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Muscovy Duck: Eggs, Facts, Care Guide and More…

Muscovy Duck- Eggs, Facts, Care Guide and More...

The Muscovy duck is an unmistakable sight with its bright red caruncles.

This unusual-looking duck has been kept for hundreds of years and is a staple for many indigenous peoples of South America, adding eggs and meat to their diet.

Although originally a tropical bird, it has adapted well to various climates and can thrive in temperatures down to 10°F.

It has become common across much of the US and New Zealand, Australia, UK, and Europe, where small feral colonies exist.

This article will explain how to keep Muscovy ducks, egg-laying, fun facts, and more…

Muscovy Duck

Muscovy Duck Care Guide Cheat Sheet

Duck Breed Breakdown
TemperamentDocile and calm
Kid-friendlyYes
BroodyYes
Heat HardinessYes as long as they have shade and water
Cold HardinessYes, but be aware of Caruncles (bumps on face)
Space per bird10-15 sq feet
Beginner FriendlyYes
Eggs per year150-200 eggs per year
Egg SizeMedium to Large
Egg ColorCream
Dual PurposeYes
Mature Weight4-6lbs (Hen)
10-12lbs (Drake)
Processing Age Ready3-4 months
Lifespan7-12 years
Cost of Duck5-7$ per duckling

Muscovy Duck infographics

Muscovy Duck: Overview and History

The wild Muscovy duck (Cairina moschata sylvestris) is actually a native of Mexico, Central America, and Southern America. It is also called a Greater Wood Duck or Forest Duck.

Before the arrival of Columbus, a domesticated variety of Muscovy was bred and farmed by the area’s indigenous people.

When the Spanish discovered the duck, they named the wild Muscovy pato real and the domestic Muscovy pato criollo.

The Muscovy duck was mentioned in Ulisse Aldrovandi but was not scientifically described and cataloged until 1758 by Carl Linnaeus.

Although the Muscovy is called a duck, it isn’t really a duck. They are close to ducks but not really family members.

The Muscovy is the only duck that is not bred from Mallard stock. If you were to breed a Muscovy with a Pekin, the offspring would be a sterile Mulard. In fact, some people do and use the Mulard as meat birds. However, there are more popular duck breeds used for meat.

It is probably as near to the goose family as ducks; it certainly grazes like a goose.

Muscovy Duck

Muscovy Duck Appearance

The Muscovy is a large duck and can have a wingspan of up to 64 inches. It is also a heavy breed and can weigh up to 15lbs, although the girls are slightly lighter at 6-7lbs.

As the males are so heavy, they can struggle to fly, but the females can fly, and you will need to clip their wings to prevent them from escaping.

It has a broad, long body (males around 30 inches) and a wide, flat tail. Colors are usually black and white, but there can be many variations: blue, black, chocolate, pied (white with any color), green, white, lavender, bronze, barred, and rippled.

The black feathers of the male are iridescent in sunlight, but the female coloration is more muted and drab to provide camouflage when nest sitting.

The head is unique. The facial ‘mask’ will be a dark red/blackish color – the caruncles will grow slowly, and the boys will develop them before the girls.

The caruncles are larger and more colorful on the male. The mature male will have a large dark red/blackish knob at the base of his bill.

There is a crest of erectile feathers on the top of the head, which the bird will raise if excited or nervous – the crest is larger in the males. The males will raise the crest in courtship to attract a mate.

Eyes are a yellow/brown color. The eyes have a nictitating membrane that allows them to see underwater. The bill is flat and can be yellow, pink, black, or any combination. It can also have pink ‘spots’ on it.

The webbed feet are unusual in that they have long claws.

These claws allow them to perch up in trees – hence the name “greater wood duck.” The feet and legs are black in color.

What Makes the Ideal Muscovy Duck Habitat and Diet?

Muscovies love a habitat of dense vegetation, large old trees, and water, of course! Wetlands, riparian areas, or even the local golf course pond will attract them as long as there is some dense vegetation to hide in.

Although they swim, they don’t swim as much as other ducks because their oil-producing glands are small and underdeveloped.

They are omnivorous foragers, eating various plant materials, leaves, roots, and shoots, along with small fish, crustaceans, small reptiles, and millipedes. They will eat mosquitoes and flies avidly and have been used as ‘pest control’ by some people.

In fact, a Canadian study of fly control methods found that Muscovy’s ate about 30 times the amount of the various fly traps, papers, and other methods tested!

Feed wise; if you are raising them from ducklings, they should be given a 28% gamebird starter which should be freely available.

As they transition to adults, they can be cut back to 20% layer pellets.

They also enjoy mealworms and cracked corn as treats, along with fresh greens and scratches, among other things. You can learn more here.

Muscovy Duck

Muscovy Duck Eggs, Nests, and Mating

 

The Muscovy lays 60-120 large white eggs per year (a low number for ducks).

Males reach sexual maturity in 29 weeks, and the female matures in 28 weeks. The mating season of the Muscovy can last from August to May. This can vary by climate, and the females can have three to four broods per year as long as she has sufficient protein in her diet.

There really isn’t any courtship ritual except for lots of tail wagging and erecting the head crest. Males have been known to fight each other for mating opportunities with the females.

They are polygamous, although a male may help with guarding the nest and ducklings.

The female will set her nest in a large cavity in a tree or a suitably secure ready-made nest box off the ground or an elevated duck house; they do not like ground sitting duck houses.

Some folks keep them in with their chickens since Muscovies are not as mucky as a regular duck, and the arrangement seems to work well enough.

Her clutch of eggs can be up to 16 or so eggs. She will then carefully incubate her eggs for 35 days until they hatch. Often a few females will brood together.

The ducklings will stay close by Mama for 10-12 weeks to keep warm and safe. During this time, they will be learning all the skills needed to survive. At 12 weeks, the ducklings will be good-sized birds, although not yet adults.

Why Do People Keep Muscovies?

The Muscovy has been raised for eggs and meat for a few hundred years now.

It has the highest meat yield of any duck. The meat is 98% fat-free, is much less greasy than other ducks, and there is approximately 50% more breast meat than a standard duck. It also has fewer calories and fat than a turkey pound for pound.

The meat is said to have a strong flavor, but this will vary on your duck’s diet and nutritional content. The taste of the meat has been likened to roast beef, veal, or ham.

The eggs are white and large and loved by pastry chefs the world over. Duck eggs contain more albumin than chicken eggs, and that makes for fluffier pastries.

Interesting Facts

Muscovy Duck at River

The Muscovy is a very quiet duck; they do not quack like other ducks. They are usually fairly quiet unless attacked or excited.

The females have a soft, trilling vocalization, while the males have a low, hushed call.

If upset, happy, or excited, they wag their tails a great deal, and the males can also puff and hiss.

They are fairly long-lived with an average lifespan of 8-12 years, but Muscovies can live for up to 20 years in captivity.

Healthwise, they are very hardy. Birds with large or excessive caruncles may be prone to frostbite in colder areas, so be aware and keep an eye open for any problems.

Is the Muscovy Duck Suitable For You?

If you want a duck that lays lots of eggs, grows rapidly, and thrifty, the Muscovy is not for you. Instead, the Muscovy is a quiet duck that is friendly and personable.

It is also a slow grower and takes time to fill out to its’ full potential.

Along with slow growth comes the feed cost, although they can usually find a lot of their own food from the wild.

The Muscovy is a friendly duck with a distinct personality. They don’t like to be picked up and petted, but they still enjoy some human company (also good with children).

They are non-aggressive, except for the mating and rearing season when they can become protective and territorial mates and offspring.

Whilst not really suitable for small backyards, a ¼ acre or more is preferable.

FAQs on The Muscovy Duck Breed

How to get rid of muscovy ducks?

Some people love this breed and want them to be part of their flock.

If you prefer not to have them on your property, you can remove them by baiting them (if they are used to being fed) and capture them by casting a net.

If the ducks are more skiddish, you can set up a funnel trap and put some corn in them. You can then call FWC and they will remove and relocate them.

Yes, Muscovy ducks can fly and escape from homesteaders’ properties.

To keep this from happening either clip their wings or make sure their basic needs are being met: shelter, drinking water, and water for them to swim (ducks cannot live without access to water).

Are Muscovy ducks friendly?

Yes, Muscovy ducks are very friendly.

You can train them to come up to you and even let you pet them with food as a reward!

Muscovy Duck Breed: Summary

Muscovies are quiet, peaceful ducks with personalities. They ‘talk’ with their tail, wagging it furiously when animated or happy, much like a dog does.

They tolerate winter weather quite well as long as there is suitable shelter and rarely migrate unless the weather is severe.

Muscovy ducks are a personable bird that loves to hunt flies and mosquitoes among other things. I may get some for that skill alone!

Do you keep Muscovy ducks? Please tell us all about them in the comments section below…

READ NEXT: Domesticated Duck Breeds

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Muscovy Duck

112 thoughts on “Muscovy Duck: Eggs, Facts, Care Guide and More…

  1. We had a Muscovy duck years ago, some one dumped a cute little Easter duck that grew into a Muscovy. As a little guy he was super friendly, but when he got mature he turned mean. He would chase the kids, the sheep and the goose!

    1. this brings me so much joy! haha the idea of a muscovy chasing a goose is amazing. It must have been fast! and big! I had a ginormous white duck once that used to chase my dogs around but I think he got a bit overconfident and ended up becoming food for the local fox. A sad end to his life but my dogs were glad!

    2. Haha my male muscovy is the same we call him big birdy, when he was a young the other ducks we have use to bully him and really hurt him but now he teroises them lol. He cuddles me and knocks on my back door all day for me but hes started chasing me round the garden biting my feet taking my shoes off me it really hurt his bite is unbelievable and he teroizes my 3 dogs but alright with my 1 year old just dosnt like older kids, he comes in the house and watches telly , and he has a tin of hot dogs everyday lol

      1. We have a mama duck who made her nest on our screen patio. She’s between the roof line and screen. She’s been up there with her eggs for more then two months. We refill and water bowl for her everyday. We don’t feed her. For food she has to walk across our screen patio and go into the canal behind our house. We know it’s past the 35 days. We feel horrible removing all of her eggs ( we think between 12-17) and she’s patiently been siting and waiting. What do we do!?!? We talk her every time we leave or come back. She’s been a very good mama duck and we feel bad that none of her eggs hatched. She we just remove everything while she’s in the canal? Will she finally give up?

        1. They can go longer than 35. Also start counting after they start setting and or only leaving nest once a day. Did they hatch?

          1. If the Muscovy drake did his bit then there’s a good chance the eggs will be fertile. The next thing to do is candle the eggs to check if there’s anything inside. If there is nothing moving inside (particularly after 35 days of sitting) then the eggs were never fertilised which means you can throw the eggs out. A duck will go broody whether the eggs were fertilised or not & the duck will sit on them longer than the usual 35 days – she waits in hope.

    3. I went out to the duck pen and found some of the bedding and several eggs out if the nest ..what dies this mean?I put them back in with the female duck.we had 4 ducks but 3 just vanished one day down by our lake ..now she is left alone

      1. A few of our Muscovy eggs had changed to a light grey color. Mom is still sitting on them. Just wanting to know what this means

      2. She will push the bad eggs out whenever she finds one. Even though this reply is a tad bit late. Also if the other 3 were males they may have flown off to starr new flocks or there’s a predator problem which is not unlikely but would rather think of them flying off to start their own lil family 😉

    4. I have them in my backyard and they are wild. A pond close by attracts them. The females are sweet the males are notorious rapists, which is why they chance kids and other animals because there is no female duck.

    5. We have a female muscovy, who is sitting on eggs, but the male refuses to get into the water. Any idea why that is? Is hydrophobia a thing?

      1. We have a big pond but the Male dont go in often..when he does he get waterlogged quickly so I think this is why they dont like swimming too much. The female loves it though

        1. I have a chocolate and white female and a Lavender and white female one white female and I have one Very Proud chocolate and white male We took a fish pond and made it for them he loves taking a bath several times a day. All of my females are setting on babies one hacked her babies as I was reading all the comments. They are chocolate and white 7 babies

      2. Muscovies have smaller oil glands than other ducks, and get too heavy. They still like the water to clean themselves and splash around, but they don’t swim a lot. I’ve read where ducklings that are still small and weak can sometimes drown. I have a small kiddie pool for my ducks, but the sides are high enough that the babies can’t get in it until they are at least 4 weeks old.

        1. Not so.
          It’s only if there is no mama that you can’t let them into the water because early on they don’t produce their own oil for their feathers.
          My moms take their ducklings in the pond on the first day after hatching.
          On a totally different note, drakes will often kill and even eat ducklings in the first few weeks

        2. I started with two, and now I have 12 muscuvy ducks, in the society I live ducks are not valued because of the myth and superstition associated with them. But still I love them so much. They would have been up to 50 or more but most of them got killed while they were still young by small children’s living in my neighborhood. The amazing thing about mine is that they lay more than 16 eggs, but do not hatch them all.

    6. We had two Muskovee hens setting. They both hatched their clutch of eggs. I’ve been feeding and watering them. The babies disappeared from the nest a few days after they were hatched. Haven’t seen them since. The parents come around periodically. Do the parents take the babies somewhere else after they hatch?

  2. I had several muscovies. No aggressive behaviour, but they bred prolifically and I was overwhelmed. They were great pets

    1. A Muscovy female know when her eggs are bad and will push them out. You can put them back in and mark them and they will be back out the next day. She will not set on dead eggs. How she knows is anybody’s guess, but she knows. I have been raiseing them for over 30 years and believe me , she knows.

      1. My Muscovy has been laying 1 egg per day for the past 4 days. She only sits on them for a few minutes and leaves them alone at night? Will her eggs hatch?

        1. A Muscovy, my son named her Brownie before ever laying eggs has laid 13 eggs right outside our window. We first noticed 11 of them on April 9th, they haven’t hatched. Any idea when we should expect them to hatch??

          1. Is she sitting on them? Once a mama lays as many as she intends to hatch she sits on them all day long, only getting off for about 20 minutes each day. If she’s not doing that they’re just eggs you can eat.

        2. Yes she will keep laying until she has the amount that she wants to sit on if she’s going to sit.

        3. This may be a silly question, but oh well. Will the female lay one egg a day and gather them until she has enough and then start setting? We just got a pair of Muscovy ducks and they are mating. My son is eager for ducklings and has been gathering the eggs, one a day, since we brought them home. We have them in an incubator now. If we had left them, might she have set on them? She doesn’t mass produce eggs that she’s going to set, does she? It’s always one a day?

          1. She will lay one a day and when she feels that she has a full clutch she will start sitting. That way, they all hatch at around the same time. If your incubated eggs hatch, you are going to have a staggered hatch, which means that some eggs will be turning while others will not, and your incubator will be filthy after the first ones hatch. If you want to collect eggs over a couple of weeks for your incubator, keeping them in an egg carton in a 60-65 degree location; tilt them to one or the other side three times a day to turn them, and then add them all to the incubator at once to have them hatch at the same time.
            The birds themselves are much better at hatching eggs than an incubator, so if you want chicks letting the mother do it is the way to go. They really wet down the eggs when it’s time to hatch, which is difficult to duplicate in an incubator. They are also better mothers than we can be so you don’t have to brood them if they will do it for you.

        1. A mallard can fertilize Muscovy eggs, but the duck hatched from the eggs will not be fertile. They will only be pets or meat ducks.

      2. can anyone tell me why my male will not quit drinking so much water all day long he eats well and appears in good health please e-mail me at hlv912.hv@gmail.com I need help to help my duck

        1. Welcome to the world of ducks. Ducks don’t need a pond (although they prefer them) but they do need a constant water source because they have to keep their bill and nostrils moist. They also consume a lot of water in the process. I wouldn’t worry. Its normal duck behavior.

      3. We call them Turkey ducks here in the midwest..lol
        But ours built her nest on the ground in our bushes. She hissed, she also sat on a few dead eggs. So I think each bird does their own thing.

      4. I have a female Muscovy and a male the female has just started laying and I found the first egg last night its shell is greyish in color and today I found one out by their pool and the shell is rubbery is this normal?

  3. Interesting how you claim they are not ducks but then refer to them as ducks throughout the rest of the article… plus the greater wood duck is something completely different… Overall really good information though! I kept muscovies for years when I grew up and never knew they weren’t even ducks! They were never aggressive towards me as a child. Just scary looking but they never minded me playing with them, even during the mating season. This article brought back such fond memories of my beautiful babies and how they used to wag their tails and hiss. the one thing I really loved about them is how they moved, head left, tail right and vice-versa. plodding around the garden always walking in a line with the mum in front long after the babies had grown.

    1. Most duck breeds were developed from Mallards. The Muscovy did not come from Mallards. When bred with Mallards, the offspring are not fertile, they are hybrids, like mules. A donkey and a horse are different, still they can mate and produce hybrid offspring. Lions and Tigers can produce hybrid Ligers. Mallards and Muscovys what? Mallovys? Muscards? Duvy? I dunno. 😉

  4. We love our Muscovy ducks, we have a very handsome drake & 3 ladies. Darcy is broody, only sat on 3 eggs but is guarding them so well. It’s only been 14 days so we have a time to wait to see what happens, if anything.

  5. I live in an apartment complex with a lot of Muscovy ducks. There are many eggs that seemed to have been abandoned by the mother. Should those eggs be removed or left alone

    1. I would leave them for the time being unless you had in mind to incubate. Let nature take its course.
      Claire

  6. My parents have a female muscovy. She bonded well with a brood of 4 chickens. When 2 chickens were killed by hawks, they were replaced and the pecking order changed. She was no longer welcome by the chickens. She isolated herself and I felt terrible for her. So I began to bring her treats every morning and sit with her. She is no longer afraid and even wags her tail at me. I wonder if this is the extent of bonding I can expect from an adult female. She was raised for eggs and I’ve taken her on as a pet. I just hope she is happy and its somewhat hard to tell.

  7. Some good information here, but I’m going to have to disagree on the Muscovy not being a duck. The Muscovy and mallard ducks are all in the same etymology family, just a different species. It’s no different than saying a Hubbard squash and a butternut squash aren’t both squash. Well they are ; they’re just different species of squash, belonging to the same family. Also, I’ve been raising Muscovy for almost 5 years and I have never had one with black legs. All of mine have orange or yellow legs. I have a batch hatching out of the incubator right now and they have orange feet.

    1. I have 3 hens and 2 drakes, only one of mine has feet that are not black. But she is a mule duck and a different color than the rest of the flock.

    2. Hi Suzanne, I was wondering if I could send you a picture of a duck, that Merlin is saying is a Muscovy Duck. I have reached out to the Audubon Society but they have not responded, It was found in a pond at a local conservation area. Reading all of these passages makes me wonder if it could belong to someone. but first, I want to confirm that it is a Muscovy. I will give you my email, so if you could respond that would be greatly appreciated.

      1. There are several Muscovy duck groups on Facebook that could help you know if it is Muscovy. Most have red or blak caruncles. They also have claws on their feet. They come in many colors.

  8. I noticed my Muscovy sitting at length on April 9th, she is still sitting on about 5 or 6 eggs with the others being pushed out. When can I expect them to hatch or will they ? Are there any signs I can look for ?

  9. Do muscovy eggs have a permeable membrane like goose eggs, that let bacteria in ? Or-is it like a chicken eggs-that are impermeable to outside bacteria ?

  10. I just had my first Muscovy duckling hatch. I was wondering if the mother feeds and Waters the ducklings until all of the eggs are hatched. If not how does the baby duckling get water from such a high nest.?

  11. We have a male Muscovy and for the past 2-3 days he has been walking very slowly and with his head pulled in like when he sleeps and doesn’t pull it out except to eat or drink…today we noticed he has a yellowish coloring on his chest area where his beak lays. Do you know what’s wrong? How can we help him?

  12. I do keep some Muscovy ducks in my yard they are friendly. Currently two are sitting on eggs one on ten the other on twenty one. In all I have two males and eight females. The males are always fighting. What should I do, eat one?

  13. I live on a ranch that raises Muscovy”s along with chickens of varying types. We don’t have any other ducks, just Muscovy”s so their is no in breeding. I have been using the ducklings as therapy animals ant the seniors and rehab people absolutely love them and my miniature horse. I try to keep ducklings around but there are times when they are too big and I don’t have any smaller ones. They are excellent therapy animals and people love them!

  14. hi,I have six Muscovy ducks,4females and 2 males, they have been laying, but I’m not sure which ones, they’re laying in the open and not in the nest boxes l provided,pls help what should I do?

  15. I would love to have a few muscovy’s for my pond which is surrounded by woods. The problem is in the winter I am gone for 2-4 weeks. Should I forget about owning muscovy’s. Any help would be appreciated.

    1. I have a pair and I set up an automatic feeder that dispenses corn every day whether I’m here or not. It lasts for a month. I have a River next to me they use for water which is just as important if not more than food.

    1. They could take a break for a number of reasons- when they’re molting their feathers, if its the winter they take time off until it gets warmer. They also could take a week or two off during laying period, to rest because when they are laying it is about 5 eggs per week.
      Claire

  16. I’ve got a drake and a hen in my yard right now. The eggs are just now starting to hatch. It seems like they have been there forever! She has been such a good momma. My neighbor (who is Amish and raises them) said the mom will push eggs out on accident when she turns them. Put them back after you have marked it and if she keeps pushing them out- they are not viable. We were curious and opened one that was pushed out and it was cold. It was alive. It killed me! I should have put it back and let it be. I learned from that trust me. After that, if she pushed them out I just put them back. Surprisingly she never pushed them out again. I can’t wait to see how many actually hatch. They are just now starting to break the shells.

    1. We learned to just let her sit for 39-40 days or 2 days after the first birth. After that they are almost always bad. Once the babies are born they need water within 48 hrs as their yolk sack is now their stomach and they live on that the first 24 – 48 hrs. So she must leave usually and take them to get some. Sad for the eggs left if they didn’t hatch. Hope you get lots. We have a had a great success rate with ours.?

  17. My Wife and I adopted 3 Muscovy ducks a year and a half ago. They are such awesome additions to any small hobby farm or small acreage dwelling. Ours love ground boxes and definitely have the ability to get into some small and difficult places in which to conceal the eggs. It is literally an Easter Egg hunt every day?. Ours also don’t seem to like to roost except at night or in winter they get up on the horse hitching post during the day to keep feet warmer. We have had -28 degrees F here and had no problems. Put warm water in a small barrel bottom I cut off every morning though. It didn’t stay warm long. We let them be as natural as possible and only restrict them if it’s a life or death issue. Our flock is now 11 adults (2 males, which is not recommended as they are serious rivals) and 12 ducklings half way grown. We think 1 male and female would have been the best choice. And to control population we just keep taking eggs. Lol. They are a constant source of amusement, especially when you look over your shoulder out the kitchen window to find they can climb up onto the shed and stare in curiously . I think they want my coffee.lol. Anyways if you want an awesome pet, supply of eggs( 150 ish a yr) then get em. Don’t regret it at all.

  18. we have a single muscovy duck – she flew in by herself and stayed with the chickens. Right now she is sitting on 5 eggs. She can fly and we don’t keep her in, still I’d think the probability of the eggs being fertile is fairly low. Should I let her keep sitting on the eggs? If so, for how long? I’m not sure how stressed she is, so I’m trying to do what would be best for her.

  19. Hi got one drake its mate got killed by the fox should I get another drake or a hen will he take to it .
    Thanks Tony

  20. Yes . Male Muscovys will take any female as far as I’ve seen . I’ve had them for two plus years and I switch out males so the offspring aren’t interrelated.

  21. there is a muscovy at scalding park in muskogee ok. for about two years now,I go to the park every morning for my walk and I feed all the ducks corn every other day, they forge every other day for food, the muscovy is sitting on her eggs at this time, she lets me pet her and she eats out of my hand as do the other ducks,23 all together, I put water every day in her own little bowl I wedged into the bald cypress tree roots, and she eats from my hand and drinks the water daily, she has been sitting for about one month now, I do not see her off the nest at all,I just love her and try protecting her at the park she lets me pet her and she talks to me,,,

  22. We have Muscovy ducks – 1 boy and 2 girls. Our boy quackers is wonderful – he is always so happy to see us and always comes wagging his tail to talk to us. The girls are much quieter unless Quackers needs putting in his place.
    They love their paddling pool and the girls have just started laying eggs. We wouldnt be without them!

  23. I loved the article. Lots of good information. I have 4 muscovies which I think is 1 male and 3 females. They were hatched on April 20 and now its August 24. I have them on my property which is 1/4 acre. I have noticed them starting to exercise their wings (flapping them a lot when they are first let out of their pen in the morning). When should I clip their wings in order for them not to fly away? Thank you in advance for any advice.

    1. At five weeks is when they get their adult plumage. It is important to educate yourself on this before doing it. You may not need to if they are not the flying type.
      Claire

      1. Important question i have a drake hes 6 m old i love him to death i found him on side of the road couldnt been no.more hen 2days old. Hes and in side duck goes every where with us even walmart but the last couple of days his. Eyes have been watering non stop and he seens a bit slow heseating well i just know something’s wrong i cant get a vey to see him can anyone give me advice my email is shaleecobb7@ gmail.com thank you

  24. We have a 17 year old Muscovy- called Dottie – she is the sole survivor out of three which we had as tiny ducklings.
    They were always been free to live as they wanted putting themselves to bed with the hens, flying off up the trees and enjoying a swim in the pond
    Dottie still flies better than she can walk as she is a little lame, she is free to go where she likes and still enjoys nice fresh veg from the garden given the chance!

  25. We have 9 muscovies – all female . They have been a pleasure to watch in the yard. There was an over abundance of crickets & grasshoppers this summer – the ducks had quite a feast :). We just do not like the mess they make with water in the barn , so sadly we need to downsize to 2-3 . We love the eggs for baking & scrambled eggs , they are so creamy & rich ! I do not appreciate them coming into our deck to leave a mess – it’s quite gross . But it is like therepy , just to sit & watch them 🙂

  26. My son brought a adult pair of Muscovies last year , two weeks ago we have eight duckling with the mother; I want some advice about the male; he attacks me most of the time and I have to run. The female is very friendly. He is not afraid of any thing rather he attacks more furiously if I carry (stick) to safe myself from the big bird. ?

    1. Sit on him until he gives in. Do that a couple of times and he’ll realize you are in charge not him. I Cary a stick with me when I take someone they don’t know in to their area and that puts Drake’s back in their place(below humans) quickly. I’ve never hit any of them.

  27. I bought 7 duckling French Muscovy duck. 5 weeks old. Now they are huge. We have three drakes and 4 hens. They do fly, but the drakes not as much. I’ll be making them two elevated coops asap so they’ll start breeding. They are a daily amusement. If you set near them they will come and see what your doing.

  28. I have a muscovy duck that has layed 16 eggs as of today. Thirteen eggs made it into the nest before breaking. Unfortunately she has chosen a very tall cement planter on my balcony for her nest. Today she has returned to sit on the eggs because I believe she is done laying them. I am worried that when the babies hatch they will not be able to get out of the planter. I was thinking about picking the entire planter up and placing it on the first floor and then tipping it after they hatch so they would be able to get out. Should I move it before they hatch, wait until they hatch or not at all? Or should I cover the pot and move it while mamma duck is in it? I’m just afraid the babies will walk off my balcony and die if I leave the pot on the second floor tipped over or if I don’t do anything they will be stuck in there. What would be the best thing to do?

  29. We are getting a male pekin duck. Can he be kept with my male muscovy? Or will the two boys fight? Right now we have a family of 5 muscovys.

    1. hi don’t include a male pekin to a male muscovy duck if the pekin drake to a muscovy hen(the hybrids are called hinnies) the offspring will be infertile. i have a friend of mine who have a big farm, before he started his farm he used to have muscovy drake and a pekin duck hen(the hybrids are called mulard), and those mated and he thought the hybrids were infertile but it turns out,the hybrid of muscovy drake female pekins were not. So now he had a big poultry farm with tons mulards

  30. I have two 11 week old Muscovy ducks. One male and one female and I have had them since they were 2 weeks old.
    My male is 2.5kg/5.5lbs and the female is 1.8kgs/3.9lbs.
    They are house pet ducks, who sleep in a massive enclosed soft playpen in my lounge room and are very much apart of the family, like some people treat their dogs. 🙂
    They are SO affectionate, they love being cuddled, kissed, pat and carried around.
    Though, they are huge now and are starting to get heavy, they love to lay up on me every day, one on my chest snuggling into my neck and the other on my lap with its head draped over my arm, while I’m laying down watching tv. (They also love tv!)
    They are incredibly intelligent, they have learnt voice commands and they are quite obedient. 🙂

  31. I have a 9 month old Muscovy duck that has not laid an egg yet & she is the youngest of the three. Why would this be? The other two ducks have. They were hatched in June 2019…6th, 16th & 26th. She’s just getting fatter but does get bullied by the other two when they get broody.

  32. We’ve just acquired some Chocolate Drop Muscovy’s during the winter. We lost 1 from a predator. *mean face here*! So we traveled the 2.5 hours back to where we got the others and got a couple of more hens.
    These darlings have become THE topic of our day. Now don’t get me wrong here. We breed 3 different kinds of chickens, a couple of different geese, but our Muscovy’s steal our hearts. All of our animals get our undying love and attention but our Chocolates steal the show. We even took great pains at looking at their colors to decide the perfect chocolate name to give them. Little miss Godiva is my favorite.
    These gentle little giants own the farm and get all travel routes cleared that they want. Problem is?! They know it and we don’t care. Bring on them babies ladies, momma hen and papa drake need more to love.

  33. From Tampa, Florida. . .Earlier this spring we had a Muscovey choose a large stag horn fern hanging from an oak tree to nest. She hatched 14 babies and led them off to a nearby lake. A few weeks later, we noticed what appeared to be the same female (or her friend) returning back to the nest. She apparently has a clutch and has been on the nest for about 4 weeks. She leaves early morning for a short time and sometimes for a short time in the evening. We were amazed at how she called the babies from the nest and watched them take a flying leap to the ground below. I am a photographer/writer and managed to get wonderful pictures of this event, by sheer chance one Saturday morning!
    When the new ducklings hatch will the female always lead them from the nest early morning, as I have observed other birds with their fledglings?
    Also, will she return to this same nest to hatch more clutches?
    I am very interested in gaining all factual material. I’ve written 3 books (photographs and with simple story with many facts) on wildlife (sandhill cranes, Carolina wrens and an American Opossum – more infor at gailsdiederich.com ) and would love to do a similar book on Muscoveys. Any help appreciated and I always credit contributors. Thanks!

  34. I bought a dozen fertilized eggs and got 2 ducklings from it they’re pure white both are female. I named them sweetie pie and hoppers. Hops wasn’t super friendly as baby but she is now. They both love to be pet and will try to come in the house for more attention. They are very much like a dog. They are also affectionate with other animals and very intelligent. We had some chickens sick with heat stroke and the ducks were nursing them it was really adorable. We have added baby chicks and baby ducks to the flock and they are the two mother hens out there keeping watch over everyone! Best pets ever to be honest! ❤️ I love them and their eggs are amazing for baking they get very broody and hold a clutch well the only thing is there no male lol so the clutch is sterile!

  35. I hope you can help me. I have a muscovy sitting on eggs right outside my front door in the bed. The eggs were laid on top of mulch.
    Will the mama sit all day?How do I protect them from other animals? If they hatch will she sit all day?
    I live in SE Florida and there are raccoons, squirrels, iguanas, possum and other ducks/geese around.
    I don’t know much about muscovy ducks but I am an animal lover and would like to protect them.

  36. Hi I am taking care of 2 male and a female.. She laid eggs and I want to make sure I am feeding them the right stuff. does anyone have some ideas what I can feed them? Also she has her nest in the neighbors bush and I wish I could move them across the street to my home because traffic and people speed on our street. But I am afraid to because do not want her to not want to take care of the eggs. any ideas?

  37. We have 3 muscovy ducks, a male and 2 females. They are housed with other ducks and they are the sweetest little things around. One time, one of the females flew away. When we caught her and put her back with the others, both muscovies were so happy to see her. There was a lot of tail wagging and head bobbing!

  38. A muscovy laid eggs under my apartment stairwell. she was there for awhile and then disappeared a few days ago. I saw the eggs and assumed that they might have been sterile. yesterday I heard peeps and I see that there are babies, but no mother bird in sight. I will check tonight to see if she returns. If she doesn’t what do I do?

  39. The Muscovy had 15 eggs and 10 hatched. See only 3 eggs. After a day which is today she and babies moved off nest. The 3 eggs there are not going to hatch? Hate throwing them out?

  40. I bought four ducks right before the lockdown started. I told the owner I wanted to buy ducks for eggs. I didn’t a male because I don’t want to eat eggs that are fertilized. We’ve had them for four months now but they have not laid any eggs. (When we got them the owner said they were 2 months old.) I told the former owner I was anxious because they have not laid eggs and he said I might have to wait till they 11-12 months before muscovies can lay eggs! What!!! We bought them for $30 each. I have never felt so ripped off.

  41. My Muscovy started sitting in her eggs around the Fourth of July, we where under in impression they don’t start to breed until the spring, but like I said she has been brooding in twelve eggs for the last week, we are also in Australia, can anyone give me any thoughts if she could possibly have little ducklings soon?

  42. Brought a young female muscovy home for my adult male and they were n love with each other for about 2 weeks and now she won’t have anything to do with him. They dont swim together, he will not approach her when she is eat🤷‍♀️ Im wondering if she has eggs somewhere. I see her going under our cows shed alot but I am unable to locate her under there🤔 any ideas?

  43. We have a beautiful Mama Duck that adopted this pot in front of our house before we moved in. We moved in on Aug 14th of 2020, but first saw her July 27th. It is now 9/18. She should have had her babies by now right? What is the best way to handle this. I’m so sad typing this that I might have to help her by taking away the “babies”. Please help.

  44. I have 15 Muscovy ducklings, they are about 8 weeks old now. I want to breed some of them, but I don’t know if they are brothers and sisters or not.
    Will it cause problems if they do have the same parents?

  45. Hi Lisa, I enjoyed your article. I have raised one or more kinds of poultry most of my life and my experiences with ducks and chickens has been much the same as yours. Both are great, both are easy to raise, but like you said both have their unique requirements and idiosyncrasies. If you want a sustainable meat bird, IMHO you can t beat a duck. Unless you get broilers (which are hybrids, won t breed true even if they could breed), I ve found that even large breeds of chickens like Brahmas and Orpingtons are, well, chicken-chested . More bone than meat, especially the breast. You get much more bang for your buck with a medium to large duck breed like a Muscovy, Rouen or Blue Swede. I mention those three because I ve raised them.

  46. Love my muscovy ducks! Super social! They follow you around! Mine tend to follow me to the garden. I’ll turn around and my drake will be there wagging his tail! My runner ducks sadly blinded him in one eye. And chased my other muscovy away. Since they cannot live in peace I’m getting rid of my runner ducks and getting more muscovies! Certainly more friendlier. Definitely recommend muscovies. Don’t let their looks scare you away! It’s their personality that counts!

  47. Hi. Could someone please tell me why my White Muscovy attack my black and White ones. Even attacking a very large male.

    1. Hey i have Muscovy duck pair the hen make nest and sits in nest for hours but had not laid any single egg what should I do?

  48. hi. i got a muscovy duck. dont know if it is a male or a femal. Would love to know but I only have one. Her name is quakies. she sleeps in the house basicly stay the hole day in the house. Do her own thing. loves to follow me and is very freindly. There is just one thing I cant find no matter how hard I look. I am concerned about her feet. When I pick her up, her feet is very hot and so is her beeck. is that normal or not?

  49. I love all the questions and comments! I’ve learned so much from just reading all of it! But, I do have a question of my own.
    I have 3 Muscovy females. 2 of them started laying eggs in the same nest. During this time I had a chicken actually lay a few eggs in the same nest also. Between the 2 Muscovys and the chicken eggs, I believe I counted around 26-28 eggs in this nest. About a week ago one of the two Muscovys started her long sit on the eggs and she seems to be taking very good care of ALL the eggs in this huge nest. But my concern is…. I’ve read that if the chicken eggs begin to hatch, as they should well before the duck eggs, will she abandon the other eggs? Should I wait for her to get up from the nest and remove the chicken eggs and incubate them myself? I would hate to see her abandon all of the duck eggs (around 23 eggs) because of 3 chicken eggs….
    Does anyone have any advice please??? Thank you

  50. I have a pair of Muscovy ducks in my yard. They’re wild. All of a sudden there was Momma duck and 15 little tiny babies. My husband saw them and took a picture of them and texted it to me while I was at work. The picture was taken on March 29th. My yard is all fenced in with chain link fencing. So I guess Momma duck knew that her babies and herself would be safe. I love the ducks. We bought some duck pellets and cracked corn and meal worms for them. I put out a fresh pan every day and they scavenge the yard all day long. I have noticed that we don’t have as many lizards as we used to. Every night they go under my house. I have a piece of lose skirting that is broken away just enough for all of them to go through to get to their nest. It was the following week. The week just before Easter, my husband and I went out shopping one evening and the next morning I let the babies and Momma out from under the house and sadly only there were only 8 that came out. We found out that later that day that someone had come into our yard and stole the other 7. So we really keep a close eye on the rest of them now.
    Now that they are just about as big as Momma duck, Momma duck goes off with the Daddy duck and leaves the babies alone in the yard. They are still safe from predators but they still can’t fly. I wish I knew how old they will be when they get their wings. I know they will fly away because they are wild, but I hope that they will come to visit once and awhile and maybe bring their babies with them just to say “Hello.” I will miss them.

  51. I had a muscovy nest in my oak tree and the brood emerged on mothers day. Sad to say, today, two days later someone speeding down my road hit and killed the mother. I know they wont last long without her. Im not sure where she stashed them. Would it be far from the original nesting site? Im hoping to find them before its too late. Can anyone please help? Time is of the essence.

  52. A female Muscovy has laid 2 eggs in my garage behind a couch. We do feed them and give them fresh clean water twice a day, so I think she is comfortable here because we take care of them. Is it safe for me to move the eggs onto a more comfortable spot? She has them right on the hard garage floor.

  53. Hi, we have a wild Muscovy that has picked a flower box on our upstairs back porch to nest her 19 eggs in. She has started brooding and staying on the nest. Our concern is she is on our upper back porch that is about 18 feet up over a concrete patio. The flower pot is on our railing and we are concerned for the ducklings when they hatch. What should we do? Should we move the flower pot down to the lower level and will she continue to sit on the nest if we do. The pot is not that big and the ducklings will easily fall out after hatching. Any ideas?
    Thank you,
    Greg and Michelle,
    Sneads Ferry, NC

  54. We have a momma muscovy that just hatched her first clutch of 6 babies. They are about 4 weeks old and she’s already starting on another nest and ignoring the babies. Is this normal? p.s. We are herding the babies into our coop at night and giving them water and poultry mash. Any suggestions?

  55. Hi i live in the uk .i have had chickens last 4 years but decided this year to get ducks and ended up with 3 muscovy ducks and dr drake .. oh my i dont know why i hadent got these ducks befor there lush there great with my grand children andwith my chickens
    I have one sitting on eggs and 2 others have joined her cant wait to see the results …
    Loved reading these posts and learned so much
    Thank you guys for the useful info ill try and let yous know how the moms are doing when the babies start to hatch exciting times 😉
    There nature

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