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

[Dances with Ducks]

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The lobbyist for the IWBA and the APA WILL go to bat for the standard bred bird because that is their bread and butter. There is no 'single voice' who is going to advocate for the utility Muscovy.

There are MILLIONS of Americans who own perfectly good DOMESTIC Muscovy that just happen to be utility and it would be a travesty for them to be left out because a few of the elite feel that they're inferior to their type of Muscovy and as a result see this as their opportunity to knock out the competition, so to speak, for their own personal financial gain.

Maybe we need to create a utility Muscovy organization that recognizes the practical attributes that the Muscovy possesses because there is absolutely no reason in the world that the millions who own your common utility Muscovy should not have a voice in this matter as they will be equally affected by this regulation.

This was way back on page 47 post 466 of this thread. I hope the FWS got better suggestions than this!!

 

[Duck_feeder]

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Thanks for pointing this out. Nice to see the FWS has issued an official response to the status of the new regulations. I've updated the first post with this info to make it easier for others to reference.

 

[Duck_feeder]

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Certainly good news, but I would suggest that we do not let up just yet. The "captive-bred" terminology worries me. I would feel a lot better if it read "domestic".

Mac_

Captive-bred is actually more lenient than domestic. It is debatable whether or not muscovy ducks are domesticated depending on who you talk to. I'm not even sure if there is a universally agreed upon definition of domesticated (might be, but I couldn't find one). There is no gray area on what captive-bred means (animals raised in captivity - both wild or domesticated breeds).

Also, if interpreted literally the "captive-bred" limitation is only for the food permit. No such limitation is made on possession.

 

[Mac_]

I gave the "captive-bred" terminology more thought overnight and still find that extremely worrisome.

Are your Muscovies captive-bred wild migratory birds? Mine sure are not. It's all the males can do to "migrate" over a 3' tall poultry fence, even when young.

The previous post by Dances with Ducks brings up an excellent point. WE CAN'T RELY ON IWBA OR APA TO SPEAK FOR US. What an elitist position!

I think that we need to push to document that our Musvovies are domestic livestock and therefore 100% exempt from regulation of any kind by this regulation.

I'm going to start a thread: "How long have you been raising domestic Muscovies?" I will also also google "hatcheries Muscovy" and e-mail those hatcheries and ask how long they have been breeding Muscovies.

 

[Mac_]

Duck Feeder,

Our posts just crossed in the ether.

As far as the Wildlife regulations go, "captive-bred" means whatever those same regulations define it to mean. Absent a definition in the regs, it means whatever the regulatory agency chooses for it to mean.

Did you find an actual definition in the regs? If so, that would be great, and please post a link.

Thanks for all your work on this issue.

MAc_

 

[Duck_feeder]

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the regulations over migratory birds (50 CFR 21) has a section on definitions (50 CFR 21.3):

Bred in captivity or captive-bred refers to raptors, including eggs, hatched in captivity from parents that mated or otherwise transferred gametes in captivity.

Captivity means that a live raptor is held in a controlled environment that is intensively manipulated by man for the purpose of producing raptors of selected species, and that has boundaries designed to prevent raptors, eggs or gametes of the selected species from entering or leaving the controlled environment. General characteristics of captivity may include, but are not limited to, artificial housing, waste removal, health care, protection from predators, and artificially supplied food.

Clearly this is currently limited to raptors and will need to be updated if the phrase "captive-bred" is used in the updated muscovy regulations. But for now, we can use this as a guideline on the intended meaning of "captive-bred" as these definitions are part of the same set of regulations.

References to "captive-reared" ducks are made in 50 CFR 21.13 and 21.14 but no definition is provided as far I could tell.​

 

[HallFamilyFarm]

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Thanks for pointing this out. Nice to see the FWS has issued an official response to the status of the new regulations. I've updated the first post with this info to make it easier for others to reference.

You are most welcome. Since aquiring some exhibition Muscovy Ducks last week, I now have an invested interest in this issue.

 

[Mac_]

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the regulations over migratory birds (50 CFR 21) has a section on definitions (50 CFR 21.3):

Bred in captivity or captive-bred refers to raptors, including eggs, hatched in captivity from parents that mated or otherwise transferred gametes in captivity.

Captivity means that a live raptor is held in a controlled environment that is intensively manipulated by man for the purpose of producing raptors of selected species, and that has boundaries designed to prevent raptors, eggs or gametes of the selected species from entering or leaving the controlled environment. General characteristics of captivity may include, but are not limited to, artificial housing, waste removal, health care, protection from predators, and artificially supplied food.

Clearly this is currently limited to raptors and will need to be updated if the phrase "captive-bred" is used in the updated muscovy regulations. But for now, we can use this as a guideline on the intended meaning of "captive-bred" as these definitions are part of the same set of regulations.

References to "captive-reared" ducks are made in 50 CFR 21.13 and 21.14 but no definition is provided as far I could tell.​

OK, sounds like they are associating Muscovies with raptors, which are federally protected and require permits to even possess. Not a good sign in my opinion. Thanks for posting this.

I just found that JM Hatcheries (Freedom Rangers) sells Muscovies from breeding stock from France, that originally came from Brazil. Grimaud Farms in California has been raising Muscovies, also from French breeding stock since 1965.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

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you have to put a space between each one and any surrounding characters for them to show up

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

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Agreed that the reg should define terms such as feral, wild, domestic and captive bred. However, as I read the new changes (and I haven't had the time to go over them with a fine-toothed comb yet), if you are outside the areas where they are considered migratory, you don't have a concern with US Fish & Wildlife; you may end up having concerns with your local, county or state laws.