Sickly duck at local produce store...

[Mashallaharabia]

We just added a year old hen to our Muscovy flock, and for the first couple of days she hung back a bit, by the third day she was happily mingling with them, breeding, acting as though she'd always been in the flock.

 

[Miss Lydia]

A week?! Oh wow, they really are much more flexible than chickens! Was it so quick because they were a bit younger, or would that also happen with all other aged ducks? Sorry to hear about the loss though.

I'm really looking forward to getting Whistles his girls, his own little flock to look after.

I can't wait until he can get out there and just be a duck. I can't wait to get more Muscovies! ^_^

subhanalah is right, these girls were accepted right into the flock, I think once you get settled and find Whistles some girls you'll enjoy not only seeing Whistles a happy drake but you'll have the benefit of some fresh duck eggs. And the joy of watching the antics of Scovy's. Much more entertaining than any TV show.

 

[SampyArctica]

Oh good. I have no doubt! I can already spend ages watching our chickens antics, they can be such silly creatures. ^_^

Some new photos!

 

[subhanalah]

I was just thinking of whistles last night. He's really getting big!

 

[SampyArctica]

Haha, oh yeah! This was from a couple of weeks ago:

He's a big boy!

Also, I've lined up Whistles' first girlfriend! Kinda. She's a Muscovy hybrid, I volunteer at a wildlife hospital/pet shelter and she came in last night with someone saying she had a hook with fishing line stuck in her beak - but the vets have been over her twice with physical examinations and x-rays and can't find anything but a small, old, healed wound on the underside of her tongue...but the way she behaves is of a domestic pet and the area she was found in doesn't have any feral Muscovies (we don't really have them in many places), and the vets have determined that she is domestic, so she was going to go up for adoption as a stray on the day after tomorrow. Only, I saw her first! Since we can't take on extra animals before we move, we've managed to find a spare foster carer (luckily!) who will take her in until the 14th, when we can go through the adoption process and take her to her and our new home!

Yes, another sort of 'rescue' duck! Haha. I realise that she'll most likely be infertile, but we don't mind...but would Whistles be likely to treat her any different if she isn't full Scovy? Can they even tell? She has the start of her face mask growing, but it's pretty dark in colour, there's only a bit of red colouring at the corner of the bottom of her beak where it joins with her skin/feathers...sorry if that's a silly question though! We would like at least one fertile girl, but not minding so much with just this first one. Plus, duck adoptions aren't overly popular so I don't think she would have had much of a chance otherwise...

Anyway, this is her:

Thoughts, comments, suggestions...?

 

[TracyLovesDucks]

She's lovely!

I don't have much experience with ducks and I've only had runners (all the same breed and never muscovies), but I bet Whistles won't be concerned with her breed... especially since she's part muscovy anyways. I've seen flocks that are very mixed and the ducks seem to do great.

Looking forward to hearing what everyone else says!

 

[Miss Lydia]

Haha, oh yeah! This was from a couple of weeks ago:



He's a big boy!

Also, I've lined up Whistles' first girlfriend! Kinda. She's a Muscovy hybrid, I volunteer at a wildlife hospital/pet shelter and she came in last night with someone saying she had a hook with fishing line stuck in her beak - but the vets have been over her twice with physical examinations and x-rays and can't find anything but a small, old, healed wound on the underside of her tongue...but the way she behaves is of a domestic pet and the area she was found in doesn't have any feral Muscovies (we don't really have them in many places), and the vets have determined that she is domestic, so she was going to go up for adoption as a stray on the day after tomorrow. Only, I saw her first! Since we can't take on extra animals before we move, we've managed to find a spare foster carer (luckily!) who will take her in until the 14th, when we can go through the adoption process and take her to her and our new home!

Yes, another sort of 'rescue' duck! Haha. I realise that she'll most likely be infertile, but we don't mind...but would Whistles be likely to treat her any different if she isn't full Scovy? Can they even tell? She has the start of her face mask growing, but it's pretty dark in colour, there's only a bit of red colouring at the corner of the bottom of her beak where it joins with her skin/feathers...sorry if that's a silly question though! We would like at least one fertile girl, but not minding so much with just this first one. Plus, duck adoptions aren't overly popular so I don't think she would have had much of a chance otherwise...

Anyway, this is her:



Thoughts, comments, suggestions...?

Sampy she is gorgeous and what a blessing to have someone deliver her right to you. I don't thin Whistlers will mind a bit, she does look very Scovy. too.

 

[Amiga]

If I were a Muscovy drake, I would fall instantly in love with her!

That said, remember you may need to play match maker a bit, to smooth out the getting-acquainted. Ducks can just be unfathomable. (that is my word for their behavior this week).

Let them see each other from opposite sides of a fence at first, give treats to both of them at the same time, that kind of thing. Patience. And if he's - um - oversexed, she will need some time to herself sometimes.

 

[SampyArctica]

Isn't she stunning? As soon as I saw her, I gasped and knew we had to try to take her home.

I would be really happy if our entire flock of Scovies were rescues, but we don't get too many females in...it's mainly the males that I've found are the ones that get themselves into trouble! Especially not being able to fly as well, the two drakes we have in at the moment are both from dog attacks...but I digress...

Well, we really wanted to have at least two - but preferably three to four girls ready to go at the same time for Whistles. So we were thinking about getting the girls to be acquainted first, and then when they're comfortable with each other - introducing them all to Whistles at the same time. Maybe introducing the girls to each other first and keeping them in an area separate to Whistles, but maybe side-by-side, so that they couldn't physically interact at first but they could see and hear each other and be a little social that way for a few days and *then* starting to bring them face-to-face.

Or am I over-thinking it...? Remember - I'm a chicken girl primarily and chickens can be pretty mean when introducing new girls to a flock, so I'm used to putting new members in a separate, adjoining run for at least a month before letting them begin to free-range and have treats together, and even then we've had fighting continue for the next month after that! So I'm not sure if I'm maybe being too protective or not when it comes to introducing ducks.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Isn't she stunning? As soon as I saw her, I gasped and knew we had to try to take her home.

I would be really happy if our entire flock of Scovies were rescues, but we don't get too many females in...it's mainly the males that I've found are the ones that get themselves into trouble! Especially not being able to fly as well, the two drakes we have in at the moment are both from dog attacks...but I digress...

Well, we really wanted to have at least two - but preferably three to four girls ready to go at the same time for Whistles. So we were thinking about getting the girls to be acquainted first, and then when they're comfortable with each other - introducing them all to Whistles at the same time. Maybe introducing the girls to each other first and keeping them in an area separate to Whistles, but maybe side-by-side, so that they couldn't physically interact at first but they could see and hear each other and be a little social that way for a few days and *then* starting to bring them face-to-face.

Or am I over-thinking it...? Remember - I'm a chicken girl primarily and chickens can be pretty mean when introducing new girls to a flock, so I'm used to putting new members in a separate, adjoining run for at least a month before letting them begin to free-range and have treats together, and even then we've had fighting continue for the next month after that! So I'm not sure if I'm maybe being too protective or not when it comes to introducing ducks.

When we brought 3 ducks home for our drake it was love at first sight and because he was being so hormonal with me I was really concerned he would be so with them but he wasn't at all, but I think your right in giving the girls a chance to bond and keep Whistles on the other side of the fence for a few days to week, I think you'll know by behavior when to put them together.