Muscovy

It has been about a year with ducks, and we had yet to see any eggs...

The ducks do free-range, so we feared had found an alternate place in the yard to lay, instead of using their Quack Shack. It turns out that was true, but it was not super secretive. The ducks have taken a strong liking to the Goat Barn, and have proceeded to sneak through the fence and lay in there, on a daily basis.

Muscovy are odd ducks - they are "quackless", and make a panting sound like a dog, instead of your traditional "quack, quack". This is good for us (and our neighbors), since our geese and roosters, and dogs and goats make plenty of noise as it is.

The breed is large, getting up to 25-30 lbs. for a male. They are good layers, and also used for meat birds. We can attest that they are quite good, and the meat is lean and dark, similar to a turkey when roasted. Freezer filling aside, they are pleasant and social ducks. While they are domesticated here, in southern states such as Florida, a variation of the breed is wild, like a mallard.

Duck eggs are slightly larger than chicken eggs, and are considered to be richer - great for baking purposes!

The ducks have provided a lot of entertainment around the yard, and are excellent at picking through the grass at ticks. We have yet to find one on ourselves or dogs this Spring.

Now that they are laying, we will use the eggs for eating and will attempt to let them hatch a clutch of eggs. Ducklings will be available at the Homestead if it pans out!

#eggs #egg #baking #duck #duckpond #muscovy