Muscovy cross?

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Eirwen

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Hi everyone!
We have recently added a pair of ducks to our flock of 8 hens!

Our friends were moving house and asked us if we could take their ducks. They said they were Muscovies, but they don't have any ref on their face, so I was wondering if they were crosses?

The ducks are settling in well into our large fenced area of our field with our chickens. They have their own duck house with attatched run in there.
 

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Just gorgeous! Yes they look like crosses to me. Do they quack? Muskys don't quack they have a gentle hiss and wag their tails a lot.
 
They are cute aren't they! They're called Will and Martha, almost 3 years old.

Yes both of them quack, although it's a quiet quack usually, but I have heard them quack loudly when they wandered out of each others line of site, they were calling to each other to find each other bless them! That made me think they were crosses too, as I heard male muscovy's hiss rather than quack! They do however shake their tales a lot, almos all the time!

I'm wondering now how much water they'll need, as I know Muscovy's don't need a pond, but if they're crossed with something like Aylesbury's, would they need more? Thei previous owners used a belfast sink for them which we now have, but haven't seen them do anything other than drink from it yet.
 
Can they get in and out of the sink easily with a ramp and steps inside the sink?
If they haven't had proper bathing facilities they will be nervous of water to start with, best start with something nice and shallow and progress to something deeper, always with easy access in and out as if they are not used to swimming they may get waterlogged and drown.
x
 
I hadn't realised that thank you! I had put stone slabs as steps going in and out of the sink, but these were new to them too.
We have just bought a large plastic dog bed which is almost wedge shaped, shallow at one end and deeper the other. We were thinking of using this, as our field is sloping, we could position it so they could get in and out easily from the shallow end. We'll give it a go anyway!

I was wondering what you feed your ducks? The previous owners gave us a bag of mixed corn, and said they fed them a scoop each every morning. However I read that unmedicated chicken layers pellets is better than corn, so we have started to mix our layers pellets in with their corn. I was thinking of doing this gradually so that the corn will only be a treat.

Is there anything better out there for ducks? I heard wheat is good?

Thanks x
 
Well we improvised and used a big plastic dog bed! We used old stone slabs as steps outside and inside, and they seem to love it! I watched thdm trying to mate on land and then in the pool today, they seemed to have fun in the water, wish we had something bigger for them now!

They've made a nest in their house and there were 3 eggs in there today. But if they're muscovy crosses there would be zero chance of them being fertile, right??
 

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They look quite like Magpie ducks, a breed originating from Wales. They don't have the caruncling on the faces which is the main feature of the Muscovy. If you think they're Muscovy crosses - remember anything crossed with a muscovy is infertile so you wouldn't be able to breed from it! They call them Muscovy Mules. But I'd definetely look up Magpie Ducks as they look very similar. Hope that's of some help!
 
Wow Caradog, I just looked up Magpie ducks and they look exactly like my pair, at least the drake anyway, the duck has more white, but I read this is a common occurance. I'll have to do more research I think! I know mine can't fly, which would fit with them being Magpies, and they do quack, although the drake does wag his tail alot like I heard Muscovy's do? Do other ducks wag their tails too??
 
They are very pretty whatever their origins.. I guess one way to find out is to try and incubate their eggs.. If they develop then they can't be Muscovy crosses!
 
Ok so definitely not Muscovy mules! Looks like Caradof was right!

Martha's been sitting on her eggs for over 3 weeks now and I went in her coop to try and clean out some of the poop around her today. She got up off the eggs and I saw that one was broken and discoloured yellow around where it was broken, and I thought "just as I was expecting, there's nothing in them and now they're starting to rot'. But when I took it out I saw the black inside and opened the shell to see a dead chick inside! It was almost fully formed, only its stomach still outside its body, but it had everything else normal looking with perfect magpie markings! It was so cute, shame it didn't make it :( I'm not sure how long ago its shell got broken, but I take it that some of the other eggs have chicks in them ready to hatch soon! :D EXCITING! I'm now trying to read everything I can about raising ducklings!
 
Sorry to hear you lost one. If there is a lot of poo in the nest then you may have an issue with salmonellosis when the babies hatch. Mum usually keeps the nest and eggs really clean, but do what you are doing and keep all poop away from the nest and eggs and remove any bad ones. Good luck!
x
 
Thanks! To be honest I really wasn't expecting the eggs to be fertile, so was a shock to find a duckling!! Then dissappointed it hadn't made it. I posted lots of questions in the hatching section-

Does anyone have any advice about whether to let Martha raise her own ducklings? Will they be ok with her in the coop without any other heat source?

At the moment her other half, Will, is sleeping with her in their duck house, but I take it I'll have to separate them once the ducks hatch? Or do I separate them now? I have a new larger duck house ready for them, but I gather it will be easier to move Will into the new house rather than to try and move Martha with her ducklings once they arrive?

They live in a large pen with 50m long electric netting with 7 chickens at the moment. I have another 50m net ready to set up, I can either put them in their own big pen or use the extra net to separate Martha and her ducklings from the chickens and Will.

Advice much appreciated!
 
Ducklings should be fine with Mum, best place for them. Keep an eye on Dad, he may or may not need to be moved. Just keep a very close eye, any sign of aggression get him out right away.
 
That's a relief to know! I hope dad will be ok, mum is totally the boss of the pair, he would follow her everywhere, only eat after she'd finished hers, only go in the pool if she was there, only chase the hens away if she was around! Since she's been sitting he's been lonely and has made friends with the hens, he will go sit with them and lets them eat his food! So funny to watch him and 7 hens around him eating from one tray! Martha is the clever one, she figured out how to use the chicken treadle feeder! Will on the other hand.. bless him!

I'm concerned there won't be space for him and the ducklings in the house they're in now, will get the new house out this eve and see if I can herd him in there. Once the chicks have grown I can swap him back in with Martha and put them in the new large duck house.. Although at what age they will be when I can do that I have no idea!
Thanks for replying :) I'm panicking just a bit now!
 
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