Muscovies in US - REGULATION CHANGES OPEN FOR COMMENTS - 10/1 update

[floridamama]

I went to a swap last month and gave a couple of muscovy ducks to them (hens) Come home and found ya'lls thread got really freaked out about my ducks and then the couple who just got some from me. Then after watching the thread, calling and emailing people (hoping it helps) I go so worked up on the thought I am going to loose my ducks that I got sick literaly sick from this I am just know been able to get around.

I went out side to watch my guys play in their pond (which thanks to the rain) is over flowing They are just in heaven. I happen to look at them and did a head count, I have an extra male? I looked and then walked in to there area and set on the block and of course everybody has to see if mama has treats for them. I have 3 drakes instead of 2. I had a traditional black/white very heavy guy "Fubar" (hubby named) "Spooky" solid white blue eyes youngin still light enough he "hop flys" and Hersey is now know as "Hershal" chocolate and white. Hershal was a hen last time I had known But got major growth around face SOOO What does that mean...

I will have a chance to have baby ducklings looking like anything

my hens are 1 white, 2 blue laced, 1 chocolate, (3 still coming in on true color but mostly black/white lookin one has chocolate shading, they were rescues so not sure what they will look like when done)

Looks like I might be needing some more girls.

I hope everything really does work out like "they say". But you never know what will really happen until it is done and over. I mean look at MOST office officals say what you want to hear and then either back peddle and dont do what they claim or bald face lie and say they never said they would do it. I am hoping and fingers crossed that all of ya'll and our work wasn't wasted on a bunch of smoke.

 

[floridamama]

Hope everybody's hard work pays off

 

[muscovychef]

those of us who did get involved this go around have done everything in their power to see that we as muscovy breeders and stewards keep our rights. the iwa and apa are fighting for us. As of now all we can do is( he say she say), no ones going to record a message to us or can give us a postive for sure answer as of right now. No matter how badly we want it. i have had muscovy for over 30 years no one loves this breed more than i can and do. like it or not we must wait. its their time and their agenda they care about, not ours. may i suggest we have no choice but to except their word honorable or not ,and act like the bill is on hold and will, when set in place . let us be free to choose to search for happiness in breeding muscovy .
spring is around the corner i have breeding pens to set up. 15 splash and 15 black show stock are comming this year. i have a lovely new black hen to breed to my blue drake.and my ripple breedings will be increased this year .
i look forward to seeing and hearing of your new breedings and plans for 2010 ,lets make this year the year of the muscovy and be postive ,

 

[floridamama]

Spring ducklings

 

[lovesduckies]

my drake and female have been "getting it on" a lot lately. lol. i have 9 eggs now

the feed store by my house said they'd buy them from me for 3 dollars a duckling. she asked what they were. i said muscovy then she told me about her horror drake and we swapped injury stories from muscovy talons. i guess she doesn't know or is like me and doesn't give a hoot. anyway. i'm glad i won't have a million ducks running around my room. i am telling myself that they will all go to great homes with lots of other duckies and have sooooo much fun!!!!!

 

[jadeflower999]

Well this just blows! I'll be writing my congressman. God they are making all my favorite pets illegal lately! I am still upset about them trying to ban Constrictors: http://www.reptilechannel.com/reptile-news/2010/03/12/ban-nine-large-constrictor-snakes.aspx
I mean, I get it if a state is having a problem with a feral population and it's damaging the ecosystem, but it still sucks! And I'm a responsible pet owner so it makes me mad to be lumped into this.

 

[savingdogs]

I think the problem is a federal law was created to handle local issues. They should have allowed the states to ban muscovies in particular areas if needed. Obviously if you read this whole thread, the ban came about because of requests to deal with them becoming invasive.
I live in southwest Washington state myself and I sure don't see any wild muscovy running around here! We see plenty of canadian geese however so it isn't like waterfowl do not survive here, but they are not being taken over by ducks.
If you lived in an area where muscovy are overpopulating, then it would make sense ban them or to need a license to own them. That way people are less apt to release an animal they have paid for a license for, or own them unless they are serious. Too many people buy a cute duck at Easter and then want to give it away. Something should be done to discourage that with this breed that is a problem, but just in those areas. It makes sense to me to allow hunting/catching of them wherever feasible in those affected areas as well.

But for the rest of us, the law is really just a bad crack this particular animal falls into in the war between laws. It seems difficult to make federal law about an animal that covers all the differing habitats across the USA.

Possibly no one on this thread knows of areas where muscovy are invasive, but that does not mean it isn't happening. Just like the people who had the invasive muscovy problem did not know about us. This is one example of why overall I think government from the local level is best. Sorry if my political party is showing, but I'm really not a dyed-in-the-wool political type at all, more of a hold-your-nose-and-vote type actually. I'd be for whatever party allows laws to be made more on a local level, makes it easier to fight stupidity usually too.

 

[Captain Cluck]

I think it will be funny to see what "they" try to do about the whole sale ignoring of this regulation and the resulting ducks.

If all the 'scovy owners ignore this , are "they" going to run around confiscating thousands of ducks and tossing the offending humans in jail?

(wait a minute cluckie... they could... remember Germany in the '40s? ... And history repeats itself, too)

 

[Iheart'scovies]

Quote:
This is the 'funny' thing, Savingdogs... I DO live in one of the places supposedly overrun with these ducks and I find the whole thing to STILL be blown COMPLETELY out of proportion! Time after time, stories about this hit the local papers on a slow news day and every single time it comes down to some cranky person or people with too much time on their hands complaining about poop in their lawns! I'm serious! I know the bigger issue of environmental stability and invasive species and all that, but when it comes down to it, most of this crap is started by people upset by a little, well, crap

This story is from the town that I used to live in, actually-- My first pet 'scovie was a rescue from one of these local ponds (an injured duckling)! We LOVED watching the scovies and found them delightful-- two blocks over, I guess, it was complete bedlam: http://www.tampabay.com/news/environment/wildlife/in-dunedin-a-war-is-brewing-over-messy-muscovy-ducks/1079606


I don't mean to be dismissive of people's concerns but, when you can literally look out your window and SEE that they are truly complaining about NOTHING, it does get frustrating. Now, it could seriously effect the rest of the country and many wonderful responsible duck enthusiasts, and that is just beyond ridiculous. I agree with you all that this, and many things, should be locally handled and only when it can be demonstrated by unbiased parties that it is actually necessary. At least the local gov in this story claim to be relocating the ducks, hope that happens for real.

 

[muscovychef]

the government ROFLMAO does this them selves all the time they brought in the nutra rat , not an america animal and brought it to louisiana the swamps look like golf courses the rats took over. in NM people dumped gold fish into what they call lakes out here well any where else the gold fish would have been dinner but the water is shallow and the gold fish were the only fish and they bred. So pike were brought in , now they are huge and they ate every thing

any one who ownes muscovy know the drakes get too big too fly muscovy do not i repeat do not shed water like mallard based breeds.They get water logged. that would make them easy prey as well as white being a large part on most of the birds, very few white birds survive in the wild, were not talking egrets here. , my muscovy in 35 years of raiseing them never slept in water . Slow cumbersome drakes would be wiped out in the wild. even the production muscovy the drakes get too big. no reports are from the wild they are from public areas . I have friends in all the warm areas hunters chefs and poultry people the reports are the same. so if they took to the wild they would die out only the small dark birds surviving and that would take a few generations to get to any breeders here know how long it takes to produce new birds or change a strains size . and color. and thats in a breeding program under control.