There is a local guy that has what he calls "turkey ducks". I haven't seen them yet, but could this be an example local vernacular (check that one out Wildman!!) for Muscovy ducks? This is my theory (and my friends Kim and Terri) of what a turkey duck could be. Either way, I may buy them. Any thoughts?

-- Anonymous, November 21, 2001

Answers

You can't fool me gal, I know that vernacular is that little white stuff that's in potting soil! Better luck next time.

Wildman (The infallible)

-- Anonymous, November 21, 2001

Yes, they're Muscovy. They are sometimes called that around here too, altho the owner of the first ones I saw as a kid tried to tell me that they were half turkey and half duck. I was not a milksop to be fooled so easily.

-- Anonymous, November 22, 2001

Aha!! so we were correct. Hmmm...If i could breed them (theres 4) I could have something very yummy in the freezer next year..heehee. Thanks all! PS: Wildman, yup youse too smart for me! rofl

-- Anonymous, November 22, 2001

So, my friend brings me the 4 muscovy ducks and they decide they aren't going to stay. I spent the next 30+ minutes chasing ducks or herding them off the highway. I got one into the barn. Caught another. When I put that one in the barn the first one wigged out and escaped the barn. So I caught another one. This one decided that she wasn't going without a fight and bit me on the neck. So here I go after the other two which are again heading up the yellow line of the road. One made a break for the woods on the other side of the road and one I herded back into the yard. As we neared the barn she decided to make her run for freedom and flew to the neighboring property. that was enough for me. when I got home from getting the kids out of day care there was a duck in the mud room (the one that went for the woods). My friend had found it and brought it back. I hear the other is hanging with the wild ducks on my neighbor's pond. Who knew ducks were so stubborn??!

-- Anonymous, November 23, 2001

Attack of the vampire duck, huh? Actually, they can be quite resolute, in my experience, altho we only had mallards, and those who own muscovies tell me that they are even MORE resolute. I know that Joy once posted a while back about the great duck chase out on our local lake in the dark after one of the males who decided he didn't want to live here either. When you catch them, a wing clip is probably in order, as well as penning them up for a while.

-- Anonymous, November 24, 2001

Q: "How do you get down off an elephant?"

A: "You don't. You get down off a duck."

My brother was in his late 30's before he finally got this stupid joke that he heard when he was 10 or 11. Our family has never been very waterfowl savvy, so I can't help, either. True to tradition, I guess.

Ummm....could it be a duck from Turkey? ;-)

-- Anonymous, November 24, 2001

well i wish I had checked back here before I decided taht the 3 in the barn should be allowed out again. of course they all took off. Now the neighbors pond has 2 ducks from my yard and they are not happy about it, my other neighbor phoned this morning to say she found a duck and she and I ran one down in the woods last night and penned it up so out of 4 ducks I now have one. I am really not liking these ducks!

-- Anonymous, November 26, 2001

Sorry Ali, but I am sitting here giggling - I keep getting this picture of you dressed up and tiptoeing across the fields like Elmer Fudd in hot pursuit of the ducks! I don't think I'll be getting any muscovies any time soon, thanks to reading this! Maybe we ought to start a thread on "livestock we DO NOT recommend raising"!!

-- Anonymous, November 26, 2001

I imagine you've already figured this out, but I'll add my two cents anyway, since I've had similar experiences during my early years on the farm!

Course it takes any animal some time to get used to a new home, but I think even more so with birds and cats. They have to be locked up securely for a long time, at least several weeks, until they feel the place is their home. Then they are much less likely to stray too far, and more likely to come back to their pen at night.

I'm sorry you had such a lousy experience with your ducks. I like ducks. They crack me up. Except that Rouen drake who used to chase cars when the kids were little. He had free run of the place,my oldest daughter just loved him, he annoyed us no end cuz were always having to dodge him when we had the audacity to use the driveway! Well one day, he played his last game of dodge-car and ended up under the wheel. The kids didnt see it, and we did something we just never do except in situations like this, we lied. We said we had no idea what happened to the little fella, he must have run away or been duck- napped or something.

Course my daughter was heartbroken for awhile, but at least she didnt look at us as murderers of her pet! We just recently told her about this (she's 18 now). She forgave us, and agreed it was probably the best thing to do at the time.

One day we woke up to find a new duck in our flock. This was some years ago, still had lots to learn. Was the ugliest duck we'd ever seen, just walkin around with the normal, attractive ducks like it belonged there. Looked like it had warts all over its face, had a bluish kinda cast to it, big fat thing. It stuck around for several months, then disappeared one day just like it came. We figured it was either a Swedish/muscovey cross, or an alien duck.

Now I have lots of ducks....and geese....in my little lake.....can look at em all day....and don't have to take care of em! (But I HAVE put out a little corn, just in case they get hungry.)

-- Anonymous, November 27, 2001