Muscovy Questions.....

[Shkittles]

HI! I'm !Shkittles! and i have 2 mallard ducks who hate me.

They're my first ducks ever, so my journey into ducks hasn't been as great as i thought. While on craigslist today i saw an add for Muscovy ducklings for $5 each, and i've been interested in getting scovies except there are basically no hatcheries that sell them. So when i saw that add i was so excited.

If my mom says i can get one which i don't see why not since we have the space and already buy duck food. So here's my questions.........

- Can tell the gender on 8 week old Muscovy ducklings? If so how?

- Which are generally nicer males or females?

Here's a link to the listing if any one else is intereseted they're located in Lancaster/Logan Ohio
http://columbus.craigslist.org/grd/1250280278.html

Thanks, !Shkittles!

 

[jmc]

An 8 week old male should be significantly larger than an 8wk old female; possibly--possibly--there may be a beginning of red caruncling around bill; but it may be too early for that.

Otherwise, one would have to check the vent for the sex organs........

 

[kitkatbahr]

I agree with what Duckmonk said. I would also recommend that you get TWO ducklings, not just one. Muscovies are a good bit bigger than Mallards, so you may need a buddy for your muscovy that is of the same size/breed. I would recommend getting two females, if possible, if you don't plan on mating them. What are your mallards, male or female or one of each? If you get a drake muscovy, you will need more than one hen for it, as they tend to overmate just one hen. I believe the minimum ratio for hens to drakes is 3 hens per drake, so try and get two hens if possible.

Also as far as size goes, if there are enough ducklings, look at their feet for comparison. My drakelet had HUGE feet when he was young. The drakes should be bigger than the hens, but will also have bigger feet.

Good luck with them!

I love Muscovies. They are wonderful ducks.

Edited to add...I thought that ad looked familiar. I saw it posted on this forum earlier. So, the poster is a BYC forum member. Cool!!! Here is the link...

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=208341

This person probably can help you figure out which ones are males and females.

 

[Shkittles]

kitkatbahr,
I have a male and a female Mallard.