Need help sexing 6 week old muscovy duckling

[Gingernutt]

Barring? Sorry i dont know well the muscovy colour names but it mean he will eventually be a soild colour or stay the mixed?

 

[Miss Lydia]

He has barring on his chest or rippling what ever you want to call it,they usually molt it out . It’s a wait and see as far as what he’ll look like when done they change so much. All my Muscovy pics I lost when my computer died so I don’t have any of mine when they were going through this phase but I believe I remember @ruthhope had a pic up recently of one of hers

 

[ruthhope]

You are a wonderful duck keeper! I bet it's so much fun watching them.
I live in S. Florida so the weather is good. The wildlife predators in my area include hawks, raccoons, opossums, once in a while a fox and recently the coyotes are hanging around.
I ended up with 3 eggs because for the 3rd time a female Muscovy will lay eggs behind my fountain in front of the house. It's right by a low kitchen window. After almost two weeks of being off her nest, she never came back. Since I have an incubator I thought I'd try and save them.
Well, it worked. I'm still trying to decide whether I should keep them or not. I know it's illegal, I believe to have them as pets. I just don't know how well they will do on their own.
My dog is determined to kill them and my neighbor has a dog that likes to "play" with them. It's a lot of work!
Now there's another female laying behind the fountain. At least she's being a good mom and hanging around!

@A little Daffy @Gingernutt

I'm a florida duck keeper too. It's not illegal to keep muscovy as pets or backyard fowl. It's illegal to release them into the wild. It's also illegal in Florida for licensed wildlife rehabbers to rehab muscovy, so folks like me take them and rehab them, before finding new homes -- or keeping them ourselves.

Muscovy are mainly introduced and escaped -- feral, although as you noted wild migratory muscovy have arrived in Texas. The migratory muscovy are genetically the same as feral muscovy as they have only been domesticated for a few hundred years. They are protected by the migratory birds act but the migratory bird act provisions are not inforced in Florida. Muscovy can be "humanely" killed by private landowners, but it's debatable what is humane. Poisoning is NOT humane.

So look after yours and enjoy them, guilt- free! But don't let them escape as they will be in peril. My three are currently enjoying a vacation in Northern Virginia!!

 

[ruthhope]

He has barring on his chest or rippling what ever you want to call it,they usually molt it out . It’s a wait and see as far as what he’ll look like when done they change so much. All my Muscovy pics I lost when my computer died so I don’t have any of mine when they were going through this phase but I believe I remember @ruthhope had a pic up recently of one of hers

The photo is of a barred muscovy -- the lacy edges to the chest feathers are the key feature. I would tell you it is a chocolate barred but mine was that color as a juvenile but his adult plumage was black. So I tell people he is a dark chocolate barred, as a joke. He is a black barred.

Barred muscovy rarely keep barred plummage in adult life. Mine was well barred as a juvenile but now only has barring on his under carriage and on his back hidden by his wings. He started off as yellow almost all over except with a hint of darker color in his tail

 

[Gingernutt]

Such a beauty! Mine as a baby was yellow and dark black/brown like a mallard duckling. I think mine will turn out just black with a little white but I'm unsure at the moment because it's looks a little funky with its patterns but the wings are definitely black with some of the feathers that have grown there

 

[A little Daffy]

@A little Daffy @Gingernutt

I'm a florida duck keeper too. It's not illegal to keep muscovy as pets or backyard fowl. It's illegal to release them into the wild. It's also illegal in Florida for licensed wildlife rehabbers to rehab muscovy, so folks like me take them and rehab them, before finding new homes -- or keeping them ourselves.

Muscovy are mainly introduced and escaped -- feral, although as you noted wild migratory muscovy have arrived in Texas. The migratory muscovy are genetically the same as feral muscovy as they have only been domesticated for a few hundred years. They are protected by the migratory birds act but the migratory bird act provisions are not inforced in Florida. Muscovy can be "humanely" killed by private landowners, but it's debatable what is humane. Poisoning is NOT humane.

So look after yours and enjoy them, guilt- free! But don't let them escape as they will be in peril. My three are currently enjoying a vacation in Northern Virginia!!

Update picture from today of my oldest duckling. Strange patterns on him
View attachment 3494909

That's unique. At least you'll be able to tell that one from others.

 

[Gingernutt]

Update: turns out i got 2 boys and 1 girl muscovy. The 2 confirmed girls i bought turned out to be 1 boy and 1 girl. So got a bad ratio of male to female and been trying to buy confirmed female ducklings but most are being sold unsexed and they said buy and wait about 10 weeks. So the chances of more boys is more than likely if i go and do that option, so still asking around

 

[Miss Lydia]

Still time to find females and they really don't have to be Muscovy I have a female Muscovy who hatched Runners and Buffs and that was in 2016 and she still with them sleeps in their coop instead of with the other Muscovy. So they can form a friendship with other domestic ducks.

 

[Gingernutt]

Muscovies are a better choice for me because they are quiet compared to other ducks and I have an older neighbour which I don't want to disturb too much.