now the proud owner of 20 ducklings. Brian Hauger said he bought out alot of Brian Schulte's stock when he retired. I have 15 cream ripples, 1 buff, and 4 chocolate ripples. The adults they came out of were big beautiful birds with lots of caruncles.

I plan on keeping back most of the females and cutting down to 1-2 males. The extra males will probably be butchered. Can I breed these colors together sucessfully or should I cut down to just 1 color? Is there any faults I should be culling for early? I do plan on breeding for the show ring and not the butcher market. Is there a site I can go on with pics of show quality specimans of these colors?

So far I have the babies in a barn with lots of straw for bedding. I have shallow pans for them to drink and swim in. I have them on duck & goose starter for now and will probably mix in some cracked corn when they start to feather out. I also have a have a bale of grass hay that they have been munching on too. Once they are a lil bigger I'll kick them out to the goose pen. Its a fenced off 1 acre pen with 20x50' barn. There's an old manure pit that holds water like a pond every time it rains. I also fill up kiddie pools twice a day. The fence is a 5' wire mesh. Will they stay in there or be all over the farm? The geese normally have the run of the cow pasture and farm. Everything has to be penned up right now though since they were eating off the first few rows of beans on the field to the south of us. That farmer wasn't too happy with us last year. Any other special feed requirements otherwise?

If I set up straw bales in that back barn, will the muscovies nest back there with the geese? I've heard they aren't seasonal like other ducks. During fall/winter, will I need to pull eggs or can the parents take care of the babies themselves?

Any other tips would be great....
Thanks,
Amy

 

[keeperofthehearth]

Congrats on your Muscovies. They sound really beautiful.
I can't answer your questions on color genetics or show quality Scovies but I can say that Yes, Scovies are seasonal layers. You won't need to look for eggs thru the winter. There is a good chance, given the 1 acre space, water & food that your Scovies will stay in the fenced in area. As long as they can forage in some green space. You may have 1 or two fly out but by and large they seem to be happy close in. We have only about 3 acres and our Scovies freerange but like to stay close to the chook yard and our house.

I wouldn't mind if they stayed farther fm the house, though I do get the chance to watch them fm our home office window which is nice.

 

[jvls1942]

I have had muscovys now for this my second seasonf.. last year predators got in and killed all 4 of my first breeders..

I personnally do not like to breed different colors of anything.. with guieas, you seem to get pied, which I detest..

I don't know what would happen with muscovys, but I have seen a lot of pieds at swaps and auctions..

I have chocolates.. and somewhere in their blood line was a white one.. I have 1 white with brown racing stripes..

I have only 4 ft high fences.. the muscovys have no problem flying over when they want to come out.. they forget how to fly once they get out, because I have to open the gate for them to get back in..

higher fences would not solve this problem.. my brother's ducks used to wait for him to come home from up on the roof of his two story house..

believe me, you did not want to stand under the drip edge during the rain..

 

[destiny_56085]

I'm excited about them too. I've always heard horror stories on how bad they are with their claws and hard to handle. Can't be any worse than some of our 40 pound african ganders.... I've also heard other stories on how great of parents they are and how quiet they are compared to other ducks. We have guineas, call ducks, and chinese geese. I'm used to noise too.

I'm only concerned about penning them up for a few months out of the year. The neighboring farmer gets a little ticked off when our birds eat off all his corn or soybeans. The area allocated for the geese is hilly, lots of grass, and has that old manure pit. Hasn't been manure in it for about 20 years and looks just like a pond now with reeds growing down there. There was enough grass to sustain up to 80 geese last year at one point. There's also a huge covered bulk feeder with cracked corn in it too.

When the crops aren't an issue, the birds can free range the farm. There's a 2 acre horse pen, the 50x100' barn, the cattle barn, a huge grove on the north and west sides of the farm, and a cattle pasture that takes up 2 full sections. There's a pond and crick that flows in way back in the pasture. I ride my horse back there parts of the year and see lots of wild waterfowl nesting back there. The cattle are out there from June-October and it puts an end to even walking back there. About 30 beef cow/calf pairs and 2 bulls....

I'm used to big flying birds too. We have about 30 peafowl and 20 heritage breed turkeys loose around the farm. Unlike the waterfowl, they leave the crops alone though.

 

[destiny_56085]

If the muscovies are seasonal, how do they get in 2-3 clutches a year then? On all the rest of my ducks and geese we have about a 6-8 week window in april and may when they will lay. Then they are done for the year. If I keep pulling eggs for the incubator, I can stretch them out for the full 8 weeks before they go broody on me.

 

[taraann81]

Quote:
I don't think my 'scovies got the memo about being seasonal layers. One of my girls layed and tried to set a clutch in January. It was like -20 here and none of them hatched. I don't get as many eggs in the winter but mine still lay.

 

[jvls1942]

I don't think the muscovys are as seasonal as geese.. they start laying early in the spring and continue as long as it stays warm.

I think shorter periods of daylight affects them the same as it does chickens..

pound for pound a muscoy is stronger than a goose.. just catch a large drake and hold on..

I never saw one use it's claws on purpose.. granted, if they hit you with their feet when you are wrestling with them, you will get scratched good and proper..

they also like to roost like a chicken or turkey does..

mine lay their eggs in the chickens nests.. but if they have a chance, they will hide their eggs.

 

[destiny_56085]

Thanks y'all! I try not to jump into ventures without doing a little homework. I also know that everything you read on the internet isn't always true. Sometimes its better to consult in the people that actually raise the birds.