Muscovy ducks

[bivol]

Hi!

I’ve red this about muscovy ducks, and i thought it would be interesting

http://www.fleecefields.com/MuscovyDuck.jpg

muscovy ducks are not a domesticated form of wild european duck. they’re tree-dwelling birds from south america, who don’t need a pond so much as common ducks.

why are they good, or better to keep than common ducks?

1) they’re quiet. they don’t make a noise except hissing when they feel threatened.

2)they eat flies. and lots of them. surely anyone who has horses or oxen knows there are lots of flies around. once they cut open a muscovy duck and found it’s belly full of flies.

http://www.backyardpoultrymag.com/issues/1/1-3/Harvey_Ussery-4.jpg

3)they eat spilt grain and concentrate, leaving less for vermin. and not sure bout it, but they could also be eating mice.

4) they are large and have good meat, although dark in colour. the taste is said to be similar to veal, or beef, strong hasting. surely better than a common duck.

http://countryepicure.files.wordpress.com/2007/04/goth-7.jpg
anyway, a picture says a thousand words.

5) they’re tough. a muscovy duck can stand being outside in moderate winter conditions, and on snow.they are rarely ill.

[OldKat]

@bivol 10115 wrote:

Hi!

I’ve red this about muscovy ducks, and i thought it would be interesting

http://www.fleecefields.com/MuscovyDuck.jpg

muscovy ducks are not a domesticated form of wild european duck. they’re tree-dwelling birds from south america, who don’t need a pond so much as common ducks.

why are they good, or better to keep than common ducks?

1) they’re quiet. they don’t make a noise except hissing when they feel threatened.

2)they eat flies. and lots of them. surely anyone who has horses or oxen knows there are lots of flies around. once they cut open a muscovy duck and found it’s belly full of flies.

http://www.backyardpoultrymag.com/issues/1/1-3/Harvey_Ussery-4.jpg

3)they eat spilt grain and concentrate, leaving less for vermin. and not sure bout it, but they could also be eating mice.

4) they are large and have good meat, although dark in colour. the taste is said to be similar to veal, or beef, strong hasting. surely better than a common duck.

http://countryepicure.files.wordpress.com/2007/04/goth-7.jpg
anyway, a picture says a thousand words.

5) they’re tough. a muscovy duck can stand being outside in moderate winter conditions, and on snow.they are rarely ill.

That is interesting. I know that a lot of people keep muscovy ducks around their barn yards in our area, but I didn’t know why.

Thanks for the info. I will look into getting a few for my barn area. Anything that eats flies would be welcome.

[bivol]

hi OldKat!

i’m sorry to answer this late:(, but i went to the sea, just came back this evening!

i’m thinking of getting some of them (butchered, for eating) from my cousins in the countryside.
i hope they taste good!

[jen judkins]

Bivol, I picked up 3 Muscovy ducklings yesterday. I have to say, I probably would have passed on them without your posting about them. We got a male who is black and brown (and currently missing…hopefully temporarily) and two girls who are the prettiest color blue-grey. They are indeed voracious bug eaters and the woman who we bought them from has seen them eat mice…whole. My only concern about them is that they are very independant and roam very widely….makes me nervous. I’ll post a photo when I find the male!

[bivol]

Hi Jennifer!

i’m glad you got those ducklings, they’ll be very useful!

how old are they? i wouldn’t let them roam as long as they are very small.

and see if they’re related, to prevent inbreeding, if need, get an unrelated male.

i guess two females and a male will produce enough ducklings to eat until you can’t stand it no more, not to mention not to mention they’ll make the life much harder (nay impossible) for flies, bugs, mice, and even baby rats.

*i wonder if they sniff out mice nests?*

although i’ve red on the net that muscovies are bad layers, from the time we’ve had them i can say that’s wrong, they lay enough and good eggs.

they tend to choose the place to lay themselves, though, and change it if you take the eggs regularly.

i would encourage you to take the eggs, both as a meal, and because once they lay enough, the female goes broody.

when she goes broody, you simply put the eggs from the fridge back under her, but be sure to take away the hatched ducklings (they musn’t be alone, one duckling alone) after they hatch, or else she’ll leave the unhatched eggs and wander off with her ofsprings.

and DO let them on the manure heap and into the stalls, they’ll love it, and you’ll love it!

good luck with them!
and post the pictures, i wonder how big they are:D

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