Healthy soil and sustainable growing

[fargir@aol.com]

    My parents use to have Muscovies on their farm.  I can still see, in my mind's eye, the picture of about 50 to 100 Muscovies  line up across a field of freshly cut alfalfa hay. They were eating every bug there was on that field. And yes, they do eat grasshoppers, crickets, and anything else that moves and is small enough. Except bumble bees and wasps.Never fed them except in the winter.  They also do much better with free flowing water to keep clean, eat the fish and staying away from predators . Although the snapping turtles , did take out quite a few ducklings.  Also have a number of one footed adult ducks because of the turtles We had a dreg ditch flowing through the farm
   Being able to fly gave them a Large range to forage from.  It was fun during duck season to watch frustrated duck hunter drive away after tracking the flock only to see the ducks circle and land in the farm yard.
 The major  difficulty  in keeping them as free rangers, was that they were excellent fliers and roosted high.  It was very difficult to catch one .  They could really mess up a car or tractor  if they perched in a tree or the rafters above it.

Peggy
wife, mother, and just me

-----Original Message-----
From: Ken Hargesheimer <minifarms2@yahoo.com>
To: Healthy soil and sustainable growing <livingontheland@lists.ibiblio.org>
Sent: Sun, Aug 15, 2010 2:46 pm
Subject: Re: [Livingontheland] grasshoppers

From my experience abroad and here, every farm should have Muscovies.  I have seen them eat flies right out of the air.  I assume that they will eat grasshoppers.  No coyote can catch one. They roost in trees and do not need a house.  Lay about 50 eggs per year.

 

Ken

 

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