Why does my female muscovy bite my feet, wag her tail and come at me in a menacing manor? I have 2 females and the other is well behaved. This one was raised to be a pet and her demeanour is dissappointing. Any info will be appreciated. Sueskarin@aol.com

Why dont you just kick it , I dont mean just a little tap with your foot either I'd kick the crap out of it every time it did it till it stopped or fell over
dead . Sorry if this sounds cruel to you guys but I dont like mean animals .

Sorry, Anonymous, but obviously this muscovy is already aggressive. Suzekaren, aggression begs more aggression, since she is responding to a threat of some kind that she perceives already. Even if you don't know why she's attacking - she does. If you aren't consciously doing something to make her defensive, an overt threat like kicking will make her feel even more threatened. I have found that sometimes when poultry is tame when young, they can turn more aggressive toward you when mature than the ones you didn't tame. Perhaps it is some sort of dominance behavior - she wants to be your boss, and considers you a rival. I don't know what you can do about it, perhaps try giving her her own territory and try not to invade it too much, or just stand very still when she bites your boots, see what she does without you doing any responding at all. Perhaps over time, if you don't respond at all, she will perceive no threat and give it up. I - don't know, sorry!

Sueskarin;Are you absolutely sure it's a hen?I've seen several Muscovey drakes act this way but never a hen.If a drake is doing this it's a mating overeture. Especially from a hand gentle bird. Even if it's a hen it's probably still seeking to mate, that's a lot like hens approach drakes, hissing and shoveling their bills close to the ground.Be assured the duck is not attacking you but is mearly seeking attention of one sort or another.If you ever wittness an attack by an aggresive Muscovy you won't mistake it for anything else. They will flap their wings and scratch their way up your leg in an attempt to get your face.Muscoveys attack with their long sharp claws,not by biting. I've had a few roosters who started out hand gentle and later became a little aggressive.It's a domination attempt.My response is to always grab them when they try to attack and hold them and pet them till they settle down.I treat them like grouchy babies. It usually takes just a few such periods of forced petting and cuddling to make them quit their aggressivness. This method has also worked extremly well for my children.Although it isn't always easy for the kids to hold a Jersey Giant rooster they kind of get a kick out of it when they win.Any one can walk safely in any poultry pen on my place.The males have been subdued by kids,gently and quietly. Anonymous; if you try this maybe you won't have mean animals that need kicked.It takes less time in the long run.and others won't have to be wary of your animals either.Also why not leave your name? Ashamed?Do you kick your dog when he won't come to you?Sounds like you need some kind attention. Randy Henry (JaRaCo)

Thanks for the imput Randy. I believe that you are right she certainly does appear to be a bit "horney". I have a big rooster that has been hopping on her and that seemed to help for awhile. Altho we found his behavior so repugnant we got him a hen and now he leaves the ducks alone. Hence back to bad duck behavior. She lays eggs- got to be a hen. I will try the petting and trying to focus her attention. But I really do think she feels like she should be top dog over me and wants me to know this.When I do pet her she bites at my shirt not very nicely but perhaps if I had all those feathers it wouldn't hurt. She seems frustrated. If I knew someone with muscovies out here I would give her to them. Thanks for taking the time for your imput. Sue Skarin