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nafex - Re: [NAFEX] Caution on Muscovy Ducks

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  • From: "Kieran &/or Donna" <holycow@frontiernet.net>
  • To: "North American Fruit Explorers" <nafex@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [NAFEX] Caution on Muscovy Ducks
  • Date: Thu, 27 Jan 2011 11:06:01 -0600

I was one of those people who were horrified and contacted F&WS. I also contacted hatcheries who had muscovy ducklings for sale and had no idea that suddenly they were supposed to have their customers fill out forms, and that in fact no more muscovy ducks were to be raised in the USA except for registered producers, and all those backyard birds that were "grandfathered in" were supposed to stop reproducing too. Those of us who discussed this all agreed that only protection from predators kept our muscovies alive. Down in Florida they can be a nuisance, and in Texas some have naturalized. The F&WS were apparently equally shocked to discover that muscovies have been around for so long in so many places without making trouble.
I guess muscovies are a lot like goats. If sufficiently protected and fed, they can take over and eat everything. If insufficiently protected, they can die out. To be practical and be worth the effort, they should be used. They are excellent meat birds with excellent foraging capacity, are terrific mothers, are much less wasteful of water than quack ducks, and are very pleasant to have around. The mature drakes are quite uncouth, but you only need one. Donna




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