I have three muscovy hens. All decided to set, one had about a dozen eggs and the other two decided to use the same nest and had about 35 eggs. A week ago the single nester hatched 4 ducklings all healthy & so cute. Yesterday while doing chores I noticed many heads under the two sharing a nest but couldn't get too close, well today they made their debut and between them they have 29 ducklings!! It's really funny, they share mama duties but if one wants to go out into the lawn the other one stays behind with the little ones. Both will chase off an inquisitive chicken and now I noticed all three muscovy hens are foraging together and there's those 33 ducklings picking & peeping. I don't think the little ones know or care which mama they follow, there's a couple with distinct marks that have changed hens at least twice already. :) Hope your day is just ducky !! KA

-- Kathy Aldridge (beckoningwinds@yahoo.com), June 25, 2002

Answers

Aww, bet there are really cute! We have mallards and they fly from the coop to the front creek, swooping close overhead, quacking exitedly. Love waggly duck tails!

-- Patty (SycamoreHollow@aol.com), June 25, 2002.

Hi I just have two young muscovies that I got from a neighbor. I adore them maybe someday I will get to see and enjoy watching young ducklings wandering across the lawn.

-- Melody Hines (echoingdawn56@yahoo.com), September 05, 2002.

Last spring my apartment complex became the home of many Muscovy ducks because they stopped letting people keep dogs and cats and we live on a creek. In April there were 2 broods--one of 19 and one of 16--visiting my patio every day for food and water. Now these ducks are huge and many are gone from their respective broods, but there are four more families of various sizes that have been born since them, and they all visit my patio every day. They are such fun little things from the way they waddle down the walk to the way they look at you when you talk to them and shake their tail feathers. I feed them 3 kinds of grains and I keep large buckets of water for the big ones as well as shallow water for the babies. Anywhere from 45 to 50 ducks visit me daily. They light up my day! I have read lots of info on the internet on how to care for them and they are my friends for life! There are so many varieties in the same brood! When I pull in with my car, they know my car and come running to greet me with their funny waddle--they are the best! I understand they do not migrate for winter but here in Dallas they are already showing a preference for the sun on the cooler days. I hope they will not suffer too much in the cold.

-- Sandy Gannon (sandgann@aol.com), October 17, 2002.

i have two baby muscovies i tjhink i got it at a store and thats what everyone says they are they are so cute but i want to know when they get the red around there age what age do they start looking like a real muscovies and i also want to say i did not get my babys for eating or for there eggs they will bread and make more butiful muscovies

-- bobbi jo (bjbaldwin@aol.com), March 09, 2004.

I raise mascovies and mine have started to lay im so exited for this years babies to come i dont now about you but for some reason i love love this breed over any other breed of ducks. I m happy also now because my rabbit had five cute babies last week.Bye and i hope your nest are full

-- cole james heitz (cole_heitz69@yahoo.com), May 15, 2004.