i am pretty sure our new duck is a boy and he is a muscovy (you just got to love web searches) i think he is a male because he hisses, which is a male trait and the females apparently squeak. i have seen eddie hiss several times but not a single squeak. he is a blue muscovy and very handsome. these guys originate from south america and there are alot of feral populations out there that actually breed with wild mallards. from what i read, if they do in fact breed with wild ducks, their offspring become "mules" and are sterile. muscovy ducks can roost in trees and don't like to swim as much as other ducks , this has something to do with their oil producing glands under their wings. muscovy's are worth their weight in gold for eating flies and mosquitos...oh yay, we get lot's of those!
anyway, he doesn't seem to mind the chickens and the chickens don't seem to mind him. i couldn't find anything that said they couldn't live together but if anyone out there knows something more about this, please let me know cuz he is with rusty's group (remember rusty already lost an eye cuz of jerome) and i do not want rusty upset if the duck will eventually be mean to him, i would rather separate them before something happens.
Hi C.....I have had the experience of living along side of a (herd) lol......of muscovy ducks, sometimes enjoyable, sometimes not...I'd dare to say when chicks of any feathered variety are around, the males get randy, so a mate could be useful....but that leads to more randy little duckies.....unless the eggs can be used for dog food or something. I don't think they they taste very good once they've been fertilized...oh yeesh! or you could you could create a new bird....maybe a cuck, or a dicken..... good luck.. Jess :)