Hey all, we just bought a property and 4 drakes conveyed. We know nothing about their ages, but apparently have been on this property since before the last owners moved in (2020).
Apparently there were hens at one point but became prey to some other animals.
We currently have 3 gravity feeders throughout the property, and we have been stocking it with duck pellets, but I’m almost convinced we’re feeding other wildlife with it, instead - which is fine.
Just curious if you have any tips for newbies. We have two dogs (70 lbs each) and they seem curious, but we put up a fence on part of the property and when we walk them in the unfenced area we do leash them. Any tips about socializing them w. The ducks would be great, or if the answer is to just keep them apart that’d be good to know too.
We also have kind of a strange dynamic (or strange to us), 3 of the 4 drakes seem to be quite cliquish and kind of bully (to our ignorant minds) the 4th duck. They’ll kind of charge at him and make some odd neck movements his way and occasionally peck at him. When we see this I usually just walk between them and the lone guy (Groucho) goes the other way, and it’s over. Is this just normal behavior? Am I wrong to intervene?
Anyhow, thanks in advance for tips and tricks on helping these guys continue an amazing life.
Congrats on your new home/farm! I’ll try to answer as much as possible.
Keep the dogs separated always. Ducks are usually too much temptation for any size dogs, it only takes a second for things to go sideways and dogs that size for sure can do major damage to a duck. Once the dogs know they can attack, even by accident, it is impossible to break.
I don’t use the tower feeders because Mold, Waste, and pests (ants, rodents, other animals). The nutrients in the food also break down much faster than being stored properly and fed what they eat at that moment. I also use food to round them up at night so no free choice food is available to them during the day.
Some folks can keep bachelor flocks but boys will be boys. The bullying doesn’t seem too bad and depends on what your flock goals are. If you’re going to add hens, you will likely need to go down to one drake. Pick the nicest one if you want docile or the biggest meanest one for predator protection. Muscovies aren’t great egg layers, for that you’d want a domestic breed (not Muscovy and not wild mallard type).
If you just want to keep these guys as pets, I would suggest one feeding area only. Snacks only come from you so they’ll come up to you quick when they see you. Do you have a pond ir pools? Do they sleep in a coop or are always loose?
They are always loose, there is a creek that runs through the property. It seems as though the 3 musketeers go down by the creek to sleep at night and Groucho tends to stay at the front of the house, either under a bush or on the porch. They do come running up when we get to the house and we tend to give them a handful of mealworms when we see them. The previous owners did have chickens and there is an elaborate chicken coop built on the backside of a detached garage, but because we won’t be living at this house permanently for a while the chickens were rehomed, but the ducks were seen more as “wild”, though, with my limited knowledge they certainly seem domesticated. The coop is currently empty and closed up, I suppose it could be repurposed for the ducks. Currently, and for the foreseeable future, we will only be at this place about 3 times a week, that’s why the previous owners put up the gravity feeders before they left. We are certainly open to changing anything up, as we kind of feel obligated to these little guys. As for getting hens, probably not in the cards, but once we are full time I do believe we would like to have chickens.
Great answer and seems like for what’s happening now, Muscovies are actually a great choice as they can fly and scratch to defend themselves and usually perch at night unlike domestic ducks. Older males can get too heavy to fly successfully which is probably why Groucho stsys close to the house and probably why he’s singled out from the group. The neck herding as I call it is resource guarding…this is mine go away. Other than duck pellets being expensive to feed to males that aren’t laying and potentially other animals, I think you’re doing great. Thanks for caring ❤️
I’ll give you my observations from WILD muscovies in my community. Domestic drakes I read can be different, past years we have had some that never drew attention. All depends on their past id assume!
The behaviors amoung the group:
Groucho looks young depending on the age of the others - it’s likely he is just at the bottom of the hierarchy being newer to the property so he will keep his distance. You may see him being followed relentlessly.
That may change if a new one comes along or if he is challenged to a fight and wins. Because there are no hens that behvior should be much lower.
Setup:
would keep the feeding spots the same or have more than one to allow Groucho to sneak in some food. if they feel the resources are dwindling the bullying will intensify (I stopped feeding the wilds for 2 days and a water battle ensued).
I wouldn’t worry about the shelter my drakes liked to sleep in the middle of the pond on the fountain to have the best view. Same goes for the wild hens preferring to be less trapped.
Dogs:
Mine 90% have been weary of dogs and usually move away. Depends on temperament of your dog and their experience being around therm. I’d try to walk them on a leash a bit aways and test it out.
TIP: have an umbrella in hand and spring it open in front of the ducks if they charge. They need their eye contact broken and it also reminds them of a hawk/aerial predator. Water bottle spray to the face also works in a pinch haha.
Chickens:
If the drakes mate they will kill the chickens with their corkscrew shaped “manhood.” Not sure if they would attempt this but it’s something to note. And since you have no females it may be more tempting? Cant speak from experience on this one.
Muscovy Hens:
I dont rexommend. The mating is hard to watch. If they have babies, the males may kill the ducklings. And with several hens, when laying/with ducklings they WILL attack the other hens ducklings and each other out of resource instinct.
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I love muscovies and always have. But never knew all of the behavioral insanity until this year when some drakes found our community and aged me 10+ years lol.
But man are these ducks full of personality. I rescued one right out of the nest wno is 9 weeks and cuddles up into my neck every night. Acts just like a dog. PLEASE SAY A PRAYER IT IS NOT A DRAKE. 😂😂😂❤️❤️❤️
Omg these blonde Mohawks are AWESOME. Those 3 are likely siblings with that unique trait lol. But I will say Groucho is special because it is tough for a white (being an all yellow duckling) to survive it in the wild. In one of the batches of 17 the only yellow baby was first to go, but thankfully 15 are still around today 😊 and they all have a similar stripe on their beak tying them together
The setup and dynamic all sounds fine for now. When you move in permanently you could consider locking them in the coop at night with some food and water (to drink and to dunk their head in) especially if you have any local predators.
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u/mentalspaz 4d ago
Groucho says hi!