Muscovy Duck Breeds

[hossfeathers]

A friend actually inspired me to post this, following a discussion of small-sized ducks. Does anyone have any information on any breeds that have been developed of Muscovy Ducks? I know that there is a French/European white meat production strain, as well as the various color varieties. I would like to find out if there are any other breeds, such as a bantam breed (cute little dragon ducks!), a line selected for better egg laying, or any Latin American 'land race' breeds.

While I think 'Scovies are excellent ducks just the way they are (awesome foragers, quiet birds, a great bird for rural households and what other breed of domestic bird can set on seventeen eggs, two golf balls and a lightbulb and hatch out 21 ducklings?) as I am getting more into these birds I am wondering what sort of breeding projects have been tried.

Any information would be great, including failed experiments.

 

[Resolution]

A friend actually inspired me to post this, following a discussion of small-sized ducks. Does anyone have any information on any breeds that have been developed of Muscovy Ducks? I know that there is a French/European white meat production strain, as well as the various color varieties. I would like to find out if there are any other breeds, such as a bantam breed (cute little dragon ducks!), a line selected for better egg laying, or any Latin American 'land race' breeds.

While I think 'Scovies are excellent ducks just the way they are (awesome foragers, quiet birds, a great bird for rural households and what other breed of domestic bird can set on seventeen eggs, two golf balls and a lightbulb and hatch out 21 ducklings?) as I am getting more into these birds I am wondering what sort of breeding projects have been tried.

Any information would be great, including failed experiments.

You are too funny! That is exactly right about their incubation success. There are some different breeds of muscovy but I don't know if any are in the states? Some of these colour mutations are good subbreeds unto themselves at this point because the poultiers working with them know what they're doing and they've been at it for a very long while. I'll look into other breeds of muscovy again and see what I can find. I know of a specific breed from Upper Egypt and Eastern Sudan called the Sudani duck it's a whole lot like every other muscovy I've seen but evidently its genetics stand out due to the infusion of the African Comb duck in its genes. It's a lot larger than any muscovy I've known here in the USA but I've seen muscovies in Australia that were easily 35 lbs and I think some of these colour mutations are bred for large size. I can't think of any bred for small size.
You could go with Mandarins -they are close relatives of the Muscovy- as is the Wood Duck. Domestic white mutations of both are very tame and personable but they do need a bit more water than muscovies as they stay in it most of the day rather than just a few minutes every day.

 

[hossfeathers]

kewl info about the Sudani duck - I will look more into that!

There is also a thread about small scovies - it looks like the easy outs that other breeds used for bantum production are out, and that one would have to do it the long, hard way. Keep you occupied for years!

 

[jamal asad]

It is very old spec. dating back to pharo. times

 

[Speceider]

It is very old spec. dating back to pharo. times

I doubt that. Wild Muscovies are native to the New World, so I have no idea how it could date back that far.

Clint

 

[charlindabob]

You are too funny! That is exactly right about their incubation success. There are some different breeds of muscovy but I don't know if any are in the states? Some of these colour mutations are good subbreeds unto themselves at this point because the poultiers working with them know what they're doing and they've been at it for a very long while. I'll look into other breeds of muscovy again and see what I can find. I know of a specific breed from Upper Egypt and Eastern Sudan called the Sudani duck it's a whole lot like every other muscovy I've seen but evidently its genetics stand out due to the infusion of the African Comb duck in its genes. It's a lot larger than any muscovy I've known here in the USA but I've seen muscovies in Australia that were easily 35 lbs and I think some of these colour mutations are bred for large size. I can't think of any bred for small size.
You could go with Mandarins -they are close relatives of the Muscovy- as is the Wood Duck. Domestic white mutations of both are very tame and personable but they do need a bit more water than muscovies as they stay in it most of the day rather than just a few minutes every day.

My experience with Mandarin Ducks (I've had near a hundred white & several hundred colored Mandarins in the past) that the white ones as well as the colored ones are not all that tame and they are extremely flighty and near impossible for the average person to incubate w/o a mama duck or chicken. I sold all my Mandarins as there is little interaction between them and people. Others may have a different opinion.

Now, I have the French White Muscovys. I would not want to ever give up this breed as it surpasses all other ducks (IMO) and definitely the quietest most friendly ducks I have ever seen. I have several dozen eggs in the incubator and am adding a dozen and a half every week. My goal, once all my ducks are laying is to take the biggest drake and the biggest ducks (maybe 3 of them) and separate them from the others and keep the ducklings from this breeding as my breeding stock.

Like the OP, I would be interested learning about different strains of the Muscovy, but I'm not giving up mine!