Muscovy ducks make great pets

My muscovy duck, Tara, is sitting on her nest at the moment. She has five eggs which she has hidden beneath straw and soft white down plcked from her breast. I have had her for only a few months after buying her to keep another muscovy company. The previous one, Rosie, was sadly killed, presumably by a fox on the evening that I brought Tara home so they never met. Muscovies are odd looking fowl with a bright red mask above the bill, pink feet and blue eyes. The male of the species is particularly strange with a knobbly texture on the red mask which makes them look a bit fearsome and ugly. They make a chirruping noise and they perch on walls and gates rather than sitting in the pond as my other ducks do, in fact, they don't like water much at all. I recommend them as pets because they are full of character and very friendly. Tara comes looking for me in the mornings, chirruping for either food or a bowl of water and signalling quite clearly what she wants. If the eggs hatch they will be hybrids as we don't have a muscovy drake. This means the ducklings will never be able to reproduce - they will be sterile. Watch this space for news on the offspring.