# Can Muscovys Breed Other Ducks



## Rechellef (Oct 5, 2010)

I have a small flock of some awesome Muscovys. I have two drakes and three girls. They run with my Pekings and I have noticed the Moscovy drakes have started treading my Peking girls (making their drakes rather mad). I have read that Muscovys aren't technically ducks, but related more to geese. Therefore, can they crossbreed with other ducks? I want to incubate some Peking eggs next month, but if the embryos won't grow with this cross, then I don't want to waste my time trying to hatch them. I can't separate the breeds at this time as that all my poultry free ranges in a pasture and the Muscovys fly between pastures any way.


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## olivehill (Aug 17, 2009)

Yes, they produce mule ducks.


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## Dusky Beauty (Jan 4, 2012)

Mule ducks are excellent meat ducks, (and highly desirable in that sense) but the mules will be infertile. 
A result of muskie on one side also renders a female mule duck unable to lay eggs either but I'm not sure if that combination is with the father as a Muscovy, or the mother as the Muscovy. 
Muscovy/duck offspring are only useful as meat (excelling at meat actually) or pets where breeding would not be desirable.


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## patty12 (Jan 25, 2011)

acording to what I found they are not apt to inter breed but if they did the off springs would be " mules" and would not produce young.
the information I found said as long as the Muscovys. had their own kind to breed with they wouldn't breed with other type ducks.


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## pancho (Oct 23, 2006)

If it is a duck a muscovey drake will breed it. Really don't even have to be a duck. They will breed just about anything they can catch, doesn't even have to be a female.

I once knew a woman who told me she had some duck/chicken crosses. She was sure they were half chicken as she had seen a rooster breed the duck. According to her they would fly up on the barn like a chicken. When I went to see these crosses the first thing I saw was a big muscovey drake. For some reason the woman didn't think the muscovey would mate with any other duck.


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## sunflower-n-ks (Aug 7, 2006)

Muscovy ducks are ducks, but they are genetically different than all other mallard derivative domestic ducks. So, like a horse and donkey. they produce sterile offspring, or mules. Their eggs will hatch, but the resulting ducklings will not grow up to lay hatchable eggs. 

The domestic drake X muscovy female will produce large drakes and small females. The females will lay small eggs and will go broody and be a good mother to ducklings that hatch from eggs other than hers. The drakes will get large and have a unique sound. Somewhat a combination of a scovy drake and a "domestic" drake. I have had a lot of those. They are nice ducks and would be good for meat or if someone did not want to deal with ducklings. They fly extremely well.

The scovy drake and a domestic female, I have heard that the females get larger and do not lay eggs. I don't know, I have not had any of them.


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## pancho (Oct 23, 2006)

sunflower-n-ks said:


> Muscovy ducks are ducks, but they are genetically different than all other mallard derivative domestic ducks. So, like a horse and donkey. they produce sterile offspring, or mules. Their eggs will hatch, but the resulting ducklings will not grow up to lay hatchable eggs.
> 
> The domestic drake X muscovy female will produce large drakes and small females. The females will lay small eggs and will go broody and be a good mother to ducklings that hatch from eggs other than hers. The drakes will get large and have a unique sound. Somewhat a combination of a scovy drake and a "domestic" drake. I have had a lot of those. They are nice ducks and would be good for meat or if someone did not want to deal with ducklings. They fly extremely well.
> 
> The scovy drake and a domestic female, I have heard that the females get larger and do not lay eggs. I don't know, I have not had any of them.


It has been many years since I raised any mule ducks but as well as I can remember. When the muscovey is the drake both the males and females are large ducks. Mine didn't lay eggs and I never was sure if they were female or male.


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## Caprice Acres (Mar 6, 2005)

You've got too many drakes for your number of hens, IMO. 

Everyone says muscovies are randy, maybe my boys are special but I've raised 'em for several years and I find them to be completely opposite of randy. My population explodes every year so they ARE doing their job... but don't harass anybody IMO. 

I have Welsh Harlequin and Muscovy. They do NOT range together, they stay apart. I'ven ever seen them trying to crossbreed. I let muscovies hatch out a bunch of WH eggs last year, as well as the fact that they hathed out hundreds of 'scovy ducklings... Not a single mule in the bunch. I'm sure it will happen someday...


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## Dusky Beauty (Jan 4, 2012)

mygoat said:


> You've got too many drakes for your number of hens, IMO.
> I have Welsh Harlequin and Muscovy. They do NOT range together, they stay apart. I'ven ever seen them trying to crossbreed. I let muscovies hatch out a bunch of WH eggs last year, as well as the fact that they hathed out hundreds of 'scovy ducklings... Not a single mule in the bunch. I'm sure it will happen someday...


Probably has the most to do with your muskies and duck groups being raised at different times and ages so they never felt the need to integrate and your drakes don't need to. 

4 drakes to my 22 hens was still too much. 3 seems to be much more peaceful.


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## J.T.M. (Mar 2, 2008)

My experiance is the same as pancho .Mine would "make it" with a fence post if it could catch it -and it easily could -


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## wwubben (Oct 13, 2004)

I have crossed a pekin drake with muscovy hens and they are the best to eat.I always butcher all of them so I don't know what they are like after the first year.


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