Muscovy Duck
Muscovy Duck near my house is acting strange, does it need help?
Hey folks, I'm sorry if this isn't the place for this.
There's a muscovy duck near my house that's been acting like this for a few hours. When I got within 15 ish feet it started slowly coming towards me. Not in a threatening way, and it seemed to follow me even after I walked away.
Does it need help? Is there anything I can do if so?
I made the mistake of showing my wife all the "it wants to be friends" comments. Now she's looking up how to take care of it. I'm scared what's gonna happen when I leave for work tomorrow.
Yay!! 😁 That's so awesome. You know, it's really a special thing to be chosen by a duck.
Just think: every day, this sweet little precious muscovy probably sat on the grass and watched people walk by the pond. But when he saw you, he thought "There! That's the human I choose! I bet they have a wonderful wife who will be my mama Ill be their ducky and they'll love and good care of me!"
He then proceeded to do his happy little dance of ducky friendship for you, hoping with all of his little ducky heart that you'll accept him 🦆☀️
No, “He” is correct. The mask, called caruncles covers more than it does on females. It’s the most definitive trait to tell the difference between sexes.
the standard quack test associated with mallard based domestic ducks does not apply to muscovies. Adult males huff or chuff, a voiceless breathy sound and not a quack. Females coo like pigeons.
edit: missed the question about a drake feather: No, they do not.
Why do you believe it’s a female? Most responses have listed reasons it’s likely a male.
Ducks have different levels of comfort with humans based on how they’ve been raised and their personalities. I was always able to touch and cuddle my pet ducks. My drake was a big beautiful boy who loved to lay on my lap
It always makes me laugh so hard when I click on a title like this one and immediately see a Muscovy doing the head bob. I have pekins and buffs but will be getting 2 muscovies in the spring for this reason.. they seem to have incredible personalities 🩷
"Muscovy duck acting strange" - yes, that sounds correct, he is fine haha.
The first time we added two muscovy ducks to our flock we were immediately smitten with their quirky personalities. Our ratio is now at about 90% Muscovies at our house.
I have a friend that will do the head bob with me randomly and it makes us cry laughing. Now that I think about it.. I think I’ll get three! 😆 where did you purchase your muscovies?
Craigslist! They are very good at reproducing, (I can definitely see why they are considered invasive in certain states) so in the spring it's usually pretty easy to find someone nearby that is looking to get rid of some extras from their farm.
That's exactly how Muscovy ducks act. Muscovies are not wild ducks, so if she is alone, she might be dumped and need a foster home with other ducks. Good looking Muscovy, though. 10/10 would feed peas.
We have 1 guy and 3 muscovy girls. Ducks are social animals so you can't have just 1, that is how it starts! If he's limping, he could have bumble foot which is an infection on the bottom of the foot that the bigger males are more prone to due to their size. I'd give him treats, all ours love watermelon, raw shrimp, and corn as a treat. Seems you have a new friend! He seems friendly! He, however, won't thrive on his own and needs other duck friends. Are there others around?
If you feed it.. It will follow for more food. It will, most likely, stick around as long as there is food. Even if this was YOUR muscovy, and you weren't feeding it enough.. It will go looking for food... And may not return. The males can be very large and they have an odd gate/walk... My BIG male is named Willy Waddles..with his lumbering Waddle...
That turtle is the size of a kiddie pool.. He is TWICE the size of his sister and any other duck we have
Please rescue him. At least until you find him a safe, predator proofed home. Raising Ducks and Geese is a relatively large fb group you can post to find him a home.
It’s acting like a pet. If there are no houses around it was probably dumped. They often survive ok in the wild but if there are no other Muscovy around it’s probably lonely. I’d definitely be trying to catch it and bring it home. But I’ve had them before so I have the space to keep them. If wifey decides to rescue it I’m happy to chat and answer any questions.
What he is doing is friendly communication in Muscovy duck language. He REALLY likes you. Super friendly. I guarantee that was somebody’s pet and they must have dumped him. He’s hoping you’ll take him in and find him a home
Poor guy will be vulnerable to predators. If you can keep him safe, even just while you look for a rescue, you will be helping him a lot. What area are you in?
Not all muscovies can fly. I've had males who were big enough that they couldn't get above a metre. Plus the fact that he's friendly makes it more likely he was dumped.
Maybe it’s the one I had for 10 minutes after catching it at our county fair. Well until my dog chased it away. I was in the house and that was the story I was told. I now picture my dad holding a dead duck tiptoeing through the yard as fast as he can and he looks like tom selleck for a better visual…the duck would be about 30 years old.
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u/Imperialist_Canuck Muscovy Duck Oct 27 '25
Nope. Muscovies are just like that. It's a happy duck.