Urgent: Need 1000 Muscovy Ducklings

[akram123321]

He's getting the 1000 ducks to raise them for 10 weeks then sell them to poultries.

 

[lost-duckling]

He's getting the 1000 ducks to raise them for 10 weeks then sell them to poultries.

So he has a confirmed buyer for 1k 10 week muscovies? The meat shops down here prefer the full size slow grown adults and in terms of meal quality {not profit} they are right to do so.

IMHO he should start with a smaller more reasonable number like 1-3 hundred or try several different types of animals to reach that 1k mark.
muscovies will destroy land over not to long so make sure he doesn't overpopulate or at least doesnt do it to frequently.

 

[lost-duckling]

If it really is urgent hand sourcing from the wild is probably the best if not only and cheapest option.

 

[akram123321]

So he has a confirmed buyer for 1k 10 week muscovies? The meat shops down here prefer the full size slow grown adults and in terms of meal quality {not profit} they are right to do so.

IMHO he should start with a smaller more reasonable number like 1-3 hundred or try several different types of animals to reach that 1k mark.
muscovies will destroy land over not to long so make sure he doesn't overpopulate or at least doesnt do it to frequently.

I really appreciate your opinion. I had the same idea of having only 100 as a start since he had no experience in this area, but he's looking at it as how much he would save if he increased the numbers. I will deliver the message to him since he's old school and got no internet.

 

[lost-duckling]

how much land does he have and what type of equipment/buildings?

 

[akram123321]

He got like 360 acres, and there was an old dairy farm that have a shield already and concrete ground. So he have to change a few things to make it applicable for ducks and add the water flow floors and the list goes on.

 

[akram123321]

I think I will tell him to just wait or start with 50 to 100 for the beginning then move forward. I don't think he would go with the wild ducks. He prefers to get them from a hatchery to keep it constant for the long term if he's doing that business, he checked multiple hatcheries in PA but one only is the cheapest selling it $5 per duck, and couldn't find anywhere else that have the same price or even have available ducks.

 

[CrazyChickenLady123]

Hi all, I'm desperately seeking 1000 one-week-old Muscovy ducklings. I've contacted several hatcheries with no luck. If anyone has any leads on breeders, farms, or other sources, please let me know. Thanks so much!

Hello, I'm relatively curious, why do you need that many ducks?

 

[akram123321]

My friend want to raise them in his farm for 10 weeks and then sell them to poultry for meat.

 

[NatJ]

I had the same idea of having only 100 as a start since he had no experience in this area, but he's looking at it as how much he would save if he increased the numbers. I will deliver the message to him since he's old school and got no internet.

If he has no experience, starting with a large number is a way to lose a lot of money fast. There is always a learning curve with any new project, especially when dealing with live animals, and it's cheaper to make your mistakes with a smaller number.

Then he could scale up once he sees how it goes.

I think I will tell him to just wait or start with 50 to 100 for the beginning then move forward. I don't think he would go with the wild ducks. He prefers to get them from a hatchery to keep it constant for the long term if he's doing that business, he checked multiple hatcheries in PA but one only is the cheapest selling it $5 per duck, and couldn't find anywhere else that have the same price or even have available ducks.

That is another reason to start small: he could get some experience now, and be ready to do bigger numbers when they are easier to get in the spring.

If he wants to do 1000 at a time all year, that may be a big enough number to make a deal with a hatchery so he can get them reliably when he wants them. A hatchery isn't likely to hatch an extra thousand ducklings at a season when few people buy them, but a hatchery might set the eggs to fill his order if they have enough notice. 35 days for the eggs to hatch, plus time for the females to lay the eggs, would mean almost two months lead time if there is a mature breeding flock. If the hatchery is growing out a new flock of breeders for next year, they can't produce any ducklings until the new flock reaches laying age. So planning ahead can make a big difference in whether the hatchery can provide the ducklings at the time he wants.