Muscovies

[annabella1]

Anybody here raise muscovy ducks? I have been researching on them and they are supposed to be one of the tastiest ducks available. I don't have anywhere to raise them but I am adding them to my dream farm list. If you know anything about them let me know.

[Deberosa]

I have Muscovies - only three now and as soon as I catch them they are going to the neighbors! I've never eaten one so can't say if they are any good. I got them for slug control and Muscovies will even eat mice! However they mess up any pool I have for drinking water for animals, it's not worth the bother.

Muscovies don't quack so that is nice, other ducks can get loud! They are great mothers. They are larger than all but maybe the Pekins. If I had a pond (other than this week with pouring rain) I would keep them.

[annabella1]

They even eat mice! That's way cool. What I have read said that they are quiet so that's good. I don't think I could handle that quack quack all the time from other ducks. They say Muscovies are so different that some people don't even consider them ducks but another kind of bird altogether. The articles I have read say they will breed with other kinds of ducks but the offspring will be sterile (like a mule)

[Deberosa]

Yes, they are not a true duck, some kind of different species. I had not had them cross at all though and I did have other ducks, they already went to the neighbor. ;-)

If you have a pond that would be great. We keep water to the animals in the summer in kiddy pools and I have birds at either end of my property. Those dang muscovies know when I am cleaning and refilling a pool at one end and will fly to it and mess it up while I am walking to the other end! So out they go here. ;-)

[flatwater]

Muscovies taste great but are the ugliest duck I have ever seen and I you let them free range they will leave a pile like a goose also.
flatwater

[CountryKitty]

I've had muscovies; in fact I still have a couple of hen ducks right now.

The males are silent but for a hiss when upset; the hens only quack if in mortal danger. The only time I ever heard one quack I RAN to the door--didn't have to look outside to know there was a dog after her...in fact it had her pinned and was about to kill her.

They are much larger than most ducks too; their feathers lie closer to the body so it's not noticeable til you pluck them--I butchered a 9-month-old Khacki Campbell drake that had been attacking the muscovy ducklings and beneath all the fluff he was literally a little less than half the size of the adult femal muscovies or even the 4 month old muscovy drake-lets.

The females go broody twice a year--I had one hatch 4 ducklings her first brood, and 10 her second. One of her daughters was brooding 20 eggs when a possum forced her off the nest--she would sit with her wings drooped down to cover all the eggs. Saw a photo online of a muscovy who successfully hatched 22 at once. My drake was an awesome dad too--no adult duck would dare get between him and the feed trough (he would give them a sharp smack or pull their tails) but if the babies dove in, he just backed up and let them eat their fill. Came running if the babies started peeping (the KC drake was just way too fast for him).

The family didn't care for duck meat--it's all dark meat, and hubby thought it was greasy/fatty. I thought it was better for duck noodle soup, duck noodle casserole, duck and rice, than for roast duck (I never did try the orange sauce recipe tho). If it were just me tho' I'd go back to raising them for meat.

Oh yeah, cross-breeding--one of the KC hens saw my muscovies mating about the time she was just old enough to be interested in breeding herself. She ran a couple circles around the muscovy drake...then lay down in front of him in a very obvious invitation! The little KC drake was very perturbed! The muscovy drake Elvis pecked her back hard and then pulled her tail and ran her off---apparently he was only interested in his own kind of duck! ;D

[Deberosa]

I've had several hens hatch within a few days and they group raise the babies in one big bunch with all of them looking over the babies!