Muscovy experts...I have a ? UPDATE! BABIES!

[duck walk]

I have a Muscovy duck who has been sitting on 13 eggs for around 10 days...while doing chores, changing water in the pools and such this evening, I noticed the duck off the nest eating, bathing and just generally walking about stretching her legs...thought nothing of it...chores accomplished I was heading back to the house and suddenly realized my Muscovy drake was missing...of course my mind screamed predator as we have lost a few along the way to predation...I looked all over the place for him and I mean every where...they have quite a big yard divided by three with shelter, shade covers, trees and all that...well, he was the last place I thought to look...sitting on the nest keeping the eggs while his mate was out and about...is this common in Muscovies for the drake to take a turn sitting on the eggs? Surprised the mud out of me...

 

[Miss Lydia]

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Never heard of that before, mostly hear about the drakes killing the ducklings if given a chance. wow

 

[DUCKGIRL89]

How lucky are you lol.

 

[lovin my birds]

I have never had a drake do this. I only have two young drakes who where seperated from my femals when she was sitting. But I have had Roosters do this. Especially my OEGB roo. He will even care for the chicks so that the moms can have a break. Lol! He is a sweetheart. Just hope your drake stays like this and doesnt try to kill the babies. It would be so awesome to have one lke yours. You are lucky!

 

[duck walk]

I feel lucky in that he is such a sweet BIG boy...very loyal and attentive to the girls...I have two young females and he was a hoot when I turned them in with the main flock...I wait to do that until the youngsters are feathered out and big enough to hold their own...it was cute to watch Carlisle ( sorry, total twilight fan) when he approached the young girls for the first time...they sought each other out in the main flock like they recognized their own kind...lots of chatter and head bobbing...he was smitten and they were awed to have such a handsome dude flirting with them...the four Muscovies hang together in the main flock...well, Esme, (I know, I know...twilight fixation) is occupied with her nest and sitting duties at the moment, but Carlisle and the young girls are never far away from her and last night he filled in sitting on the eggs while Esme took a break...
The entire group, or flock, are so amazing to watch...I have four Cayuga females who are almost at the point of laying for the first time...I have a young crested drake, Chuck, who is the off spring of Walter, my crested Rouen and Barbara, my black Runner...he is courting one of the Cayuga females which freely translated means he is chasing her all over the place...she is playing hard to get...he was chasing her yesterday blind with love and he crashed into Barney, the brown Chinese gander...Barney sent him sailing and sumersaulting...the expression on Chuck's mug was hilarious as he picked himself up...looked like he wanted someone to get the tag number on the truck that had just mowed him down...he went and sat in one of the pools for a while chilling out and getting his ego back on...they are such a riot, all of them...

 

[Miss Lydia]

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It's better than any TV or movies. in other words their a hoot.

 

[jdywntr]

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[cooprunbuilder]

dedicated dad lol, I had a pair of moscovies 2 years ago I was raising them for a friend and the drake did the same a few times they took it in turns lol.

 

[Miss Lydia]

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Okay coop, I don't wantr to hijack this thread but you've got to show a picture of these cherry valleys.

 

[Bleenie]

that's adorable! our old geese did it when they brooded their eggs & they aways helped the duck hens too, mainly the gander.