2LearnCairina moschata
Muscovy duck
The Muscovy duck is a separate species from other domestic ducks, domesticated in Central and South America long before European contact. It is kept mainly for its lean meat and is known for being quiet, hissing rather than quacking. Females are reliable…
Keeping
How it is kept
Kept for
- Meat
- Temperament
- Quiet and calm; drakes can be territorial
- Mature weight
- 2–6.5 kg
- Lifespan
- 8–12 years
- Incubation
- 35 days
- Forage
- Strong foragers of grass, insects and slugs, given a balanced waterfowl feed as a base. They need less swimming water than other domestic ducks.
- Housing
- A predator-proof night shelter with low perches, as Muscovies like to roost. Females and young birds fly well, so clip wings or use a covered run.
- Good to know
- Muscovies cross with other domestic ducks, but the offspring, called mule ducks, are sterile. Drakes are much larger than ducks and can be rough with other poultry. They are quiet, which makes them good neighbours, but they can fly over ordinary fences.
Breeds
Muscovy duck breeds
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