Muscovy Drake

If you recall, we got a trio in April, thinking they were two females and a male. It turns out they were all female. We also got some eggs to hatch out, but none of them made it. However, we didn’t give up, and after much searching, it seems like we finally have a breeding set of Muscovies. The only slight hitch is that our drake is very young (the Muscovy mask only just starting), so he can’t yet do his job.

[flickr_set id=”72157644099597556″] While we wait for him to come of age, the two oldest females were getting broody, so we started putting some Guinea eggs in a nest. Guineas are notoriously bad at setting their own nests, so we figured we might as well use the ducks’ strong motherly instincts as a natural incubator. Both of them are now setting their own nests, one with 11 eggs, the other with 9. We’re excited to see if it’ll work.

Meanwhile the other, youngest female has become best friends with the drake. The two of them are inseparable and spend most of their time splashing around in their pool. They are a joy to watch. Of all the poultry we’ve had, Muscovy Ducks have by far the most relaxed and endearing characters. Plus they’re prolific layers during season and great setters. The meat is also supposed to be delicious, but we can’t yet confirm that.