birdparadise   Need help in identifying the visitor in our backyard
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First Post Posted on: 04-04-13 07:32 AM
I have a visitor in our backyard. It is a very pretty duck. I have never been into raising or breeding ducks. Neither have I seen such a duck. This duck has black and white patches on their body, with red facial skin? Any idea on what breed it is? If it's a domestic breed, then I am thinking if I can keep it. Any help to identify this duck would be appreciated.
shicks0211   type of duck
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Reply #: 1 Posted on: 04-04-13 08:31 AM
That would be a Muscovy duck.  They are very sweet docile ducks
shicks0211   Re: Need help in identifying the visitor in our backyard
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Reply #: 2 Posted on: 04-04-13 08:35 AM
Also..they can be domestic..many people raise them..
birdparadise   Need help in identifying the duck in our backyard
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Reply #: 3 Posted on: 04-04-13 08:49 PM
Exactly shicks0211.. It's the Muscovy Duck.. I found the pics in Google and it looks exactly the same. Thanks for helping me identify the duck.

I kept some whole wheat bread near the duck and a bowl of water. Duck did have it. What more should I feed the duck? Duck seems to be content with it's new abode. :)

I want to get him or her a spouse. How do I know what sex it is? Such a novice!! It peeps and is making some short, guttural sound. That is all I can say now Sealed
duckhaven   Muscovy duck in the backyard
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Reply #: 4 Posted on: 04-04-13 09:36 PM

Sexing a muscovy is quite difficult, but still here is what I have learnt. I believe your's is a female muscovy duck.

Female muscovy duck usually peeps and clucks. Check the duck's legs, if it's thin legged, its a girl muscovy duck.

And male muscovy duck will be larger than a female muscovy duck. Let me know.
birdparadise   Muscovy Duck in our backyard
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Reply #: 5 Posted on: 04-04-13 09:51 PM

Hey DuckHaven,

 

It is the female. She has been in the yard for most of the time and now she is making something out of mud, sticks, and other debris. Is she planning to nest?

 

OMG!! I am so excited!!
duckhaven   Muscovy duck in the backyard
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Reply #: 6 Posted on: 04-04-13 10:03 PM
I had a pair of muscovy ducks long back. In the first year, they started digging holes and nested in the ground. I thought I would help them by making straws available to make their nest and it worked. But the next time, they nested in the coop that I made. Muscovy ducks are especially omnivorous and they can have cat food, fish meal, etc. Also, I included Oyster shell for increasing the egg production. They actually eat the mosquito larvae, so if you live in an area with a lot of mosquitoes you might want to keep her around.
birdparadise   Muscovy Duck in our backyard
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Reply #: 7 Posted on: 04-04-13 10:39 PM
By the way, how big should the coop be? Should I make a nest box for them? If so, how? And where can I find her a spouse? Should I buy the drake now and should I wait until it stops laying eggs? What do I with the eggs? I have heard people incubate these eggs to have ducklings.... Oh!!! I feel so excited thinking about these ducklings!!! But for incubating, I need to have incubators, right? Is that expensive? Can someone say what safety measures should I take to keep the duck safe from predators?
shicks0211   muscovy duck
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Reply #: 8 Posted on: 04-05-13 07:55 AM
Well, i don't know what area you live in, but predators for ducks are typically, dogs, coyotes, raccoons, opossoms, and of course large predatory birds such as eagles and hawks..but usually the birds won't bother with a duck the size of a muscovy unless it's injured because muscovies are larger ducks.  So, basically, make your coop so that the predators can't get into it during the night.  I would bury chicken wither a couple feet down all around the coop so the preditors can't dig under it.  Also, to deter them you might get a motion sensor light ..or they sell these solor powered units that have two red LED lights that stay on during the night..the predators think it's eyes of another predator and stay away and those are only 20 bucks.  Really she only needs to be in a coop at night, unless you live somewhere that she'd wander off and get hurt.  People do incubate the eggs to muscovy ducks but yes you do need an incubator.  you can buy a cheap foam incubator from your local feed store for 50 bucks or less, they aren't as accurate as a digital one though.  In your case i'd say a brinsea mini would work..but i don't know what you want to spend, those run about 160 to 180..but i've had nearly 100% hatch rate with this model incubator.  if you look on this forum you will probably find someone with chicks, or even the Drake to sell for inexpensive.    If she lays eggs now, you don't know if they're fertile or not, since she just got there, but they may be.  It takes 28 days..so it's up to you what to do with the eggs.  If you take them, she'll lay more.  Some people eat them, i've heard they're delicious..i myself have not tried it , i usually incubate mine and get babies.
birdparadise   Muscovy eating my plants
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Reply #: 9 Posted on: 04-07-13 09:05 PM
Somebody help me!! This girl muscovy is eating up all my plants. This is her 3rd day with us. I tried to shoo this muscovy quite a number of times when I saw her eating the plants, but in vain. She again returns and nibbles when I am out of her sight. Clever girl !!! lol.....Today morning, we were not at home and I let my muscovy to forage in the backyard and when we returned, some of my plants were in really bad condition. Is there anything harmless that I can do to discourage my muscovy girl from eating the plants?
duckhaven   Muscovy eating plants
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Reply #: 10 Posted on: 04-09-13 04:35 PM
Muscovies are huge eaters. If shoo-ing them is still not working, then the best alternative is to let them forage in an enclosed pen or fence off your garden.
birdparadise   Muscovy Duck in our backyard
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Reply #: 11 Posted on: 04-09-13 04:40 PM
True Duckhaven.... I think I would go with the first alternative. She is so messy. And her dropping is so smelly. I would better let her free-range in an enclosed area so that she don't have access to the garden....and like Shicks said, I will make a coop for the muscovy so that the predators can't get into it during the night.