Hello Everyone,
I have a baby Muscovy duckling (about three days old) that needs a new home. I was surprised to discover it because I was sure the eggs mama bird was sitting on were dead (this was week six and I was going to remove them this week when I discovered the chick), but it turns out this is the lone bird to hatch out. Unfortunately, this baby has twice been found far from the nest without mom and mom was pecking at it when near her food, so I think mom is rejecting the baby. I do not have other babies near its age or a brooding mother to take over. Also, unfortunately, single birds do not have a good survival record here (the pecking order is brutal)...so, is anyone interested in a sweet, plucky little yellow duckling with a black dot on its head? I live in the Gilbert area.
Replies
They will do better with other ducks because they are social creatures, but I know people have only one. If you have other birds, like chickens or plan to get more ducks, that would be good. However, there are people who prefer to not raise their chickens and ducks together in case they spread disease to each other. Mine are raised together. An experienced duck sexer can tell in the first few days if they are male and female. Alas, I am still learning, so it will be a few months before the size and carnuncles make its sex more obvious.
I think a pair of ducks would be fine--I had only two females for the first year that I had them. The muscovies are indeed quiet. The females make a light whistling sound and the males make a heavy breathing sound (some call it hissing, but it does not sound like that to me). The most noise that comes from them is when they get chatty with each other or me (discussing the goings-on around the yard and politics :] ) and they start bobbing their heads, wagging their tails, raising the feathers on top of their heads, and breathing heavy (males) or whistling (females). They eat flies off of vegetation--some even catching them out of the air. I do not know how much this is innate or taught--I want to research that.
My male ducks have never tried to mount the female chickens. I have read that some may try and others do not. The lack of advances may be because the males are not interested in the chickens or because I have a rooster that would get very upset and charge. However, when I had just two female ducks, my rooster tried to mate with them and they acquiesced when they were ready to start laying eggs. That stopped when I obtained male muscovies.
Let me know if you want the baby and are willing to come and get it :] Or if you have any more questions about raising muscovies.
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