Muscovies for Everyone!

Well, hello there!

Johnson Microfarm has been growing at a tremendous rate! This year we added quite a few chickens, turkeys, & ducks! Also, Osh put in lots of garden beds. I think there is close to 25 of them.... You could say he went a little garden bed crazy this season. However, next year, things should be much smoother! {We hope!} 

Muscovy Ducks:
It appears as though our muscovies have excellent fertility! This year we were overloaded with baby ducks. We began the season with 2 drakes, Chocolate Man & Alfred & 6 mama's. The only one that has a name is 'Nibbles' for obvious reasons, and the other 5, I just call 'Mama.'  The first few batches of ducks were sold to pay for feed, bedding, and various other chicken-y things. This last batch was sort of a 'surprise' from 2 of the original mama's that like to nest together. They hatched out 21 babies. So if anyone is in the market for a few, let us know!






So lets get in to why muscovies are fantastic creatures to have on your property.

Practical Reasons:

1. Great brooders & mothers to their young.
2. Delicious eggs
3. Amazing natural pest repellents. BUT if we have a really wet year, you literally need like 30+ ducks to make a noticeable difference. 
4.  They are quiet! If you live in an area that you are not allowed to have chickens, I highly suggest looking in to these ducks. They do not quack, the ladies make a 'pip' noise but not often. Muscovies could be a solution for you if you are looking to add a little yard candy without the extra noise. 
5. If you have an allergy to chicken eggs, most of the time, duck eggs will not have the same effect. 
6. They have excellent resilience to cold weather which is crucial in our climate and at the Johnson Microfarm. Our barn is not heated for various reasons, the main one being safety.  I remember going out to check on them many of times over the winter & they would be taking a snow bath. 
7. Beautiful Colors! This could be in either category, but for our reasons, I will put it in the practical category. On our farm, we raise mostly rare colors of muscovies. This year our Chocolate Drake created beautiful offspring! We were even lucky enough to get a lavender barred chocolate female. She is for sale and is currently $40. Super rare color and very hard to find. If anyone is interested, feel free to email me, or comment on the blog. We do not ship any birds. All birds must be picked up on the premise. 

Impractical Reasons:

1. They are adorable. 
2. They wag their tails when they see you. 
3. Get super excited for tomato-y treats.
4.  Companionship {This could really go in either category, just depends on what you're looking to get out of your livestock.} 

We will try to post on here weekly! Stay tuned for more farm updates. <3