Muscovy ducks had been domesticated by various Native Americancultures in the Americas when Columbus arrived in the Bahamas. The first few were brought onto the Columbus ship Santa Maria they then sailed back to Europe by the 16th century. The Muscovy duck has been domesticated for centuries, and is widely traded as "Barbary duck". Muscovy breeds are popular because they have stronger-tasting meat—sometimes compared to roasted beef—than the usual domestic ducks which are descendants of the mallard. The meat is lean when compared to the fatty meat of mallard-derived ducks, its leanness and tenderness being often compared to veal. Muscovy ducks are also less noisy, and sometimes marketed as a "quackless" duck; even though they are not completely silent, they don't actually quack. The carcass of a Muscovy duck is also much heavier than most other domestic ducks, which makes it ideal for the dinner table.
Description
Domestic Muscovy ducks are typically somewhat larger than wild-type Muscovy ducks. The domestic drake, length is about and weight is, while the domestic hen is much smaller, at in length and in weight. Large domesticated males often weigh up to, and large domesticated females up to. Domesticated Muscovy ducks, like those pictured in this article, often have plumage different from wild birds. White and light-colored breeds are preferred for meat production, as darker ones can have much melanin in the skin, which some people find unappealing.
The Muscovy duck can be crossed with mallards in captivity to produce hybrids, known as mulard duck because they are sterile. Muscovy drakes are commercially crossed with mallard-derived hens either naturally or by artificial insemination. The 40–60% of eggs that are fertile result in birds raised only for their meat or for production of foie gras: they grow fast like mallard-derived breeds but to a large size like Muscovy ducks. Conversely, though crossing Mallard drakes with Muscovy hens is possible, the offspring are desirable neither for meat nor for egg production. In addition, Muscovy ducks are reportedly cross-bred in Israel with Mallards to produce kosher duck products. The kashrutstatus of the Muscovy duck has been a matter of rabbinic discussion for over 150 years.
Uses
is a homeopathic preparation made from Muscovy duck liver and heart manufactured by the French companyBoiron; similar products are also available from other manufacturers. Typically diluted with lactose and sucrose to 1:10400, they are advertised to relieve influenza-like symptoms, but no evidence has been found of its efficacy.
