What Sort of Duckies are these?

[JamieMK]

We found these little darlings in our parking lot at work on sept 2nd of last year. We looked all over for Mom but they were found in a very urban area, and a huge storm the night before led us to believe they may have been washed down a storm drain and popped out of a nearby culvert. We had just bought a house in the country and brought them home and raised them as our own. We assumed that they were probably wild ducks native to Wisconsin, but as they grew it seemed more likely they were some sort of domestic duck. They never quack, they just make this sort of chirping/cooing sound when they are happy. They do it when they see their favorite treats or when I come to give them scritches. They seem quite happy and we have done our best to do all the research we can to make sure they have the proper diet and accommodations. They have about 2 acres to find snacky snacks on, a huge pen with a pool, and a hut to stay warm and snooze in. I think only one is female (only one seems to be laying eggs) the one with the black specks on her head. And holy cow she lays A TON, since she started this summer it has been roughly 90 eggs? None of the eggs have been fertilized so far and she doesn't care if I take them. I don't have a reference for what sort of duck they are so I can't tell what they are supposed to look like or weigh etc etc. Any advice is welcome, and I am still light years behind the learning curve. Thanks in advance!

 

[Summer_]

muscovy maybe?
@Miss Lydia ?

 

[Canadian Wind]

Muscovy, yes. The BEST kind of ducks, lol!

 

[HollowOfWisps]

I agree Muscovy

 

[Canadian Wind]

Okay, now that I've finished reading the whole post...

By this age you can easily tell males from females because the males are three times the size. Mine lay in a communal nest, so you could have been getting both laying.

They are SUPER DUCKS at foraging, and will pretty much keep themselves fed if free-ranged. I still give them a small ration in the morning and evening though. They are amazing at bug control.

No, they don't quack! They are in fact a completely different species from the other domestic ducks, which are derived from Mallards. The males make a hissy kind of noise, almost like a goose, and the females chirp.

And they wag their tails like dogs! So adorable!

 

[JamieMK]

Okay, now that I've finished reading the whole post...

By this age you can easily tell males from females because the males are three times the size. Mine lay in a communal nest, so you could have been getting both laying.

They are SUPER DUCKS at foraging, and will pretty much keep themselves fed if free-ranged. I still give them a small ration in the morning and evening though. They are amazing at bug control.

No, they don't quack! They are in fact a completely different species from the other domestic ducks, which are derived from Mallards. The males make a hissy kind of noise, almost like a goose, and the females chirp.

And they wag their tails like dogs! So adorable!

Hahah yes! That sounds exactly right, we live on the lake so there is an abundance of bugs and spiders. They are my two little winged heroes out there snacking on the bugs! They both seem quite large to me, but I certainly don't have males laying eggs so I would imagine they both must be female. I really couldn't imagine them being three times the size though, they would be bigger than a goose . They have pelleted food available all the time and I supplement with fresh veggies especially in the winter and they get meal worms as a treat. Should I be worried about them getting overweight? Are they currently overweight? They are very active and playful and don't seem to have any trouble getting around. Their tails and their overall personality are precious. My cheeky little duckies .

 

[Canadian Wind]

Hahah yes! That sounds exactly right, we live on the lake so there is an abundance of bugs and spiders. They are my two little winged heroes out there snacking on the bugs! They both seem quite large to me, but I certainly don't have males laying eggs so I would imagine they both must be female. I really couldn't imagine them being three times the size though, they would be bigger than a goose . They have pelleted food available all the time and I supplement with fresh veggies especially in the winter and they get meal worms as a treat. Should I be worried about them getting overweight? Are they currently overweight? They are very active and playful and don't seem to have any trouble getting around. Their tails and their overall personality are precious. My cheeky little duckies .

Yup, the males can weigh over 15 lbs. I personally ration how much I give mine, but if they seem to be doing fine with the free choice, don't mess with it.

They look good to me, very nice girls! Nice colours!

And yes, their personalities is what got me hooked on them. My original quatro were okay, and I loved their chirps, but not overly friendly. When I got fully socialized ducklings though, then I was in love. My Mist (the one in my avatar) comes running to greet me and get his scritches. All of them love to follow me around, even if I don't have treats, and my happy place is sitting in the yard and just watching them.

 

[JamieMK]

Haha yes, they are absolutely delightful. Mine do the same, well I guess I got quite lucky then . Thanks for the Information, I appreciate it!

 

[ruthhope]

We found these little darlings in our parking lot at work on sept 2nd of last year. We looked all over for Mom but they were found in a very urban area, and a huge storm the night before led us to believe they may have been washed down a storm drain and popped out of a nearby culvert. We had just bought a house in the country and brought them home and raised them as our own. We assumed that they were probably wild ducks native to Wisconsin, but as they grew it seemed more likely they were some sort of domestic duck. They never quack, they just make this sort of chirping/cooing sound when they are happy. They do it when they see their favorite treats or when I come to give them scritches. They seem quite happy and we have done our best to do all the research we can to make sure they have the proper diet and accommodations. They have about 2 acres to find snacky snacks on, a huge pen with a pool, and a hut to stay warm and snooze in. I think only one is female (only one seems to be laying eggs) the one with the black specks on her head. And holy cow she lays A TON, since she started this summer it has been roughly 90 eggs? None of the eggs have been fertilized so far and she doesn't care if I take them. I don't have a reference for what sort of duck they are so I can't tell what they are supposed to look like or weigh etc etc. Any advice is welcome, and I am still light years behind the learning curve. Thanks in advance!

You have two lovely muscovy! I believe that they are both females. If not domestic, they are strictly speaking feral in the USA outside of Texas [where most are feral but there are genuine migratory muscovy.] I expect yours are feral from the story, and at some stage a predecessor escaped from a domestic flock.

Female muscovy can fly. Feral drakes generally get too big to fly

Muscovy do not quack as you noted and the females make the cute little chirping noises. Until the get broody when they may start making
squeaks and getting irritable. The drakes make a sighing sound when excited -- some folks call it a hiss but there is no SSSSS in it.

My muscovy are all rescues with stories like yours. My bigest softest lump of muscovy, Daffy, was found alone in a parking lot in a storm, late evening. My others were rescued abandoned and waterlogged from retention ponds.

I am so happy that you rescued your two and have given them such wonderful home to grow and thive. No wonder the reward is lots of eggs.

As for what to do with the eggs, even if they go broody, you should remove unfertil eggs. Its not kind to leave a duck sitting on eggs that have no chance of hatching.

 

[ruthhope]

@JamieMK "Should I be worried about them getting overweight? Are they currently overweight?"

I trust my muscovy to eat what they need and they eat far less than my pekins that are truly pigs in white feathers. My pekins are not overweight!! The muscovy drakes are much larger but its meat not fat. They are nothing like as active as my pekins that run around shouting and busy-bodying all day. The muscovy are great foragers and eat all manner of bugs, little critters -- including a nest of baby rats on one occasion -- and weeds. But they are not burning up a lot of energy as they lumber round my back garden.

I don't think your females will over eat -- if they are free ranging, they may only eat 1 cup of pellets a day. My pekins eat 2 cups [my pekin drakes are about the same size as muscovy females]