Muscovy ducks in a small garden area?

Hi. I'm considering getting some kind of Fowl. I was first considering chickens but now I'm looking into ducks.


I have a very small area on the south side of my house where I could keep them. It's also on a pretty steep slope at places and not much more than about 5 ft. wide.

I was also interested in Muscovies because they're pretty quiet.

The fowl would be near the neighbors fence and they usually keep a window open on that side of the house. I don't want them to be disturbed.

We also have a big slug problem in our area.

I was think it would cool to possibly let a Muscovy go through my very small vegetable garden ocassionally as long as I would be out there to monitor it.

Actually let him go around the whole property monitored.

I also read that they don't need bathing water as much as other ducks. Is this really true?

Just looking at the plus and minuses of both fowl before I make a decision.

I'm working with a very small restricted place, very close to our house and living room window btw.. With all day sun and a neighbor's window that is a ways down but I don't want them disturbed. Oh and very cold winters.

I think Muscovys would be a good option for you. They are definitely some of the quietest poultry, and also good for gardening because they don't scratch like chickens do (keep in mind that they will still help themselves to young seedlings). Muscovys love slugs.
How small of a space are you talking about? Muscovys need at least 15 sq feet per bird.
While it is true that muscovys don't spend as much time in the water as other breeds of waterfowl, they still need some amount of water to swim in, and dip their heads in to. Cold winters shouldn't be a problem as long as they have some where to get out of the weather, and have access to fresh water.

OK thanks. If 1 bird needs 15 sq feet as far as their housing/fence then we might be able to squeeze in only one. I'm sure though they

should be kept in pairs.

An idea was to keep them in this one small area but occassionally corral the duck through different areas of the garden to pick up all the slugs.

The only thing I was concerned about was that the spot to keep any fowl gets almost all day sun exposure (11.30-8pm), on clear days in the summer and it's very close to the house, only about 7 ft. away from our window,,,,plus it's a steep area. I have to hold onto a handrail to go up side.


I'm now looking at all kinds of options. I'm gonna take some time on this subject. Thanks