muscovy duck questions?

[sydney13]

i have a 1 month old muscovy duck and a few questions.
is it necessary to keep the wings clipped. right now her wings are clipped but when they grow back im wondering if i should clip them again. we have a fenced in backyard but close neighbors. i want her to be able to fly up to the nest box and away from danger but i don't want to risk her flying into the neighbors yard.

do all muscovys roost? and what age do they start roosting? yesterday evening i walked out to see my muscovy sitting on top of a table a few feet above the ground. she cant fly so i no clue how she go up there but im wondering if she is getting ready to roost.

how many eggs do they lay a year?

can a hawk eat a adult muscovy hen?

in the winter do they still like to swim?

 

[keeperofthehearth]

1mo. old? Generally pure Scovies aren't even fully feathered out at 1mo. and flight feathers aren't out fully for flying until they are closer to 10-12 wks old. You may have a Muscovy cross (mule) or she's older than you think. That being said, you will need to clip her wing, one wing only, every time she molts if you don't want her flying over the fence. You could give her a beauty clip, which leaves the longest two flight feathers intact but looks nicer when their wings are folder along their backs. They also will get a bit of a lift that way but won't be flying over a 5' fence. All my Scovies roost if there are roosts available in their houses & mine began roosting about the time they began molting into adult feathers. If she jumped up on the table she probably would appreciate a roost.

She may lay 8-25 eggs in a clutch 2-3 times a year in you are in a cold winter climate. She may 4 clutches if you have warm weather year round. I've notice my girls lay larger clutches early in the spring and subsequent clutches are smaller before brooding as the year progresses.

I've only had one hawk attack a full grown Scovy hen and then it backed off at the last minute once it realized how "big" it's prey was. Didn't make me happy in the least as if it had "hit" her it may still have killed or at least hurt her badly.

They do still like to bath in the winter & they need to. They don't stay in the water long and you have to be sure NOT to warm the water too much if it's really cold outside or they will soak in the water to long and freeze up when they get out. I learned that the hard way last year.

It's best if the water is just comfortable enough for them to splash around a bit so they preen & keep their feathers in good shape.

 

[sydney13]

i don't know why i wrote one month, she is really 2 months old

I got her at 1 month and her primary flight feathers looked like they had been snipped because they had the ends chopped off. i haven't been able to get a good look at them but maybe they were still only growing not cut. what age would a muscovy be able to fly if they don't have the wings cut?
this is her at 6 weeks old

and this was 1 week ago

i dont think shes a mule right? maybe she is older then i thought.

 

[Caprice_Acres]

She looks muscovy to me. Pictures make me think your age is just a LITTLE off. I have a duckling that will be 6 weeks old this Sunday, and it has WAY less feathers than yours at 6 weeks. I'd say she was likely 8+ weeks old in the first pic, not 6.

I don't trim my 'scovies feathers. Mine do NOT fly - ever - and I have a LOT of them.

They don't even roost up high - content with sitting on the cement pad in front of the barn. They seem very content to just mosey about the yard, walking everywhere. Some people claim theirs are great flyers, though, and I personally believe it's all in what they learn. Mine don't see their parents flying and in turn try to learn. If you're worried about it you could clip one of her wings so she won't be able to learn how to fly. They need well developed musculature to fly, and eventually they will be to heavy to lift themselves.

 

[maggiemmm]

Believe me they can fly! One of the females flew to the top of our house and went "neener,neener,neener , you can't catch me" and she was right . We got her in the next morning - she broke through the deer netting on the top of the fenced area. ... Next time she got out she said " Sayonara" and we have not seen her since.

The male is too fat to fly far .. he gets to the roost and that is that. Darkwing seems content to just stay around. I am going to clip her wings just in case . She will still be able get to the roost but not to the top of the house.

 

[keeperofthehearth]

what age would a muscovy be able to fly if they don't have the wings cut?

She would practice first so you would have time to clip before she was flying high or far. You would see her practicing for a week or so before you would need to worry. She would stand on her tip toes ....

.. and flap her wings for awhile, run, and get a bit of lift. Mine usually start flying at about 3mo/12wks. Your Scovy is real pretty and does look full Scovy.​