Muscovy breeding

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loving_allsorts

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Hi,

I bought a pair of muscovies a while back. He has started mating with her I wondered what the cycle is.

Does he need to inseminate her for each egg or will she retain the sperm until needed, ie breeding just once in the year will suffice for all future eggs??

If anybody can point me in the direction of a website which explains this cycle or could explain it to me then I would appreciate it.

It's her first year and she hasn't laid a single egg yet so if anybody has any clue regarding when I should expect the first batch to be laid then that'd be great.

Many thanks

Mark
 
Hi Mark,

They will mate more in the breeding season and the sperm will fertilise eggs present in the ovaries - she will be fertile for a few days after mating. He will be needed constantly to keep getting fertile eggs through the year.

It's a little early for her to be laying yet. February / March should be about the time to look for eggs although it varies between strains / breeds quite a bit. Ducks that lay lots of eggs in a year like Runners or Campbells will come into lay earlier and keep laying for longer.

Muscovies can make good broodies too.

Hope this helps,

Tim.
 
Thanks Tim,

That was really useful. Another question then. At the moment the male bothers her. He follows her about and if she's doing anything interesting he'll shoo her off and do what she was doing. Will he let her sit on the eggs until they hatch?

Also what if she lays them outside the shed... I can't leave her out over night because of mr Fox. What should I do?

How do I clean the shed out if she's laid them in there? She's timid of me and if I go in to clean she'll bolt right out.

Probably newbie questions but I don't know the answers

Many thanks

Mark
 
Hi Mark,

Sometimes males can be a bit bossy - he should ideally have more than one duck so he has more than one on his mind..

Normally ducks lay early in the morning - most of mine have laid by 7am but a few will lay as late as 9am. They can lay outside - sometimes in a hidden place, sometimes in the middle of the run... usually in the same place if not disturbed. They do not normally lay in a nest like chickens so it's good to keep their house floor fairly clean as they will drop it in a right mess if not..

She needs to go broody to sit on the eggs - she will sit, fiercely guarding her nest. She will normally sit on the nest once she has laid enough eggs but turn the eggs and nest build until she has them. Personally, I collect all of my duck eggs and use either a broody hen or an incubator to hatch the eggs but my ducks don't really go broody very often, Muscovies I believe can.

No problem about the questions Mark.

Tim
 
Hi Mark,
as regards to her being timid of you,I would try and get her to be less timid before she starts laying fertile eggs.I would suggest calling her to come to you,and giving her a favourite treat as a reward,most birds are curious,and so not looking at her,turning away from her when she approaches should help to make her curious about you.
Is the drake stopping her from coming to you? Drakes can be very protective and forcefull about where they let their ducks go etc. If you can,I would buy 2 or 3 more ducks,keep them separate for a short while to get used to you and their surroundings.She may then well follow their lead, if they look on you as the food provider and be more willing to approach.
As Tim has already said,it will also give the drake a small flock to look after,so keep him busy.
 
Lydia said:
As Tim has already said,it will also give the drake a small flock to look after,so keep him busy.
Click to expand...

It's funny you both say that as I keep them in a large section of my garden with four hens and he treats them pretty close to the duck. he's a right bossy git! I could get another duck but I don't want to over crowd them as eventually they will have youngens and untill they are old enough to be either sold or eaten, then the run will be a bit crowded.

Do you think its possible to move the eggs into a nice clean broody box once she has laid and in broody mode? this way she wouldn't have to nest with all the others (as they all share a large shed with leveled shelving and perches). Or do you think she may be a bit fierce with me and/or not take to the new nesting place I have chosen rather than her? She likes to spend time on the floor where as all the other birds including the drake climb at least one level high which means she spends time on the level which I have to clean the most. Will she tollerate me cleaning around her?

I'm building a new shed soon wich will attach to the back of the run (so the run can still be shared by all) this is in preperation for the ducklings in spring/summer. Is there anything you sugest I build into it? (I'm an engineer so I'm designing and building it myself so there are no limits really)

Cheers Guys. You're great helps

Mark
 
Hi Mark,I wouldn't expect her to like or allow you to move her nest/eggs once she's ready to sit them,but,I'm no expert.
Could you shut her in the area you want her to lay in,so you don't have to move them.
As to her not liking you cleaning the shed out,and she runs out,I would go in every day and clean it out to get her used to it.
Could you shut the door so she can't run out, and have to stand and watch you,you could talk to her quietly so she gets used to you being there.You could also try playing a radio quietly in there,most birds enjoy music,although classical is probably better than thrash metal :D .
I would concentrate on getting her tamer with you,and used to her broody quarters before she starts to lay fertile eggs.
 
I've not had many broody ducks - I've kept Indian Runners, Campbells and Abacot Rangers so all layers that don't really go broody - I couldn't really say sorry... Most people use a broody hen or incubator but my thoughts are she might not actually like being moved and will probably not tolerate this like a hen will = but that's a hunch..

There's probably more experienced people who could answer the 'moving a broody duck' question I'm sure.
 
Thanks for the advice guys. Think I'm going to build a special section of the new house for her which will enabe me to shut her in with a purpously built nest which I will place her fertile eggs into when she starts laying. Maybe the first year will be a good learning curve for me and I wont produce much.

Thanks for all your help

Mark
 
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