Muscovy keepers share your pics!

[Frank Phinster]

It's five, one of them died two days ago.

mother duck simply wanted to get out and since the weather was tolerable I let her out. She really needed some exercise and a bath.

One of the the ducklings is considerably smaller than the others and somehow has problems with eatin the bigger pellets of the starter food. But it can keep up with the others and is active, so I give it a chance. The others are eating well and seem healthy. The runners managed to find a hole in the fence and get into the "family pen" but they didn't even notice the ducklings and thus posed no threat. I chased them back to the other adults and closed the hole though when I went back into the house because one never knows for certain.

 

[Miss Lydia]

It's five, one of them died two days ago.

mother duck simply wanted to get out and since the weather was tolerable I let her out. She really needed some exercise and a bath.

One of the the ducklings is considerably smaller than the others and somehow has problems with eatin the bigger pellets of the starter food. But it can keep up with the others and is active, so I give it a chance. The others are eating well and seem healthy. The runners managed to find a hole in the fence and get into the "family pen" but they didn't even notice the ducklings and thus posed no threat. I chased them back to the other adults and closed the hole though when I went back into the house because one never knows for certain.

You can break up the pellets with a hammer or a food processor for the little ones, The pellets over here are way to big for ducklings to eat. or put warm water on them and let them get soft then feed. I hope the little one makes it. and sorry about the one that didn't.

 

[Adorkable]

They sure are calm compared to the pekins and the khaki. The pekins are definitely the more social (and vocal) of the bunch! I'm still clueless as to what sex they are. They will be 4 weeks old on Tuesday. I will take pictures on that day and post them... hopefully by then I might have an idea as to what they might be

 

[Frank Phinster]

@ Adorkable Those are cute What colour are they?


@ Miss Lydia

Thanks, I will try to break them with a hammer, I had already thought about something like that myself but didn't know quite how to do it the best way.
I also mixed it with water, but those pellets ( I somehow remember that the brand I used the years before was a little different) don't get much softer, maybe I should try more water. Some of the pellets have the right size for the smallest one so it gets food, I guess it would long have starved otherwise, but it would be easier if it would not have to try every pellet.
I was also sad to hear that another one died, but I guess that's nature...I won't let my duck breed in winter again, that's for sure. Seeing that they do well is more a relieve that enjoyment if you know what I mean. I will be glad when the next week is over when they are less frail than now and I will truly be happy when they are three weeks old.

 

[Adorkable]

@ Adorkable Those are cute What colour are they?

These are from my first bunch of waterfowl so I don't really have any experience with them, but all three Muscovies are supposed to be blue & white... we shall see

Sorry you lost another little one. How would you prevent them from breeding in the winter again? Keep the drake in a bachelor pad or something?

 

[Miss Lydia]

They sure are calm compared to the pekins and the khaki. The pekins are definitely the more social (and vocal) of the bunch! I'm still clueless as to what sex they are. They will be 4 weeks old on Tuesday. I will take pictures on that day and post them... hopefully by then I might have an idea as to what they might be

Oh my goodness they are so cute.. you may have to wait a little longer to tell gender sometime it takes about 6 weeks, are you noticing any getting bigger than the others?

 

[Miss Lydia]

@ Adorkable Those are cute What colour are they?


@ Miss Lydia

Thanks, I will try to break them with a hammer, I had already thought about something like that myself but didn't know quite how to do it the best way.
I also mixed it with water, but those pellets ( I somehow remember that the brand I used the years before was a little different) don't get much softer, maybe I should try more water. Some of the pellets have the right size for the smallest one so it gets food, I guess it would long have starved otherwise, but it would be easier if it would not have to try every pellet.
I was also sad to hear that another one died, but I guess that's nature...I won't let my duck breed in winter again, that's for sure. Seeing that they do well is more a relieve that enjoyment if you know what I mean. I will be glad when the next week is over when they are less frail than now and I will truly be happy when they are three weeks old.

I have been feeding fermented feed to my flock Frank, I use a mix of all flock, scratch and water with ACV mixed in if you think you might be interested in trying something like that I can break it down for you in amts. but my flock love it and it's so good for them. Less waste in feed too.

 

[Adorkable]

Oh my goodness they are so cute.. you may have to wait a little longer to tell gender sometime it takes about 6 weeks, are you noticing any getting bigger than the others?

6 weeks... EEK, 2 1/2 weeks to wait seems like forever! haha

1 of them was larger then the other 2, but it seems like the 2 caught up to the larger one now that they are 3 1/2 weeks old

 

[Frank Phinster]

@ Miss Lydia: That would be nice, I'd like to try that out at times. I just checked at them when I was about to lock them up for the night. They are still active, find the food bowl in complete darkness drink a lot of water and I think that they have already grown

So I hope things are finally working out. I will try to take more and better pictures tomorrow.

@ Adorkable: I will either put the eggs away when she has settled on her clutch or shake the eggs so they are damaged and cannot develop. The duck might lay eggs with or without her drake and even try to incubate them unfertilized so I might aswell keep the couple together. But maybe she doesn't even try to breed next winter.

 

[ldomerese]