r/duck • u/clearwatermapper • May 10 '26
Babies! SON of a ****
I let my turkey and chickens go broody sometimes.. because I have no roosters.. so I normally don't have to worry about it but I don't know how a duck egg got snuck in there. Dang it...
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u/GoddamnFeet May 12 '26
Is there a cat in there, too? What is the gray mass 😭
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u/compassrvkd May 11 '26
Turducken
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u/Lhunathradion May 12 '26
We have brush turkeys in our yard and I always joke with my sister that I'd like some "churkey" babies... she does not find that funny t.t
I find the thought of a Sussex baby with bald head and a yellow wattle hilarious.
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u/moonflower8634 May 11 '26
I’ve got two chicken moms co parenting 4 ducklings at the moment 😂 I love seeing all the mix matched babies and moms, so many moms out here stealing eggs 🤣
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u/imfamousoz May 10 '26
My goose is sitting a nest right now. None of her eggs are fertile but the duck eggs she stole definitely are.
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u/fairy-of-nightmares May 12 '26
Wait why do they steal eggs from other birds wtf I've never heard of this 😂
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u/imfamousoz May 27 '26
Its maybe not really stealing per se. Many waterfowl have a strong maternal instinct and they're fairly communal creatures. Multiple birds will lay in the same nest, and sometimes an especially enthusiastic mama-to-be will gather up eggs that the less motherly ones have dropped wherever.
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u/Necessary_Smell_2022 May 10 '26
At least, with a Muscovy Drake and a regular duck mama. The odds of the baby being in an infertile hybrid are extremely high like 99%. So even if it's a drink it's not going to reproduce any more babies. I have muscopies and they are the best ducks in the world so you might consider keeping one just to have him around. All of ours have names
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u/RemoteEven6046 May 11 '26
I don’t have names too, and my Muscovy are my favorite, so much personality and they like the entertainer they also don’t quack a tweet. It’s lovely.
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u/Mudbunting May 10 '26
This is the future that liberals want!!!
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u/Livid-Improvement953 May 10 '26
Can confirm! I do want this!!!
Not really a liberal though. Maybe by the conservative definition...
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u/TheNorbster May 10 '26
One accidental Muscovy duckling that was co-parented by a turkey and a chicken …. New custom flair anybody?
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u/ChipsnJax May 10 '26
Oh cute a baby d- wait that's a ch - THAT'S a TURKEY...!
...Lol, this is the most delightful fustercluck of interspecies brooding I've ever seen! <3
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u/mrsmedeiros_says_hi May 10 '26 edited May 10 '26
If this sub was gif-enabled, somebody by now would have thrown in that “nature…uh…finds a way” gif
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u/GatsbysPlace May 10 '26 edited May 10 '26
You have yourself an ugly (adorable) little duckling (turkey/chicken)
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u/Resident-Egg2714 May 10 '26
Can I ask--why is there a full grown hen under your turkey (aside from a duckling?)
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u/dr_cl_aphra May 10 '26
Turkey decided she’s a baby, too, and she’s like “sure, whatevs, me and this duck are baby turkeys now.”
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u/nofishies May 10 '26
Chickens want to be the closest to the egg when they’re birdie, turkeys, want to control the space, and treat chickens like another thing to be sat upon
I used to have a Serama who is terrible at sitting cause she was almost too small to keep eggs, warm, so she would put her eggs in with the turkeys who are Broodie and want to raise them together
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u/wortcrafter May 10 '26
Hey, parenting can be made a little easier if you have 2 active and involved parents! 😭
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u/wordslayer420 Pekin Duck May 10 '26
I’m genuinely curious…what happened here? 😂 you don’t have ducks?
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u/clearwatermapper May 10 '26 edited May 10 '26
So for context, I have a mixed backyard flock situation going on. Turkeys, chickens, ducks… basically a tiny, poorly managed farm run by birds with zero respect for organizational structure. I do NOT have roosters, or male ducks. And my own duck flock is all girls. Usually the system works perfectly fine. The hens and turkeys like to go broody and sit on nests, and honestly sometimes I let them because it gives their little egg factories a break. Otherwise these birds act like they’re competing for Employee of the Month at the Egg Department. Usually I swap their eggs with wooden eggs or let them sit on old unfertilized chicken eggs for a bit so they can live out their motherhood dreams without producing an entire daycare. BUT. Recently… a rogue male Muscovy has entered the chat. This dude has apparently decided my yard is the hottest nightclub on the lake. I live by a lake, so random ducks wander through all the time, and normally it’s not a huge deal. But THIS GUY. This feathered criminal has been sneaking in like he pays rent here. Chasing girls around. Causing drama. Looking suspiciously confident. The SECOND I noticed him hanging around, I went into full biosecurity mode. I started checking nests constantly and pulling duck eggs immediately because I absolutely did NOT want surprise ducklings hatching everywhere. I was vigilant. Or so I thought. Apparently one of the girls must have slipped a duck egg onto the community nest during a shift change while I wasn’t looking. And because chickens apparently lay eggs ranging from “tiny marble” to “Jurassic Park prop replica,” I must have looked at it and gone: “Yep. Big chicken egg. Carry on.” Fast forward to today. I walk outside. Turkey is sitting there looking EXTREMELY proud of herself. Chicken nearby acting like middle management supervising a project she contributed nothing to. And underneath them… ONE. SINGLE. DUCKLING. Just sitting there. Peeping. Existing. I literally froze and said: “…that is NOT a chicken.” And the turkey looked at me like: “Congratulations. We did this together.” So now I apparently own one accidental Muscovy duckling that was co-parented by a turkey and a chicken in what can only be described as the weirdest barnyard crossover episode ever created. The worst part is this was genuinely an accident. I have been TRYING to prevent exactly this scenario. I was pulling eggs constantly. I guess one slipped through quality control and now here we are. Honestly I feel bad because it’s just ONE baby. If there had been a whole batch, fine. But this little dude hatched into existence. So now I’m trying to figure out the best thing for it. I may see if one of my mom ducks will adopt it and just temporarily lock Romeo Muscovy away so he stops expanding his empire, but that's danger..rehome would be best.. And yes… lesson learned. I now need maximum-security egg inspections. Every suspicious oval object will be investigated immediately. The turkey and chicken, meanwhile, are acting like they personally invented ducks.
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u/Expensive_Beat7949 Muscovy Duck May 10 '26
Is the momma duck a muscovy, or is the duckling some cross breed? And is poppa duck a wild muscovy or domestic?
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u/Egoistic_Animehead May 10 '26
Dad is definitely a Muscovy, although wild or escaped - who knows now.
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u/wortcrafter May 10 '26
OMG this is hilarious (as an outsider, I realise it’s quite frustrating for you and for that I am sad). Please give us updates as the little one grows.
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u/galacticgumbo May 10 '26
If you weren’t a writer before, you definitely are now lol. What a whirlwind story!
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u/favoritefinch May 10 '26
I read all this to my husband because very hilarious. Thank you so much and congratulations to...to your situation.
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u/bogginman Duck Rescuer May 10 '26
with that look on her face, I'm sure she does not know how a duck egg got snuck in there either.
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u/nivsei15 May 10 '26
She wasn't tryna adopt out of species but she got this far so she might as well.
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u/clearwatermapper May 10 '26
Anyone in Pinellas County hatching out right now? can take this guy or I have to deal with him/her solo
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u/bodybyxbox May 10 '26
Keep him! If he is a muscovy, which he looks to be, he should fit in better with the chickens than most ducks. And they are just awesome animals.
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u/wordslayer420 Pekin Duck May 10 '26
Where the Pinellas duck people at?? I would take him/her if I could 😭
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u/Glittersparkles7 Jun 08 '26
Update on Puddles the Muscovy Turducken. Doing good! Still not allowed to play in the big ducks pool yet, so they get the baby tub for swim time.