Muscovy questions :)

[Miss Lydia]

Looks like a drake to me with the long tail and thick legs. Dex is adorable.
@oldhenlikesdogs

So sorry to hear about your dad hope he makes a full recovery. My dh had open heart surgery back in Oct. It takes a while for them to get back on their feet.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

One thing I look for at that age is bill shape. Drakes will have a wide shovel bill, and hens will have a more of a ridge up the center. The other thing to look for is wing feather development. Hens will feather out wing feathers earlier, where drakes have stubs for much longer. Since I just see the beginning of flight feathers coming in on the one photo I would guess Drake as well. My hens will have their flight feathers mostly in by that age.

 

[BradyK]

Looks like a drake to me with the long tail and thick legs. Dex is adorable.
@oldhenlikesdogs

So sorry to hear about your dad hope he makes a full recovery. My dh had open heart surgery back in Oct. It takes a while for them to get back on their feet.

 

[Miss Lydia]

I have an imprinted Muscovy drake too. He is going on 8yrs old now and still like to come in an visit and get cuddles. I love him to bits but have to warn you when they get around 4 months of age and hormones begin to surge they can become a handful. We got my boy 3 Muscovy girls of his very own his dad would not have shared his willingly. lol

When you begin to notice the changes don't panic just come back and we'll help you get through it. But when ever you can I would seriously think about getting him at least 3 females of his very own.

 

[BradyK]

That’s what we thought too! Male so we can call him Dexter and not Dexi. Lol He is still a lone duck. We are integrating him with the chickens. Doing well but he wears a diaper and hangs inside a lot. Every night he lays next to my handicapped daughter and at 10 pm he wonders to me to cuddle befor bed. He has gone to work with me and walks in a leash. Do I really have to find him another duck? Will he try to mate with my chickens when he is mature? So many questions. Thanks regarding my Dad. What a horrific procedure. We are all there to help him though. Surgery was Monday and he is really doing well. I have heard it takes a good while for recovery and can be some depression. We will watch him closely.

 

[Miss Lydia]

That's good he has ya'll for support really means a lot for recovery.

Aww Dex sounds so adorable but he is going to be a handful once those hormones begin and with a handicapped dd your going to have to be really vigilant in teaching him manners. I have never had a lone drake with my chickens so can't say for sure he'll try and mate with them, But most members who have Mallard derived drakes say their drakes will try it with their chickens if no females are available. And it is a killer for a chicken to be mated by a drake their anatomy is not set up for a drakes penis. Just things to be aware of.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

That’s what we thought too! Male so we can call him Dexter and not Dexi. Lol He is still a lone duck. We are integrating him with the chickens. Doing well but he wears a diaper and hangs inside a lot. Every night he lays next to my handicapped daughter and at 10 pm he wonders to me to cuddle befor bed. He has gone to work with me and walks in a leash. Do I really have to find him another duck? Will he try to mate with my chickens when he is mature? So many questions. Thanks regarding my Dad. What a horrific procedure. We are all there to help him though. Surgery was Monday and he is really doing well. I have heard it takes a good while for recovery and can be some depression. We will watch him closely.

I personally would not raise him with chickens as he could bond with them. We had to butcher our last drake because he was always chasing and harassing my chickens. He finally ripped the comb off a rooster and I said enough. I did not raise him so I'm unsure what his background was.

I do house my chickens and muscovy in the same shed. There is a bit of back and forth between the species as far as gooses and pecks, but nothing serious otherwise.

 

[Miss Lydia]

My Muscovys and chickens share one house and 2 of my Muscovy females roost with the chickens. No problems at all.