Abstract
The Muscovy ducks (Cairina moschata) are one of the most exploited species in the duck farming industry due to their large size and their meat quality. Therefore, it has considerable economic value for small farmers and large factories. We aim to review the available information on its productive potential and the factors likely to impact it. Although this fowl can achieve high meat yields, not all management systems seem to be capable of obtaining an “optimal” growth performance, especially in developing countries. This situation occurs because the optimal weight of this duck highly depends on the proper management conditions and its genetic background. Whereas non-technical production of male Muscovy ducks’ results in live weight ranging from 2.0 to 2.9 kg, it’s breeding under improved conditions can achieve live weight ranging from 4.5 to 5.1 kg. With an additional increase of up to 6.5 kg with a 2-week force-feeding program. Other producers use crossbreeds with the Peking ducks to produce sterile mule ducks that have lower sexual dimorphism, adequate meat yields, and even superior foie gras yields. Also, there have been several studies on the use of natural supplements in these species. However, only some probiotics have shown an impact on productivity features. Another important aspect when procuring adequate yields is to secure the proper health of the individuals. Although the Muscovy ducks are generally more resistant to pathogens than chickens, they are not exempt from suffering infections. They can be affected by several parasites, especially nematodes, that reduce their productivity and can lead to death in severe outbreaks. Also, viral infections can lead to high mortalities and substantial economic losses such as the highly pathogenic avian influenza (20-100 % mortality), parvoviruses (10-90 % mortality), reoviruses (10-53 % mortality), and herpesviruses (10-100 % mortality).
