someone have info on muscovies

[Dodgegal79]

Yes Sunny Side you, you probably could. I have Khaki's too and they are nice ducks, but the Muscovys has more personality. lol. I have baby Pekins and runners right now, they are about a week or two old, and they have been spending the day outside, playing in the mud and their turtle pool. Last year I had 84 Muscvoy ducklings at one time and it was fun.

 

[hypnofrogstevie]

84! Wow thats alot of babies

. I hope I can find some eggs next month

 

[dreamgirl]

Is it at all possible to sex the ducklings? If not, at what age can you begin to tell and are the signs like chickens? If not, what are they?

 

[highmountainchick]

I would like to get muscovies up here, what are their tolerances for the cold? I'm at 4300 feet and in the mountains of montana, but we have all the grasshoppers a duck could live on!! IF I gave them a heat lamp on the darkest and deadliest nights would they fair ok?

 

[Dodgegal79]

Yes you can sex ducklings, if you buy the Storeys Guide to ducks it shows you how, but you have to be very careful because you can seriously injure them doing it.

My two muscovys hatched, I got two white little ones. They are doing good with their buddies (runners and calls) in the brooder right now. I forgot how fast they can run when they are only a day old.

 

[BaronRenfrew]

Muscovies? Been 15 years since I had em.

1. Clipping the wings is very effective to keep em in.
2. Bugs? yeah baby! Dairy farmers love them for flies, studies had them at 1000 flies per hour. Mine was nearby when we dug up a nest of moles when in the garden, for years after she chased us when we held a tool.
3. Incubator: I remember hatching 24 from 32 eggs
4. I would sit on a pail and throw bread to my flock of chickens and ducks: the ducks caught the bread in mid air.
5. unlike other ducks or geese they don't pair off: I'm sure a drake could handle 10 hens.
6. be warned: their approach to sex would make a great XXX movie
7. wonderful mothers: they'll all go broody

Seeing the pics now I miss them.

 

[BaronRenfrew]

The cold? treat them like a chicken. They need a normal shelter. They don't need heat. In fact on a sunny day I would let them out for a walk regardless of the temp.

Cold? Ya ain't seen cold yank. Why we have to plug in our cars to start them. How does -35 C grab ya (that's -30 something in Farenheit too!).

Take off eh!

Bert

In the Great White North

 

[highmountainchick]

Becareful Baron, I am from MONTANA and am not a yank, for years I lived in upper Minnesota and now back home here, I know cold. Try -60'F in mid 1980's. Was so cold here it cracked the fruit trees right open. Do Muscovies have down?

 

[hypnofrogstevie]

Ok I am getting eggs after my chickens are done hatching. Thanks everyone for the great info

 

[Wildsky]

Quote:
When are your chickens done?

I've heard muscovies are very quiet, and don't HAVE to have water like other ducks..... I am personally trying to get some myself... One of these days. They don't particularly like the cold, but they get by if they have a nice sheltered area.