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Author Topic: My now gone, Muscovy clan, sigh  (Read 11381 times)

Offline Cindi

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My now gone, Muscovy clan, sigh
« on: November 18, 2009, 10:34:09 am »
About a month and a half ago, I made the really difficult decision to sell my breeding Muscovy ducks, one of the hardest decisions I have ever made, sigh, but must needs to be be done.  We are in the process of selling our house (now when will that happen anyways, been on the market since last January) and moving 6 Muscovy ducks, and living on our Daughter's property in our 5th wheel, would be just too much to do.  She is OK with chickens, would have been OK with the ducks too (she would do anything for her Mother), but it would have made life a little tough.  So the decision to only move with chickens was made, so  much easier than ducks. So I sold these ducks to a very nice young fellow, that said if I ever wanted to buy them back, I could....and that day may come, when we finish settling.  I have had these ducks since they were young ones, they were so friendly.  Sir Drake was the name of the drake, and he rightfully earned that name.  He was gentle, loved the girls, they loved him and he took such good care of them, always preening, always being nice, never aggressive.  I had a drake prior to that, his name was Whoppo, but he got so mean, the girls would all run for their lives, and he tried to make me run for my life.  Nope....ain't doing' that thing, I am bossman.  After a few good duck crunches to my calf when I wasn't looking, he went off to someone that loved his size.  He went to a place where there were two other big drakes, my friend wanted some new genes to the pool and he got some good ones I'll tell ya, as far as size went, he was massive.  Where was I?

Right....guess that story was over, smiling.  These are pictures of my long-gone clan, but one day to have back again.

Oh yes, there was another part to the story.  There was one duck, her name was Girl.  She never went broody in the two years that I had her.  She laid eggs, but never brooded, like the other gals, who loved to mother.  I think her job was to keep Sir Drake company, while the others sat for those 35 days on eggs, 6 weeks to raise the ducklings, till they didn't need their mother any more.  That would have been a very lonely drake.  So she would just hang out with him lots, and keep him company, on those oh-so-lonely days, when everyone else was so busy.   Do have that most wonderful day, and health, Cindi.

Sir Drake, Girl, Sissy, Pepper, Cocoa and Jade, all hangin' out together.



Sir Drake preening Sissy



Sir Drake and his beautiful eyes.....



Sir Drake, in all his glory, well, not all, he was going through a moult at this time.



And this is that mean ol', horrible, nasty, not wanting me to be king of the yard, only him, Whoppo was his name.  That means "beautiful, handsome" in Spanish, well, he was kind of, in his own way!!!  This one is for you JP!!!  Sorry friend, no more ducks sent through cyberspace, to land on your dinnerplate, cooked and ready to eat, sigh.....

Look how different Whoppo looked than Sir Drake, and the difference in personality was just as extreme, smiling



Whoppo again


There are strange things done in the midnight sun by the men who moil for gold.  The Arctic trails have their secret tales that would make your blood run cold.  The Northern Lights have seen queer sights, but the queerest they ever did see, what the night on the marge of Lake Lebarge, I cremated Sam McGee.  Robert Service

Offline Keith13

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Re: My now gone, Muscovy clan, sigh
« Reply #1 on: November 18, 2009, 10:49:01 am »
Cindi
You saying Girl was a lady of the night? :-D :-D :shock:

Keith

Offline David LaFerney

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Re: My now gone, Muscovy clan, sigh
« Reply #2 on: November 18, 2009, 05:49:31 pm »
This is a stupid question I'm sure, but did you do what I think you did with all those ducklings? 

I've got 13 rabbits that I've put off dealing with.  Next weekend.
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Offline Natalie

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Re: My now gone, Muscovy clan, sigh
« Reply #3 on: November 18, 2009, 06:03:17 pm »
Maybe whoppo thought he was cool with that pompadour hair style and had the attitude to go with it. :)

Offline Cindi

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Re: My now gone, Muscovy clan, sigh
« Reply #4 on: November 18, 2009, 07:29:09 pm »
This is a stupid question I'm sure, but did you do what I think you did with all those ducklings? 

About 50% of them in our freezer over the past couple of years, 25% to other eater people and who knows with the other 25%.  Nothing nicer than food that is grown within the confines of one's property.  AND...Muscovy duck is better than turkey, all dark meat, no fat to speak of, and makes the most delicious brown gravy, smiling.  Beautiful days, to love and live with great health.  Cindi


There are strange things done in the midnight sun by the men who moil for gold.  The Arctic trails have their secret tales that would make your blood run cold.  The Northern Lights have seen queer sights, but the queerest they ever did see, what the night on the marge of Lake Lebarge, I cremated Sam McGee.  Robert Service

Offline David LaFerney

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Re: My now gone, Muscovy clan, sigh
« Reply #5 on: November 18, 2009, 08:11:32 pm »
On vacation a couple of years ago my wife and I had duck (pekin I think the menu said) which was wonderful.  Other than that I've never had it.  Since then I've considered getting some, but I don't really know anything about them other than the deliciousness.  Are they much different than chickens?  Do they need access to a pond?
"It ain't what you don't know that gets you into trouble. It's what you know for sure that just ain't so." Samuel Clemens

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Offline JP

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Re: My now gone, Muscovy clan, sigh
« Reply #6 on: November 18, 2009, 09:24:28 pm »
In case anyone was wondering, this:

Best duck ever to walk the planet!!!


Cindi, Whoppo says tell me your secret chicken forum or he'll bite your calves raw while you sleep!!!


...JP :evil: :-*
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Offline Cindi

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Re: My now gone, Muscovy clan, sigh
« Reply #7 on: November 18, 2009, 10:04:18 pm »
David, Muscovy ducks are the only breed of duck that does not HAVE to have a water source, such as a pond, from what I understand.  From what I understand all other ducks MUST have water for breeding.

Now, Muscovy ducks love water beyond your wildest dreams.  They will bathe in every place of water that they can find.  They will even try to get into a bucket to bathe, they love water as much as other ducks, but do not HAVE to become immersed in it.  When the Muscovy ducks mate, the duck always wants to get into the water, any source that she can find and bathe.  No clue why, but I think it has something to do with the viability of the sperm within her, this is only a thought.  But I have seen my ducks run to the little pond that I dug (by hand) for them and bathe their brains out.  They love to play with water, and they will even play with water coming from the end of a hose when I let it run through the air to the ground.  I love the Muscovy breed, and oh, dear, sighing again, one day I will get back my ducks, or some of their progeny at least.

Pepper bathing after a mating, I had many containers for them to bath in



Having a really good bath



Pepper taking her babies out, this is the pond that I dug out, it took me a very, very long time, smiling....



OK, now for you JP!!!  You devotion to Whoppo still marvels me -- I remember when I told my stories of him, that you would be on the defence, smiling.  Whoppo can't talk, I know that, so who do you think you are trying to kid when you said he said he would bite my calves raw, huh!!!!!  You still that little brat that you've always been.  Sure woulda wished I was a kid when you were a kid, in the same neighbourhood, I woulda sent you runnin' home, ballin' your eyes out to your Mamma, cryin' the blues, top that one, brat!!!!
There are strange things done in the midnight sun by the men who moil for gold.  The Arctic trails have their secret tales that would make your blood run cold.  The Northern Lights have seen queer sights, but the queerest they ever did see, what the night on the marge of Lake Lebarge, I cremated Sam McGee.  Robert Service

Offline annette

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Re: My now gone, Muscovy clan, sigh
« Reply #8 on: November 18, 2009, 10:24:08 pm »
 :pop:

Offline Cindi

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Re: My now gone, Muscovy clan, sigh
« Reply #9 on: November 18, 2009, 10:29:03 pm »
Oh Annette, you make me smile, I know you love to read my posts,  8-)  :lol: :lol:  Have that beautiful day, with health.  Cindi
There are strange things done in the midnight sun by the men who moil for gold.  The Arctic trails have their secret tales that would make your blood run cold.  The Northern Lights have seen queer sights, but the queerest they ever did see, what the night on the marge of Lake Lebarge, I cremated Sam McGee.  Robert Service

Offline JP

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Re: My now gone, Muscovy clan, sigh
« Reply #10 on: November 19, 2009, 12:41:32 am »
I see you ain't budging on the mysterious secret chicken forum, so I have no choice but to have a talk with Whoppo!


...JP :evil:
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Offline Cindi

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Re: My now gone, Muscovy clan, sigh
« Reply #11 on: November 19, 2009, 10:16:43 am »
Ah JP, you win, don't wancha bothering Whoppo, smiling.  I belong to the backyard chicken forum that you put in one of your posts.  I am a very inactive member there, just mostly read and now and then ask a question.  It really has a mountain of information about everything possible under the sun about chickens.   I belong to another one, but it is a Canadian site, would probably bore you.  Stick with the "backyard chicken.com" one.  I think that Ann is actually one of the moderators there, smiling.  Have that beautiful and awesome day, health.  Cindi
There are strange things done in the midnight sun by the men who moil for gold.  The Arctic trails have their secret tales that would make your blood run cold.  The Northern Lights have seen queer sights, but the queerest they ever did see, what the night on the marge of Lake Lebarge, I cremated Sam McGee.  Robert Service

Offline JP

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Re: My now gone, Muscovy clan, sigh
« Reply #12 on: November 19, 2009, 10:40:55 am »
Are you saying Ann is a moderator of the mysterious Canadian chicken site? I know she's a moderator at Backyard chickens. Still the quest goes on for the mysterious Canadian chicken forum! :evil: :-P

BTW, how are your calves today? :evil:


...JP
My Youtube page is titled JPthebeeman with hundreds of educational & entertaining videos.

My website JPthebeeman.com http://jpthebeeman.com

Offline Cindi

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Re: My now gone, Muscovy clan, sigh
« Reply #13 on: November 19, 2009, 10:45:50 am »
JP, oh man, you make me laugh, no Ann is at backyard chickens, smiling.  Don't worry about the Canadian chicken site, it is just a small group of people, only like 450 members, it would probably and more than likely not be your cup of tea (do you drink tea, smiling).  BTW, your message to Whoppo didn't get through (thankin' my lucky stars), still have both calves in tact and I can run like the dickens!!!  Have that most awesome day, with great health.  Cindi
There are strange things done in the midnight sun by the men who moil for gold.  The Arctic trails have their secret tales that would make your blood run cold.  The Northern Lights have seen queer sights, but the queerest they ever did see, what the night on the marge of Lake Lebarge, I cremated Sam McGee.  Robert Service

Offline David LaFerney

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Re: My now gone, Muscovy clan, sigh
« Reply #14 on: November 19, 2009, 11:23:51 am »
Thanks for the information and pictures.  You must really love your poultry to hand dig a duck puddle for them.   :)
"It ain't what you don't know that gets you into trouble. It's what you know for sure that just ain't so." Samuel Clemens

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Offline ziffabeek

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Re: My now gone, Muscovy clan, sigh
« Reply #15 on: November 19, 2009, 12:40:13 pm »
Cindi,

Your ducks are beautiful!  I was wondering, do ducks lay eggs like chickens do, whether or not there is a male around?  I guess what I mean, could you just have female ducks if you weren't interested in babies, but just wanted eggs? 

And also, are ducks any cleaner/dirtier than chickens when kept in an enclosure?

Thanks!  I love your pictures and stories!

love,
ziffa

Offline poka-bee

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Re: My now gone, Muscovy clan, sigh
« Reply #16 on: November 19, 2009, 10:43:26 pm »
Cindi I know how hard that must have been for you!  Beautiful breeding stock, I like the brown one, they have a pinkish/purple sheen to them in the right light. You will start again once settled, hopefully with some grand ducks from your own lines! Muscovy are wonderful ducks. Well, except for Whoppo! You can see the difference in temperament just from the picture, Sir Drake looks regal and relaxed, Whoppo very tense and has a hard eye!  I love that they are quiet too, the little squeaking and hissing heeeh heeeh heeeh sounds! I loved my Mr. Muscovy, he lived 15ish years and would catch bread in the air when you threw it, just like a dog!
Ziffa they will sometimes lay without drakes but I don't think as well as chix do. Cindi would know, she is the expert.  Duck eggs are wonderful for baking, duck custard or bread pudding are to die for! They are just as messy as chix in their way, maybe more cause like Cindi said, they LOVE water!  Any little puddle, drips from the faucet, dog dish, horse trough even will go for your glass of tea if you leave it down long enough!  They also like goldfish.  Note to self, don't put goldfish in a bucket where the Muscovy can get em while cleaning! :roll:  I don't like duck to eat.  Too many years of Dad bringing home wild shot, us kids cleaning then roasting in all that grease with that wild muddy taste..UGH!  :-P  I did taste some of Cindi's Muscovy and I must say it was very good for duck and not a speck of grease! I might even think of raising a few of my own if I could find a market and someone to do the dirty work..once again, too many years of cleaning ducks..We would have gut fights, hold em by the neck & swing & smack each other.. cut off the feet & chase our sister around pulling the tendons so they made the feet open & close..ahhhh, fun times! :evil:  And amazingly our sister still speaks to us!

Jody
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Offline Cindi

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Re: My now gone, Muscovy clan, sigh
« Reply #17 on: November 19, 2009, 11:53:50 pm »
Ziffa, glad you like my stories, I do so love tell those tales (and not tall tales, smiling).  Thanks for the kind words.  Ducks are messy.  No ifs, ands or buts, copious amounts of water makes for copious amounts of wet poo!!!!!  Especially a broody poo.  Like when a duck is sitting on eggs for hours and hours, holding her poo (they poo alot, smiling).  She gets off the nest and whammo!!! poo (like really murky water) flies everywhere, and STINKS!!!!!  Now normal, everyday duck poo, not so bad....

Jody, Sir Drake grand-duck-babies!!!  Yay, I could go for that, his babies would for surely be as beautiful and big as himself and his gals.  Still can't believe how Mr. Muscovy lived to be 15ish years old, isn't that just ding, dang cool!!!  Cool....I am not really an expert, just have had lots and lots of experience raising this breed of duck, I am humble...I have no clue if the ducks will lay well if there is not a drake present, always had a great big drake to look after the girls.  I would imagine that they might lay.  But they really are daddy-oriented gals, they love their drake so much, that is clear to see, they adore him to pieces.  Ducks lay eggs throughout the year, in what I would say would be 30 or so then stop for awhile.  I am not positive of the numbers, because we were always raising babies.  But they don't lay steady like a chicken does.  Intermittently.  I am sure that someone knows more, there are other Muscovy duck people around I am sure.  I too love how they hiss, heeeh, heeeeh, heeeh and peep, no loud quaking sounds, so gentle sounding and music to my ears for surely.  Ha, Jody, did Mr. Muscovy eat your goldfish, smiling.  Never thought that they would like a little fishy, fishy in a brook, oops, I mean in a bucket, but I guess they would be fair game, they love slugs, they kind of look the same, hee, hee.

Jody you telling of when you used to cut off the feet and chase your Sister around pulling the tendons to make feet open and close.  Well....many, many years ago, maybe something like 30, when my girls were youngsters, we all lived on a farm with my Sister and her clan.  She slaughtered a chicken once, and chased my girls around, doing exactly the same thing to them, me thinks that chicken feet are more scarey looking to a little kid than duck feet would be and I feared for the lives of my girls, smiling, only kidding.  To this day they talk about when their Auntie chased them around with the hideous chicken feet, childhood memories, what a blast!!!  Thank gawd I'm a country girl!!!  Beautiful days, to love, live, share, with that great health.  Cindi


I love duck eggs, they are mostly yolk, about 1-1/2 times the size of a large chicken egg, make the most delicious home made mayonaise, and things like that, like Jody was saying, yum, yum...
There are strange things done in the midnight sun by the men who moil for gold.  The Arctic trails have their secret tales that would make your blood run cold.  The Northern Lights have seen queer sights, but the queerest they ever did see, what the night on the marge of Lake Lebarge, I cremated Sam McGee.  Robert Service

Offline ziffabeek

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Re: My now gone, Muscovy clan, sigh
« Reply #18 on: November 20, 2009, 09:48:50 am »
Thanks for the answers, guys! And for the smile on my face thinking of you chasing siblings with cut off duck feet! Eewww! lol.  I live in the city and was considering getting some backyard chickens, when I saw your ducks I thought Oh! They look so pretty! Maybe ducks would be better! My boyfriend is a chef and he says duck eggs are awesome to cook with . . .but it sounds like they would need more room than we have and I have to consider the smell and mess for my neighbors.  Hmm.  Maybe I will stick to a couple of chickens and save the ducks for when I get my (dreamy dream world) little farm. :)  I am jealous of the space you have and all of the critters you can raise.  Maybe someday!

Thanks again, and please keep telling the stories.  They always bring a happy smile to my face while I'm stuck in my stuffy office!

love,
ziffa

Offline Cindi

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Re: My now gone, Muscovy clan, sigh
« Reply #19 on: November 21, 2009, 11:40:12 am »
Thanks again, and please keep telling the stories.  They always bring a happy smile to my face while I'm stuck in my stuffy office!
love,
ziffa

Now Ziffa, you have brought that smile to my face, that pleases me that I can lighten and brighten up your day, while sitting in a stuffy little office, smiling, so nice.  Have those beautiful days, to love and live, with all the best health one could have.  Cindi
There are strange things done in the midnight sun by the men who moil for gold.  The Arctic trails have their secret tales that would make your blood run cold.  The Northern Lights have seen queer sights, but the queerest they ever did see, what the night on the marge of Lake Lebarge, I cremated Sam McGee.  Robert Service