Troubleshooting Muscovy Issues - depression? bad blood lines?

[reyecat]

I got 5 muscovies from a neighbour. We quickly dispatched to our freezer 3 of them because 4 males and one female is not good! Anyway... I wanted more, so I located another small flock about an hour away from us, they all had blue eyes So i thought great! different bloodlines... awesome. I'll keep one male of each, I'll keep the 5 females and slowly build my flock.

We brought the 6 newcomers home and they looked like muscovies... but they don't act the same as the other flock. They would rarely go down to the water, they just would huddle together in a corner near the pond and act afraid.

I watched my original ducks to make sure they weren't picking on them too much etc.

my original 2 muscovies seemed interested but not aggressive. and seemed to want to join the two flocks together.

but the new ones just never participated.

then all the bad luck ...

we had a terrible wind storm one night and I went down in the morning and one of my new females was dead in the water

i assumed something konked her on the head as stuff was blown all over the place ...

a week or so later, a bobcat killed 3 of the new ones (in the middle of the day!) ... so I caught the two remaining new ones ... one female and one male because I knew they wouldn't stand a chance down there as they wouldn't run to the water to get safe from predators like my other two original ducks... who I can't catch at all. no matter how hard I try. so I just content myself with chasing them onto the island in the evening. and that's where they sleep.


I put the pair into a coop and gave them food and water right in the coop, but they had access to a large pen with a little creek running through it. they've been in there for two weeks and would not leave the coop.

I made sure they were eating and drinking and tried to coax them out but they wouldn't leave the coop and go outside. the male lost his color in his carnacles... and then this morning I went down and he was dead

So I don't know what to do with this little shy female that just seems too little and shy to do anything.

 

[reyecat]

I'm pretty sure she's just dying

she's not joining in the greetings... she's just not doing anything.

 

[Miss Lydia]

I'm pretty sure she's just dying

she's not joining in the greetings... she's just not doing anything.

I'm so sorry, do you think they may have been sick when you got them? ducks are very hardy animals but they can get sick, as for water if they didn't have it from the start they may just not be that interested. Muscovys being tree dwelling ducks aren't known for their love of water like other ducks they aren't even as water proof. But mine do love to get into the pool for mating and washing. Can you get some vitamins [poultry] and begin putting them into her water? also Poultry Nutri Drench is really a good product because you can give it straight into the mouth being careful not to shoot it down the throat in case of it going into the lungs. She is either sick or depressed from losing her mate. I wish I could give you more info but I am at a loss

 

[reyecat]

I have no idea how they were kept before... I should have asked... now I know for next time...

but yeah, they just never seemed as healthy as the other ones. although i was getting some eggs from two of them for a while I think. but those were the ones that got picked off by the bobcat.

it could just be that they were used to a much smaller enclosed area and with all the stress, moving, way bigger area, bobcats, wind, other flock etc etc ...

I did try to go grab her just now to give her some vitamins, and she swam to the island, so hopefully she will find some nutrients there and eat a bit... I don't want to stress her out more by chasing her all over.

 

[reyecat]

well, I think she's going to make it after all. whew.

she's being a little more brave, and knows to escape from the HUGE male that all she needs to do is swim to the island... he only goes to the island at night.

and then she comes back to her little duck house at night and I close the door for her with some food and water... the first night she ate quite a bit and drank some water in the duck house but last night it didn't look like she touched her food... but there was some grain and stuff in the water so she must have eaten some.

she has been mated by the big duck, she pants for a while afterwards but seems otherwise okay... I hope she'll strengthen up and learn from the other female who is the epitomy of beautiful muscovies... she looks like a swan, and her red is so vibrant and yeah... she's just gorgeous.

 

[Miss Lydia]

well, I think she's going to make it after all. whew.

she's being a little more brave, and knows to escape from the HUGE male that all she needs to do is swim to the island... he only goes to the island at night.

and then she comes back to her little duck house at night and I close the door for her with some food and water... the first night she ate quite a bit and drank some water in the duck house but last night it didn't look like she touched her food... but there was some grain and stuff in the water so she must have eaten some.

she has been mated by the big duck, she pants for a while afterwards but seems otherwise okay... I hope she'll strengthen up and learn from the other female who is the epitomy of beautiful muscovies... she looks like a swan, and her red is so vibrant and yeah... she's just gorgeous.

Glad to hear your seeing some positive in her, now your going to have to post some pics so we can see these scovies actually we have our on thread.https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/130753/muscovy-keepers-share-your-pics/4380#post_11102655

 

[reyecat]

i just uploaded one over there thanks!

 

[Miss Lydia]

i just uploaded one over there thanks!

I just saw!!

visit often we're very fond of our scovies