Muscovy keepers share your pics!

[Ren2014]

My surprise babies

 

[muscovymomma]

Hey gang, I'm back with an update and some more questions. So, in May of 2016 I got 10 one day old un-sexed Muscovy. I raised them in my backyard till they were 16 weeks and then we moved them out to our weekend farm house. They are 100% free range. I ended up with 6 drakes and 4 ducks. I have since lost 2 drakes and 1 duck. I believe a predator (hawk or coyote) got my duck since she was the runt and smallest of the flock. I think the other 2 males just flew away due to the male/female ratio not being accurate. (I wasn't aware that I needed 3-4 ducks per drake, or I would have ordered sexed ducks.) Anyways, the remaining 7 are doing great! They seem to stay on the water or at the waters edge during the night and sleep most of the day. They have roost that they could in for protection, but the only time they went in there was during a snow storm where the temp was down to 15 degrees for about 18-20 hours. I live in West Texas so temperatures are usually warm. They all appear to be finding plenty of food, even in the winter months. I do feed them on the weekends but during the week, the pretty much just fend for themselves. I am very happy with how things have worked out. Now, for the question part... temps here are already warming up with highs in the 60s and lows in the 40s most days. So I know in a few weeks we should start seeing eggs. They are over 8 months old now and the boys are just now starting to really iron out a pecking order so I am trying to gear up for the spring. Do you agree that we should start seeing eggs soon? If so, will they lay whenever/wherever until they get the urge to set? Should I be looking for a nest or will it be more like an egg hunt? If the ducks do hatch a clutch, how long do they stay with that clutch before laying/setting again? I would like to hatch a clutch but I don't want to be irresponsible and end up with 100+ ducks! Also, would it be possible to leave the babies with mom or do I need to collect them and raise them at home? I know every duck is different, but i am just trying to get an idea of what to expect, so I can prepare myself.

P.S. is it normal for a ducks appearance to change after 6 months? I had a very dark chocolate than is now extremely light colored. I also have a blue that was white with grey and now the grey is almost black. I had a black that is now turning brown.. haha I went back to see them this weekend and almost thought that they were completely different ducks! haha

Thanks! here are some pics!

 

[Miss Lydia]

My surprise babies

Aww my goodness how adorable

and look at mom Photo bombing

 

[FoodFreedomNow]

My surprise babies

Wow! She did an awesome job.

 

[muscovymomma]

Congrats Ren-
Where in Texas are you? I have a flock that is about 8 months old now and no eggs yet. maybe I will get some soon though with warmer weather on the way!

 

[FoodFreedomNow]

Hey gang, I'm back with an update and some more questions. So, in May of 2016 I got 10 one day old un-sexed Muscovy. I raised them in my backyard till they were 16 weeks and then we moved them out to our weekend farm house. They are 100% free range. I ended up with 6 drakes and 4 ducks. I have since lost 2 drakes and 1 duck. I believe a predator (hawk or coyote) got my duck since she was the runt and smallest of the flock. I think the other 2 males just flew away due to the male/female ratio not being accurate. (I wasn't aware that I needed 3-4 ducks per drake, or I would have ordered sexed ducks.) Anyways, the remaining 7 are doing great! They seem to stay on the water or at the waters edge during the night and sleep most of the day. They have roost that they could in for protection, but the only time they went in there was during a snow storm where the temp was down to 15 degrees for about 18-20 hours. I live in West Texas so temperatures are usually warm. They all appear to be finding plenty of food, even in the winter months. I do feed them on the weekends but during the week, the pretty much just fend for themselves. I am very happy with how things have worked out. Now, for the question part... temps here are already warming up with highs in the 60s and lows in the 40s most days. So I know in a few weeks we should start seeing eggs. They are over 8 months old now and the boys are just now starting to really iron out a pecking order so I am trying to gear up for the spring. Do you agree that we should start seeing eggs soon? If so, will they lay whenever/wherever until they get the urge to set? Should I be looking for a nest or will it be more like an egg hunt? If the ducks do hatch a clutch, how long do they stay with that clutch before laying/setting again? I would like to hatch a clutch but I don't want to be irresponsible and end up with 100+ ducks! Also, would it be possible to leave the babies with mom or do I need to collect them and raise them at home? I know every duck is different, but i am just trying to get an idea of what to expect, so I can prepare myself.

P.S. is it normal for a ducks appearance to change after 6 months? I had a very dark chocolate than is now extremely light colored. I also have a blue that was white with grey and now the grey is almost black. I had a black that is now turning brown.. haha I went back to see them this weekend and almost thought that they were completely different ducks! haha

Thanks! here are some pics!

Gorgeous Muscovies! You had a few questions...

Based on what you said about temperature where you are, I think you'll probably see eggs fairly soon. Have you seen any girls looking like they want to lay? I've seen a number of mine in the chicken coop checking out the nest boxes and nibbling oyster shell, and I think two are laying now.

If you provide nest boxes, most will figure out that they should lay there, but I've always had one or two that will drop an egg in a random place or try to hide a clutch. You just have to keep an eye on the girls that wander away by themselves - if they disappear into a brush pile, for example, you can be pretty sure they're hiding eggs there. I had one do that, and the eggs were inaccessible, so I blocked off the access and she went back to laying in the coop.

Ducks will usually stay with their ducklings for at least 6 weeks, some more, depending on the duck. When they start spending time away from the ducklings and looking disinterested in them, or if they resume laying, they're likely ready to leave them. You can let mom raise her babies or you can take them away at a couple of days old - I've only let the moms raise their babies, but I think you would have a better chance of raising people-friendly (if that's important to you) ducks if you raised them in a brooder. It's really neat watching the moms raise their ducklings, and I think the ducklings are more readily accepted into the flock if broody-raised.

Yes, it's normal for chocolates to "fade" somewhat in color, and it seems to accelerate in the summer - mine sure do. After they molt, they return to their darker chocolate coloration, but I've noticed that their white chest coloration (if they have any) can change - sometimes it increases or changes, like spots appearing or the pattern changing. White heads can also turn whiter. The fun part is that you never know what you're going to get! lol

 

[muscovymomma]

Gorgeous Muscovies! You had a few questions...

Based on what you said about temperature where you are, I think you'll probably see eggs fairly soon. Have you seen any girls looking like they want to lay? I've seen a number of mine in the chicken coop checking out the nest boxes and nibbling oyster shell, and I think two are laying now.

If you provide nest boxes, most will figure out that they should lay there, but I've always had one or two that will drop an egg in a random place or try to hide a clutch. You just have to keep an eye on the girls that wander away by themselves - if they disappear into a brush pile, for example, you can be pretty sure they're hiding eggs there. I had one do that, and the eggs were inaccessible, so I blocked off the access and she went back to laying in the coop.

Ducks will usually stay with their ducklings for at least 6 weeks, some more, depending on the duck. When they start spending time away from the ducklings and looking disinterested in them, or if they resume laying, they're likely ready to leave them. You can let mom raise her babies or you can take them away at a couple of days old - I've only let the moms raise their babies, but I think you would have a better chance of raising people-friendly (if that's important to you) ducks if you raised them in a brooder. It's really neat watching the moms raise their ducklings, and I think the ducklings are more readily accepted into the flock if broody-raised.

Yes, it's normal for chocolates to "fade" somewhat in color, and it seems to accelerate in the summer - mine sure do. After they molt, they return to their darker chocolate coloration, but I've noticed that their white chest coloration (if they have any) can change - sometimes it increases or changes, like spots appearing or the pattern changing. White heads can also turn whiter. The fun part is that you never know what you're going to get! lol

Perfect! I would prefer them to raise their own. I am also hesitant about putting anything out that would be considered a nesting box. I do not want them exposed and easy picking for predators. I would rather let the girls do their best to hide them. That just makes me worry that I am going to end up with over 100 babies by the end of the year! haha I am going to try to watch the girls closely and maybe take their eggs after we have one or two clutches.

 

[Table4Six]

Here are some of my muscovies.

 

[FoodFreedomNow]

Here are some of my muscovies.

Beautiful!

 

[Ren2014]

Hey gang, I'm back with an update and some more questions. So, in May of 2016 I got 10 one day old un-sexed Muscovy. I raised them in my backyard till they were 16 weeks and then we moved them out to our weekend farm house. They are 100% free range. I ended up with 6 drakes and 4 ducks. I have since lost 2 drakes and 1 duck. I believe a predator (hawk or coyote) got my duck since she was the runt and smallest of the flock. I think the other 2 males just flew away due to the male/female ratio not being accurate. (I wasn't aware that I needed 3-4 ducks per drake, or I would have ordered sexed ducks.) Anyways, the remaining 7 are doing great! They seem to stay on the water or at the waters edge during the night and sleep most of the day. They have roost that they could in for protection, but the only time they went in there was during a snow storm where the temp was down to 15 degrees for about 18-20 hours. I live in West Texas so temperatures are usually warm. They all appear to be finding plenty of food, even in the winter months. I do feed them on the weekends but during the week, the pretty much just fend for themselves. I am very happy with how things have worked out. Now, for the question part... temps here are already warming up with highs in the 60s and lows in the 40s most days. So I know in a few weeks we should start seeing eggs. They are over 8 months old now and the boys are just now starting to really iron out a pecking order so I am trying to gear up for the spring. Do you agree that we should start seeing eggs soon? If so, will they lay whenever/wherever until they get the urge to set? Should I be looking for a nest or will it be more like an egg hunt? If the ducks do hatch a clutch, how long do they stay with that clutch before laying/setting again? I would like to hatch a clutch but I don't want to be irresponsible and end up with 100+ ducks! Also, would it be possible to leave the babies with mom or do I need to collect them and raise them at home? I know every duck is different, but i am just trying to get an idea of what to expect, so I can prepare myself.

P.S. is it normal for a ducks appearance to change after 6 months? I had a very dark chocolate than is now extremely light colored. I also have a blue that was white with grey and now the grey is almost black. I had a black that is now turning brown.. haha I went back to see them this weekend and almost thought that they were completely different ducks! haha

Thanks! here are some pics!

welcome back. Beautiful scovies! I have some that look just like yours

Ditto @FoodFreedomNow reply to your questions.
It is so much fun watching the mamas raise them and WAY easier, lol.

Congrats Ren-
Where in Texas are you? I have a flock that is about 8 months old now and no eggs yet. maybe I will get some soon though with warmer weather on the way!

Thank you. I'm SE of Austin. Our girls lay year round here. You should be getting eggs soon, if not already... if yours are free ranging they could be laying where you can't find them. This mama of 15 was under a raised floor, lol. If I had found her in time I would have pulled some eggs from her.