Muscovy Question

[taighlyr1888]

Hello,
I have a few questions about muscovys, but first I feel I need to explain how I got into muscovy ducks. I have included a few pictures of him, including what he looked like as a duckling. Two of these pictures show him two weeks ago, while the close up of his head was taken yesterday.
My husband and I were at a local hardware store, and to our surprise we found a single duckling in with a bunch of chicks. He was missing some feathers on his back and the base of his neck. We bought him, and the hardware store owner was told that he was a khaki campbell. Well, after looking a few things up, we came to believe that the duckling was a mallard. Eventually, at about age 16 weeks, we found out he is a muscovy, when his carnacles started growing. In the past two weeks the feathers on his head have started turning white. Now I did some digging, and I think he is a chocolate barred drake with white head gene, but I'm not sure. He has lost his voice, and makes a quiet raspy noise when he is excited or irritable.
Here are my questions.
1. Is he a chocolate barred? Chocolate is obvious, but I'm not sure about the barred.
2. Is this the white head gene?
3. When is he going to be fully grown? He already weighs 9.6 pounds
4. When will he become interested in hens? We have two pekin hens, 2 weeks younger than him, and I want to know when I need to start candling the eggs.

 

[TheTwoRoos]

I notice breeding from four to five months.I would say by nine months the guy should be grown,after all he weighs ten pounds.

 

[Soon2BChixMom]

@learycow
She can tell you the exact name of the coloring.
He is pretty handsome. Pekins grow and mature faster than muscovies.

 

[Soon2BChixMom]

Mine are 15 weeks and I have seen no mating yet. I have all muscovies.

 

[TheTwoRoos]

Once the hens get older give your ducks a kitty pool,that’s the only way to know when and if he will breed your girls,ducks get very excited Whne they have water around,that’s Whne the most breeding here goes on anyway.I have had about I would say a total of eighteen ducks in the past nine years (maybe more),and that is literally the first time I would see breeding.

Hello,
I have a few questions about muscovys, but first I feel I need to explain how I got into muscovy ducks. I have included a few pictures of him, including what he looked like as a duckling. Two of these pictures show him two weeks ago, while the close up of his head was taken yesterday. View attachment 1447809 View attachment 1447810 View attachment 1447813 View attachment 1447814
My husband and I were at a local hardware store, and to our surprise we found a single duckling in with a bunch of chicks. He was missing some feathers on his back and the base of his neck. We bought him, and the hardware store owner was told that he was a khaki campbell. Well, after looking a few things up, we came to believe that the duckling was a mallard. Eventually, at about age 16 weeks, we found out he is a muscovy, when his carnacles started growing. In the past two weeks the feathers on his head have started turning white. Now I did some digging, and I think he is a chocolate barred drake with white head gene, but I'm not sure. He has lost his voice, and makes a quiet raspy noise when he is excited or irritable.
Here are my questions.
1. Is he a chocolate barred? Chocolate is obvious, but I'm not sure about the barred.
2. Is this the white head gene?
3. When is he going to be fully grown? He already weighs 9.6 pounds
4. When will he become interested in hens? We have two pekin hens, 2 weeks younger than him, and I want to know when I need to start candling the eggs.

 

[TheTwoRoos]

As a matter of fact,I would go ahead and put them together and see what happens.

 

[redranger209]

Muskovy hybrids with other ducks are rare, they have different genusses (Not sure what plural for genus is.) They would have a bad hatch rate and be unfertile mules.

 

[Soon2BChixMom]

@Miss Lydia can tell you at about what age they will start mating.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Not sure if this is the norm but it is with mine they are usually 8-9 months old before mating and laying eggs. So if they hatch in June of this year they will begin mating and laying nest Spring. This is the way it has been with mine they mature slower than other domestics because they haven't been messed with like other domestics have been developed to mature fast. And lay hundreds of eggs.

 

[learycow]

Hello,
I have a few questions about muscovys, but first I feel I need to explain how I got into muscovy ducks. I have included a few pictures of him, including what he looked like as a duckling. Two of these pictures show him two weeks ago, while the close up of his head was taken yesterday. View attachment 1447809 View attachment 1447810 View attachment 1447813 View attachment 1447814
My husband and I were at a local hardware store, and to our surprise we found a single duckling in with a bunch of chicks. He was missing some feathers on his back and the base of his neck. We bought him, and the hardware store owner was told that he was a khaki campbell. Well, after looking a few things up, we came to believe that the duckling was a mallard. Eventually, at about age 16 weeks, we found out he is a muscovy, when his carnacles started growing. In the past two weeks the feathers on his head have started turning white. Now I did some digging, and I think he is a chocolate barred drake with white head gene, but I'm not sure. He has lost his voice, and makes a quiet raspy noise when he is excited or irritable.
Here are my questions.
1. Is he a chocolate barred? Chocolate is obvious, but I'm not sure about the barred.
2. Is this the white head gene?
3. When is he going to be fully grown? He already weighs 9.6 pounds
4. When will he become interested in hens? We have two pekin hens, 2 weeks younger than him, and I want to know when I need to start candling the eggs.

Yes chocolate with white head gene