Muscovy keepers share your pics!

[rachelsflock]

Hi! I pinion. This year I got a wake up call as to what happens to birds who can fly and get loose in my neighborhood when someone decided to dump a wild guinea in my suburban yard. It's not hard, and honestly if done within the first week or so of hatch they protest more at being held than the pinion part. It's even a lot less traumatic than clipping wings, and honestly it reminds me of getting ears pierced. It doesn't make me happy, but if pinioning one wing keeps my birds safe and prevents them from flying off and getting hit by a car (or shot) and makes it so I don't have to grab and hold them down to clip wings every year I'll do it. If you do it, just make sure you don't clip too high. They have a little thumb where the bone seems to start. They should keep the thumb and everything up. They don't seem to miss it and live, safe, fed birds are happier than flying, lost, or dead ones. I love my duckies!

 

[BabyandCotton]

Hi! I pinion. This year I got a wake up call as to what happens to birds who can fly and get loose in my neighborhood when someone decided to dump a wild guinea in my suburban yard. It's not hard, and honestly if done within the first week or so of hatch they protest more at being held than the pinion part. It's even a lot less traumatic than clipping wings, and honestly it reminds me of getting ears pierced. It doesn't make me happy, but if pinioning one wing keeps my birds safe and prevents them from flying off and getting hit by a car (or shot) and makes it so I don't have to grab and hold them down to clip wings every year I'll do it. If you do it, just make sure you don't clip too high. They have a little thumb where the bone seems to start. They should keep the thumb and everything up. They don't seem to miss it and live, safe, fed birds are happier than flying, lost, or dead ones. I love my duckies!

I wish my pied Drake was pinioned! They can fly like eagles, no joke.

 

[rachelsflock]

D'oh, that's not what I want to hear. I was hoping I could keep my drake unclipped this year. I got him as an adult, and I love, LOVE him to the moon and back. He's also kind of fat and slow-moving so I was hoping that when his wings grow back that he'd be too heavy to fly...I'm not sure I'm willing to risk him getting lost though. Oh well, I guess we'll have to re-solidify our friendship again after. Even if it takes a few days, I guess it's better than risking it.

 

[casportpony]

My mature drakes are too heavy to fly more than a few feet off the ground. How big is your property?

-Kathy

 

[slutter]

Hi! I pinion. This year I got a wake up call as to what happens to birds who can fly and get loose in my neighborhood when someone decided to dump a wild guinea in my suburban yard. It's not hard, and honestly if done within the first week or so of hatch they protest more at being held than the pinion part. It's even a lot less traumatic than clipping wings, and honestly it reminds me of getting ears pierced. It doesn't make me happy, but if pinioning one wing keeps my birds safe and prevents them from flying off and getting hit by a car (or shot) and makes it so I don't have to grab and hold them down to clip wings every year I'll do it. If you do it, just make sure you don't clip too high. They have a little thumb where the bone seems to start. They should keep the thumb and everything up. They don't seem to miss it and live, safe, fed birds are happier than flying, lost, or dead ones. I love my duckies!

I've heard that, but I bought mine a few weeks old, they're about 5-6 weeks now could I still do them or would it be too bard now? I'll just be doing one wing most likely

 

[rachelsflock]

The older they are the more traumatic it is and the more bleeding there will be. If you (gently) pinch the last length of their wing and feel bone instead of cartilage it's too late and while I'm sure most will survive it (just like most can survive getting their wing eaten off by a raccoon), I can't recommend it. It would hurt more than an ear piercing that way and you'd have to use something to stop bleeding (normally with an at hatch pinion there's only a drop at most). I'd be too scared to try it, but then again, I'm not an expert. I'm new to flying ducks and I only worked up the nerve to do it for the first time this year.

 

[rachelsflock]

My mature drakes are too heavy to fly more than a few feet off the ground. How big is your property?

-Kathy

My property is a long, narrow acre. We'll see. If I see him start being able to reach anywhere near the height of the fence I'll jump on his massive back and clip him immediately. I hate doing it, but he's WAY too big for any other approach, and even then it's a rodeo. It would be a challenge to weigh him, but I'm pretty sure he's at least a fifteen pound drake-but he's a fifteen pound mature drake that adores people, is gentle with kids, and likes to babysit and snuggle ducklings underneath him so he's worth the dragon back ride it takes to clip his massive primaries if I have to in order to keep him around. It's good to hear someone's drakes don't fly much.

 

[chicken hawk 33]

D'oh, that's not what I want to hear. I was hoping I could keep my drake unclipped this year. I got him as an adult, and I love, LOVE him to the moon and back. He's also kind of fat and slow-moving so I was hoping that when his wings grow back that he'd be too heavy to fly...I'm not sure I'm willing to risk him getting lost though. Oh well, I guess we'll have to re-solidify our friendship again after. Even if it takes a few days, I guess it's better than risking it.

I would clip them

 

[muscovymomma]

I wish my pied Drake was pinioned! They can fly like eagles, no joke.

Does he ever fly off? How do you keep him home?

 

[Miss Lydia]

D'oh, that's not what I want to hear. I was hoping I could keep my drake unclipped this year. I got him as an adult, and I love, LOVE him to the moon and back. He's also kind of fat and slow-moving so I was hoping that when his wings grow back that he'd be too heavy to fly...I'm not sure I'm willing to risk him getting lost though. Oh well, I guess we'll have to re-solidify our friendship again after. Even if it takes a few days, I guess it's better than risking it.

He's gorgeous, I don't clip the wings of my Muscovy drake he is very happy here with 6 females and has never flown at all.