Muscovy keepers share your pics!

[Going Quackers]

We are expecting our first winter storm and cold temps—down to −10F. I was out adding wind protection to the pen, the muscovies were out and about when one decided to try flight. I had not clipped their wings after they molted, thinking if I put them in the garden, they might need to fly to escape predators. However, one look at how very adept the scovy was at flight lead to an immediate wing clipping party on all five females. I had visions of one them trying the flight thing in a blizzard and ending up dead. I didn't know if the five females would flock together and take off or not, but I really did not want to lose any due to unclipped wings.

One interesting thing—I usually net them to catch them, but the net gave out so my husband and I were cornering and catching (him more than me—faster reflexes, I guess). The final female, when caught, quacked!! A genuine duck quack. In eight months, I had never heard a quack out of any of them, just cooing. They are in the smallest pen now and we may move them to our greenhouse tomorrow when the temps start droppping.

I'm always saying Muscovy females do quack, yet so many so they don't, no they just generally prefer other vocals, i do find if a scovie is honking/quacking it's usually for a negative reason lol They are fighting, somebody poked, jabbed.. goosed someone or they are frightened.

I definitely investigate if i hear several going off....

Whereas the mallard derived has to be the right sort of quack as they are forever making noises of some sort lol

 

[Miss Lydia]

Usually only time I hear a quack out of mine is if they are fighting or I have had to catch one. Which I am doing now as I'm clipping wings as they finish growing out their flight feathers, so far only 2 have finished, they are late this year. Boys just finished too, I still have 1 naked chicken to she got started late also, This year I am only doing the ducks, I have always done drakes and ducks before.

 

[TommyDaDelaware]

Apparently my sheep are wacko... My poor scovy Naughty flew over the fence into the pen where we keep the Sheep. And he didn't think to fly back up and over. He tried running through or climbing the fence and popped two toenails off. He bled pretty bad.. And the sheep plucked his tailfeathers out and ATE them!! we learned though that in the absence of blood stop powder food grade diatomaceous earth, like some use for the dust baths works well. As does cake mix or flour.

 

[MsPoultry]

I have three chickens with missing toenails

 

[Miss Lydia]

Apparently my sheep are wacko... My poor scovy Naughty flew over the fence into the pen where we keep the Sheep. And he didn't think to fly back up and over. He tried running through or climbing the fence and popped two toenails off. He bled pretty bad.. And the sheep plucked his tailfeathers out and ATE them!! we learned though that in the absence of blood stop powder food grade diatomaceous earth, like some use for the dust baths works well. As does cake mix or flour.

Aww poor Naughty, I have a few that are missing toenails too ducks and chickens and one goose, and they sure do bleed alot when they pop them off. Hope he hasn't just gotten his new tail feathers from molting or he'll be missing them till next years molt.

 

[Going Quackers]

Apparently my sheep are wacko... My poor scovy Naughty flew over the fence into the pen where we keep the Sheep. And he didn't think to fly back up and over. He tried running through or climbing the fence and popped two toenails off. He bled pretty bad.. And the sheep plucked his tailfeathers out and ATE them!! we learned though that in the absence of blood stop powder food grade diatomaceous earth, like some use for the dust baths works well. As does cake mix or flour.

oh poor guy! my ducks are in with my sheep all the time, they might boop them but definitely don't eat them lol Missing nails, yeah sadly happens with scovies... flour, corn starch etc all work too in a pinch as well.

 

[InvertedKitty]

Question, do your scovies' eat herbs? Mine seriously love cilantro. .... is that normal?

 

[Going Quackers]

Question, do your scovies' eat herbs? Mine seriously love cilantro. .... is that normal?

I don't have any around so haven't the foggiest lol mine mainly eat bugs, grass, the odd mouse, frog, snake ... cough, clearly they free range

 

[InvertedKitty]

I garden and they got into my bagged cilantro I was cutting to use later, they literally became t-rexes.... it was like a scene from jurassic park.

 

[MsPoultry]

Mine love butterflies!