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The musk duck is a native of Central and South America, where it still lives in the wild. These ducks were domesticated in antiquity. There is a version that the Aztecs, but it is clear that there is no evidence.
There are several versions of the origin of the name "musky ducks". After the introduction of the duck to Europe, it was believed that old drakes secrete fat with the smell of musk from the growths on the head. But modern musky ducks don't smell. It is unlikely that during the stay of the muscovy ducks in Europe, these glands atrophy. Most likely, the name comes either from the ancient name of the Indians of Colombia - Muisca, or ... from the word "Muscovy" - the name of Russia widespread in Medieval Europe (and the hand of Moscow reached here).
In the latter case, it is assumed that the muscovy duck was imported into England by the English trading company "Muscovy Company", hence the name of this kind of ducks in English - Muscovy Duck.
The more common name "Indootka" in the Russian-speaking space does not indicate hybridization of ducks with turkeys, as is sometimes seriously stated on some sites. This name only shows the similarity of the head growths in musk drakes and turkeys. Sometimes Indo-ducks are called mute ducks and mute ducks.
In the photo, you can compare the growths of a musky drake and a turkey.
The second version of the origin of the name "Indo-duck" is an abbreviation of the phrase "Indian duck".
Whatever versions of the origin of the names may be, this does not affect the popularity of Indo-girls among the owners of personal farmsteads.
Indoor women in a private courtyard, breeding and maintenance
The wild muscovy duck is colored in dark tones with a small amount of white feathers. She weighs no more than 3 kg when it comes to the drake. Eggs in clutch 8-10.
Domestication influenced the Indo-duck quite strongly. Different breeds, like from mallards, from musky ducks did not work out, but the colors became more diverse. Indo-ducks today can be found in black, white, blue, white-winged, fawn, and piebald in combination with any basic color.
In muscovy ducks, body weight has doubled and the number of eggs laid for incubation has slightly increased. Home Indoor lays 8-14 pieces.
The advantages of Indo-girls are in their quiet behavior. They only hiss without annoying neighbors by quacking. Opinions differ on the quality of the meat. Muscovy is not as fatty as mallard meat, but this is why it is drier. This meat is not for everybody's taste. Minus Indo-Ducks - long growth of ducklings. In mallard ducks, young animals should be slaughtered at the age of 2 months, while Indo-ducklings have not yet gained full weight at this age.
Maintenance and feeding of Indo-duck
Keeping duck ducks is easy. These are very unpretentious birds. It is only necessary to take into account that the Indo-women are thermophilic and will not tolerate the cold well, contrary to the statements of the sellers. For the winter, they need a warm barn with deep bedding. Since Indo-ducks love water no less than mallards, for the winter you need to attend to the type of drinker, from which musky ducks cannot throw water.
In summer, musk ducks can live well in the open air.It is only necessary to monitor the length of their flight feathers, since domesticated Indo-women, like turkeys, have forgotten to tell that they have too much weight to fly. And the ducks themselves do not even know about it.
The device of roosts for Indo-women
In the barn, you need to attend to the arrangement of places for recreation for Indo-women. Duck roosts are distinguished by chicken roosts. For ducks, make shelves about 15 cm high from the floor. This is important for muscovy ducks, since they, unlike Peking ducks, do not tolerate dampness and dirt.
Feeding
Indo-ducks feed on the same thing as ordinary ducks. They will never give up greens and fruits. But they need to cut the vegetation, since the Indo-women do not have devices on their beaks for cutting grass.
Feeding in nature on algae and small aquatic animals, in captivity, muscovy ducks happily eat small snails, at the same time replenishing the calcium reserves along with animal protein.
Although Indo-ducks do not hunt mice and rats, the same drakes, being large enough, are quite capable of swallowing a rat strangled by a cat. It will gag for a long time, but it will push through.
Eating on reservoirs, all types of ducks swallow large amounts of water with food. When eating dry food, they need to soak it so that it passes normally into the stomach. It was noticed that all ducks immediately after feeding with compound feed run to the drinking bowls.
What you need to breed Indo-dogs
Breeding of musk ducks in private households can be carried out in two ways: incubation and breeding of ducklings under a brood hen.
In any of the ways, you need to attend to the formation of Indo-women families. One sexually mature drake is identified by 3-4 females. Theoretically, it is possible to "give out" 5 ducks to the male, but then he will work to the limit and there will be no confidence in the high-quality fertilization of eggs.
Excretion naturally
The muscovy duck is a good brood hen, capable of hatching more than just its eggs. The problem of lining other people's eggs under the mute is that the eggs of the Indo-duck have a long period of incubation. If mallards sit for 28 days, then the musk duck is 35 days.
Theoretically, an Indo-female can lay from 70 to 120 eggs per year, but before sitting on eggs, she will lay only 20 to 25 eggs, and then sit on them for a month. She will not hatch all the eggs, but only about 15 pieces. Under favorable conditions - early nesting and warm weather - musk can hatch 3 batches of eggs. Even if each time the brood hen brings 15 ducklings, the income from her will be only 45 heads of young. Against at least 70 potential eggs.
No, not all ducklings in the photo belong to this brood hen. She was obviously slipped incubator.
If it was decided to breed musk ducklings naturally, then the hen needs to equip a shelter. Better to make a few to choose from. Having chosen a place for a nest, the indowka begins to lay eggs there, along the way bringing nesting material.
The temperature at which an Indo-duck will lay eggs should not be lower than 15 degrees, since muscovy ducks are a thermophilic species. If the Indo-duck starts to lay eggs in cold weather, they should, if possible, be collected and placed in a relatively warm place. It has been noticed that more ducklings hatch from eggs stored for two weeks in such a cool place than from freshly laid Indo-ducklings.
The advantage of such breeding of musky ducks is that you do not have to suffer with temperature conditions and a protective film on the eggshell. The hen will do everything herself. Even in hot and dry weather, the musks manage to breed ducklings.
The ducklings of the muscovy duck immediately after hatching remain under the hen, until all the living ones get out of the eggs, dry up and stand on their paws. After that, the ducklings quickly learn to peck food, but they are constantly kept in a herd. Immediately after hatching, it is impossible to understand who is a duck and who is a drake. But drakes have to grow twice the size of ducks, so they quickly gain weight and, as a rule, after a couple of weeks it becomes clear who is who.
Egg incubation method
Incubating duck ducks in home incubators is very troublesome. Even enterprises that tried to incubate Indo-ducklings abandoned this idea due to the too low yield of ducklings. Indoor dog owners say: there is a lack of some factor.
It seems that this factor is a brooding duck that thoroughly knows everything about the rules for breeding ducklings. It is very difficult, if not impossible, to copy her methods.
In particular, musk eggs are covered with a dense fatty film that protects the egg from infection at the initial stage. But subsequently, the same film prevents oxygen from the air from penetrating through the shell. As a result, the duckling dies from suffocation.
With a hen, such problems do not arise. Periodically dipping into the water and returning to the nest, she gradually erases this film with her paws and wet feathers.
Hatching a musky duckling
When incubating, the film will have to be washed from the egg by hand for 10-14 days. And for this you need a tough washcloth.
When washing eggs, the temperature regime will inevitably be violated.
At the same time, duck eggs need periodic cooling. The brood duck will do everything by itself, but the man will be tortured.
Muscovy ducklings. Debriefing"
Therefore, breeding at home is best done with the help of brood ducks. If we consider that a small number of ducklings are obtained from the incubator, then with natural incubation, most likely, even more ducklings will turn out.
Breed "Mulard>", who is it
Actually mulard not a breed, but a hybrid between two different species of ducks: the Indo-duck and the domesticated mallard. Out of ignorance, malicious intent, or just for ease of perception, the seller can write in the ad that he is selling ducks "Mulard". You can buy for meat, but you shouldn't hope to get offspring from these hybrids. They are sterile.
In the photo it is the mulard.
Its advantages: fast growth, like in mallards, and a large weight (4 kg), like in Indo-ducks.
To obtain and grow mulard for meat, you need to attend to the selection of a suitable breed of domesticated duck. Usually, mallard duck and duck duck are required to obtain mulard. Since the musky drake can reach 7 kg in weight, it is better for him to pick up the largest breed of mallard.
Muscovy owners reviews
Let's summarize
Indoor is a profitable bird for beginners that does not require special attention, but gives a decent increase in the meat population over the summer. The fact that musky ducks only sizzle also has considerable advantages. In the morning, you will not be raised by a choir of mallard ducks demanding food. Mallard drakes, by the way, behave much more modestly. They quack very quietly.
