Have you seen this new law that takes affect March 31
http://www.fws.gov/migratorybirds/RegulationsPolicies/reg2010/Muscovy%20Duck%20Final%20Rule%201%20March%202010.pdf
Muscovy Owners
The Men In Black will soon come to tear ducklings from the arms of weeping children....Everyone get their video cameras ready!
I see that existing ducks are allowed to stay - how we are supposed to control reproduction, I have no idea!!! They are also allowed to be kept for food production. I say eggs are food. :-)
My Muscovies will be staying right here, since they are grandfathered in!
What is the rational behind this latest absurdity?
I guess in some areas in the south they are considered a nuisance because feral populations have established and outcompete native wildlife or such is the fear.
Somehow I doubt most state fish and wildlife officers in areas where muscovies aren't an issue are going to be scouring farms and backyards looking for them and making sure you are only "raising them for food".
Hmmm.... seems like they ought outlaw dogs and cats for the same reason then.
THE MAN vs THE DUCK?
Ridiculous!
I don't have ducks (yet) but this seems a bit odd. It almost has an urban legend quality to it. I can't see municipalities, let alone the general voting population, paying for duck police. At least I can't see anyone in Texas voting to pay for duck police..... Very wierd! Didn't read through the whole link--who would enforce this?
Well, it's a regulation from the Fish and Wildlife Service so they would enforce it along with State agencies. The Notice is definitely genuine - it's published in the Federal Register (which I use a lot at work) and it's accessible on line. The notice says that they will use walk-in baited traps and shooting to control non-native populations of Muscovy ducks. The Muscovy is apparently competing with native duck species which is not so good (kind of like invasive plants). It seems to be worse in the Southern US. Currently owned domesticated Muscovy ducks are permitted but you are not supposed to let them reproduce unless they are raised solely for food purposes.
What ever happen to educating people? Now the feds just seem to penalize and criminalize.
They lost on NAIS, they can loose on this one too.
I've got pit bulls, I can tell you what breed specific legislation will do. Thousands of perfectly healthy, perfectly nice, responsibly owned animals can die from it.
This message was edited Mar 5, 2010 11:37 AM
Muscovy are considered native up to the Southeast Texas border lands. They are assumed to be introduced everywhere else in the States.
People do seem upset about the legislation.
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/do-not-outlaw-the-muscovy-duck
Oh, dear. Yes I used to use the Register myself in the Terri V2 and V3. Must be so then.
I suppose we need to know how to make the duck version of a capon? Hope they are only going to concentrate on the ferral population. I wish they would spend as much time going after the ferral hog population.
Right on t_e!
LOL!
Here is a Florida sheet about them--they don't seem that upset by them, even though Muscovys do well in the Everglades. Your have to read the bottom section to see why they are "Objectionable". It doesn't seem to have anything to do with out-competing native birds.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/uw299
This message was edited Mar 5, 2010 4:01 PM
This one goes into effect on March 31.
I agree with you in principle on breed specific legislation being not very helpful, but in this case, if the Muscovy populations are wiping out native populations of ducks by taking over their habitat and destroying nests, etc, then I can see the reasoning behind it. It's just like some of the noxious weed legislation, for things like Purple Loostrife. (I mean, we don't have packs of feral pit bulls wiping out native North American dog species, and if we did, then I might be concerned about it.) I am a Muscovy owner, and didn't know anything about the problems in the South with Muscovies. Because they are a migratory species, we don't get that problem here. I do know that when I got my last batch of 5 Muscovies, 4 of them flew away overnight. The batch before that, I didn't have to clip their wings, so I didn't do it on the new ones either. Now I know better, but even so, those 4 who flew away could begin to form a colony I suppose, that could damage a native duck population or habitat.
The other crazy thing is the fact that they will still allow them to be bred for food production. Well, as I know from my own experience, those raised on the farm will stay on the farm in most cases. But if you have domesticated populations that are not being well cared for, they could leave and form populations that would become feral.
It also reminds me of the European house sparrow population. That's an "invasive" species and it does impact bluebirds and other small birds native to North America with its aggressive and hostile behaviors. They are legal to trap and destroy because they are invasive, and some people do that to protect their other visiting species. I had a chipping sparrow whose nest was destroyed 4 times in one summer by the house sparrows and it really upset me.
All in all, I think it's going to be very difficult to enforce and very difficult to control, but I do understand the reasoning now that I know it's about maintaining our wild duck populations and habitats at healthy levels and preventing an "invasive species" from causing havoc in that part of the ecosystem. The food exception, though, seems counter to the entire purpose of the rule. We all know commercial operations can have "escapees" just like small farms can.
I noted in the regulation that parts of Texas are excluded because it is native there.
I can't see this legislation making much difference. We also have laws "controlling" feral hogs and they aren't having any impact on the population.
In the case of Muscovy, however...aside from some environmental degradation when the population grows too large, and some concern about them "muddying" the wild duck population by interbreeding with them (is this common or more common with Muscovys than other ducks?), the main objection seems to be from feral populations in urban areas becoming a "nuisance", much like Canada Geese on golf courses.
Actually, in their native Mexico they are now considered "endangered" due to over hunting and the government there is instigating measures to restore the population.
See below:
Ecology
In their native habitats, wild Muscovies nest in tree cavities; however, feral Muscovies dig out shallow nests on the ground. The female lays 8–16 cream-colored eggs and incubates them for about 5 weeks. Males often protect the ducklings and accompany them when foraging (searching for food). Wild Muscovies live alone or in groups of 4–12, but feral Muscovies are often found in large flocks around lakes and parks. The diet of feral Muscovies includes food provided by humans, aquatic vegetation, seeds, acorns, and invertebrates.
Ecological impacts
Muscovies are often found in large numbers, particularly in Florida, and produce a large quantity of droppings, which can seriously degrade water quality. In addition, domestic ducks are often responsible for the spread of several serious diseases to native ducks, and may also interbreed with native ducks, "muddying" the gene pools of those species and potentially decreasing their capacity to adapt, resist disease, and persist.
Impacts to People and Pets
Muscovy populations expand rapidly in urban areas, often becoming a nuisance. These large ducks are often aggressive, especially when accustomed to being fed, and may chase or attempt to bite children. The excessive droppings not only decrease the aesthetic value of parks and lakes, but also contaminate water, presenting a significant hazard to the health of humans and their pets.
Solutions
Since many of the problems caused by Muscovies are the result of residents feeding these ducks, discouraging feeding in community parks and around lakes would help to alleviate some problems. In many areas, particularly in southern Florida, city ordinances ban residents from feeding ducks, although these rules are difficult to enforce. Efforts to decrease nesting success of Muscovies can also help to reduce populations. Eggs should not be removed, as the female will lay a replacement clutch. Instead, the eggs should be shaken vigorously (to render them unviable) and returned to the nest, or replaced with plastic eggs.
How You Can Help
You can help to alleviate the growing numbers of non-native bird species in Florida by being a responsible and educated pet owner. Never set any pet free outside! You can also help by learning more about invasive plants and animals and their impacts on Florida's natural environment, and by educating others. For more information on Florida's introduced birds and how you can help, read "Florida's Introduced Birds: An Overview" (http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/uw297), and check out the Additional Resources listed below."
Male Muscovies are larger than other drakes and Very determined in their pursuit of the females so I can definitely see the threat to other ducks' gene pools. Also the article above says the females lay 8-16 eggs. In my experience they often lay many more than that. (One we observed had 28 eggs in her nest.) I can see the problem, I just can't picture the solution.