Thoughts on adding a new Muscovy

[Daphne_loves_mealworms]

She’s a beauty, I’m sorry for your loss.

Thank you!

 

[quackingdom]

I would like to think that she would be welcoming, but she has only ever been with one other Muscovy, her sister, for 5 and 1/2 years. Are they as welcoming as mallard-derived ducks?

In my experience, they seem to find pecking orders more important. Whenever I've introduced two adult females, they tend to have an argument or fight, and after that they get along fine.

One reason I wanted her to raise her own family was that she would have to love them, right?

Oh yes I'm sure she would! I have one girl who loves going broody and has raised four sets of ducklings and also a couple of goslings, and she's an awesome mom who stays with her babies for four months or more. Most of mine abandon their babies around three months.

 

[Yardmom]

All of your options seem reasonable. I would go with letting her hatch. You only need to get as many eggs as you want. The fact she doesn't break easy means you should not have a problem with the egg swap. Why wouldn't you keep males?
My mother ducks might do there own things a bit when ducklings begin to mature, but still have the flock mentality with the growing ducklings.

 

[Miss Lydia]

I vote for another Muscovy female [adult or close] especially if you don't want drakes.

I have a 12.5 yr old female who hatched ducklings in June raised them up to 10 weeks then my goose took over. But my Musky still thinks she is broody and has been sitting on nothing if I let her back into the coop. Even if I lock her out all day she will run right back to where she has made an indention in the shavings and climb in like she has eggs. These girls can sure be nutty.

 

[Daphne_loves_mealworms]

All of your options seem reasonable. I would go with letting her hatch. You only need to get as many eggs as you want. The fact she doesn't break easy means you should not have a problem with the egg swap. Why wouldn't you keep males?
My mother ducks might do there own things a bit when ducklings begin to mature, but still have the flock mentality with the growing ducklings.

I am not against having a single drake if I grew attached and he was a nice drake. I just like to keep things as simple as possible. I have a small flock, and I don’t want to deal with the possibility of anyone being over-mated. I’m also very cautious when it comes to “duck math”. The only fertilized eggs I want around are those I 100% want to hatch. Yes, I can and do remove eggs daily. It’s just that an all-female flock is easier.

 

[Daphne_loves_mealworms]

I vote for another Muscovy female [adult or close] especially if you don't want drakes.

I have a 12.5 yr old female who hatched ducklings in June raised them up to 10 weeks then my goose took over. But my Musky still thinks she is broody and has been sitting on nothing if I let her back into the coop. Even if I lock her out all day she will run right back to where she has made an indention in the shavings and climb in like she has eggs. These girls can sure be nutty.

What a determined little lady! My white Muscovy was that stubborn during her most recent broody episode. She sat on an empty nest for weeks, and when I tried to break her of it by destroying the nest, moving the crate she had chosen for her nest and putting it up on one end, and blocking it with plywood, she got past the barrier and somehow squeezed through a small hole to get into the empty, metal, upended crate .

I had to take the crate out of the barn, and was only recently able to put it back! They are something!

I spoke with a coworker today who has ‘Scovies. She will have eggs in the spring, but only a couple of older ducklings available right now. If I go for an adult, I would like to find a girl who is about 5 years old, the same age as my current crew. I’ve always had really good luck finding good and kind people with healthy birds, and I hope this will continue. I lost the contact info for the people who sold us our original Muscovies, and our other duck contacts, besides my coworker, just have mallard derived girls. I will keep looking and will trust that I will find the best sister for my little lady when the time is right!

 

[Miss Lydia]

They are bull headed for sure. I am determined to get her out of this before really cold weather hits.

I hope you can find the perfect fit for your Musky. Although when mine are broody they aren't very nice to their sisters by hatch or by adoption. lol