Are there any muscovies without caruncles? Or other quiet duck breeds?

[danceswithronin]

I would love to have a pair of ducks for the backyard, and I've read that muscovies are quackless ducks, so that would be perfect for my suburban situation. I'm not wanting to cause trouble with the neighbors. But are there any muscovies that don't have caruncles? I have tried to do some research and haven't turned up anything. I just really don't like the look of their warts. (Their personalities seem adorable though, so I'll suck it up if I have to.)

Suggestions for other quiet duck breeds are appreciated too, but they all seem pretty loud from the videos I have watched.

 

[MagpieDucks]

There are some females that have a lot LESS amount of carunculated skin, but they will all have a little bit.

 

[The Dapper Duck]

Yea, you can find some with reduced caruncles but all of them will have it. Hens have less than drakes by at least half. Honestly, you get used to it and it's not as gross as you think when you first see them. Just go for it! You'll fall in love with their trills and tail waggles and they make great lawn mowers.

 

[Runner duck mom]

I had never really cared for the way muscovies look either until we made friends with one at a local pond. We visit several times a week and bring her treats and she's become very friendly with us. She will swim across the pond to say hello and eat out of our hand, must have previously been someones pet but she's been at this pond for years.
She makes the cutest little sounds and we have become quite fond of her...personality goes a long way!
Our runners are generally pretty quiet but they can be very loud when they want to be.

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

You may find this article interesting:
http://www.growingwildroots.com/5-reasons-muscovy-ducks-may-not-right/
I would love to find a Muscovy strain without caruncles too…

 

[danceswithronin]

You may find this article interesting:
http://www.growingwildroots.com/5-reasons-muscovy-ducks-may-not-right/
I would love to find a Muscovy strain without caruncles too…

Thank you for the article! My biggest concern is that the muscovies are fairly large and I would have to house them in a large enclosed aviary run with the chickens (though I'd probably get them their own dog kennel so they wouldn't have to coop with the chickens unless they wanted to, and definitely their own kiddie pool). The aviary will be completely fenced in top and sides up to 8 feet tall when I'm done renovating my coop so I'm not too worried about them escaping. And they would be with very large chickens, not bantams, so I'm not too worried about the ducks picking on them or vice versa.

I don't really care to keep them as meat or egg birds, I will have too many eggs as it is from my chickens, I just think ducks are adorable. Also I have an Olympic sized swimming pool and I think the ducks would enjoy getting to swim in it with the family occasionally.

 

[sylviethecochin]

And they would be with very large chickens, not bantams, so I'm not too worried about the ducks picking on them or vice versa.

Just a side note—even my big rooster (Barred Rock cross. Not a Brahma, but he's easily twice the weight of a Wyandotte hen) avoids my 'Scovies. They won't usually go out of their way to attack a chicken, but they are queens of the barnyard, and they know it. My four girls are very group-oriented, and are easily comparable to a gang (The male was worse.) They take perceived slights very personally—to the extent that I have to keep a very wary eye on them around broody hens. If the hen fluffs at one of them and shows signs of aggression, all four girls will attempt to pile on her. If the rooster attempts to chase them away from the feed, the two larger ones will try to take him down, while the smaller ones cry approval from the back.

My other ducks are happily non-aggressive bumblers and ready to get along with anything, or at least ignore it. The Muscovies are the baddest girls on the block, and they know it.

If you're not free-ranging (and judging by your previous posts, you're not) then if you get muscovies, you may want to think about separate housing.

 

[bhaugh]

I've had runners and now muscovies. I really like the runners but they're too noisy. I've had scovies off and on for 4 years and they are the breed for me. I used to not like the carnicles but their personality trumps those carnicles. They each have their own personality and they eat flys. I'd recommend you buy ducks that were hand raised. They are more friendly and seek out interaction with you. Drakes are a bit tough so get girls.

 

[Yourfavoriteduckmom]

Yea, you can find some with reduced caruncles but all of them will have it. Hens have less than drakes by at least half. Honestly, you get used to it and it's not as gross as you think when you first see them. Just go for it! You'll fall in love with their trills and tail waggles and they make great lawn mowers.

I was coming to say the same thing! Their caruncles are a beautiful feature so it’s silly to ask for a caruncle-less Muscovy duck

 

[NagemTX]

I had a Muscovy that had very little caruncles. Was just like a domino mask(superhero mask)and that was it, on a drake. Was from a friend's flock and all of them where like that. Wish I still had a picture of him and that my friend still had a flock.