BackYard Chickens

Advanced Search

BackYard Chickens › BYC Forum › Other BackYard Poultry › Ducks › Outside Brooder for Muscovy

Recent Reviews

Mallard
Reviewed by Zombified

I can't say I have a ton of experience, but I do have a nine day old Mallard duckling named Pyrrhos(getting her some companions on Friday or Saturday). She is very talkative, but I don't mind the...

Full Review
Little Giant - 3 Gallon Plastic Poultry Waterer - PPF3
Reviewed by LeslieDJoyce

This and the 5 gallon version of this product are more disappointing products from Little Giant. I had to modify the handles on these to get them to hang straight enough to not leak (I...

Full Review
2 Gallon Double Wall Fount
Reviewed by LeslieDJoyce

If these waterers aren't fairly level they leak -- that's pretty obvious. We don't have a lot of flat level spots in our chicken areas, so decided to hang our waterers and let gravity level them...

Full Review
Automatic King Size Poultry Fount - 2550
Reviewed by LeslieDJoyce

I bought and installed several of these at one time and they all leaked right away. I removed one and took it back to the feed store where I bought it to ask for advice, and was told I wasn't the...

Full Review
Chantecler
Reviewed by BravewingTheHen

I have three White Chanteclers. The oldest one, Cottonball, is the head hen of our flock and is smart and kind. Our other two hens, Aurora and Borialis, are docile and lay many eggs, and are good...

Full Review

New Posts All Forums:Forum Nav:

Outside Brooder for Muscovy

Subscribe Search This Thread

Start a New Thread

post #1 of 6

6/11/12 at 1:39pm

Thread Starter

aghiowa

Joined: 9/2010
Posts: 154
offline

Select All Posts By This User

Hi all! I've had chickens for 2 years, but have recently delved into the world of ducks by getting a Muscovy duckling. So far it's been living in a Rubbermaid tub in my bathroom, but that's not going to last forever. :)

I tried setting up a nice outdoor brooder area, but the little gal looks so tiny and vulnerable out there, and peeps constantly, so I brought her back inside for now.

Is this a decent setup? (See pic below) What age do you generally move your ducklings outside? Was it too cold? (The air temp is currently about 83 F.) I know it's not ideal having only one duckling, but chickens are barely legal in my city, so, I don't want to push my duck luck. ;)

What other advice can you give me about caring for my duckling?

Thanks,

Angela

Featured Stories on BackYard Chickens

Why Join BackYard Chickens?

Free range? Yea or nay?

Join Our 4th Annual BYC Easter Hatch-A-Long

post #2 of 6

6/11/12 at 1:42pm

Kevin565

Joined: 12/2009
Posts: 42,494
offline

Select All Posts By This User

You have a nice start but it needs to be predator proofed, Right now really any predator could get to her.

Crested Ducks Common Chicken Practices Learn more about Avian Influenza

Helen: Daria, do you have to look at everything in such a negative light?

Daria: Could you possibly be referring to the harsh light of reality?

Crested Ducks Common Chicken Practices Learn more about Avian Influenza

Helen: Daria, do you have to look at everything in such a negative light?

Daria: Could you possibly be referring to the harsh light of reality?

post #3 of 6

6/11/12 at 2:51pm

ReDave

Location: Central California Sierra Foothills
Joined: 5/2012
Posts: 10
offline

Select All Posts By This User

We moved our Muscovys outside a couple of weeks ago. Heat lamp on at night on some cooler nights. They seem fine. We have a 6ft high circle cage around a very similar setup to yours.

Sent from my SGH-I897 using Tapatalk 2

Rhode Island Reds, Black Spanish Turkeys, Chocolate Brown Muscovies

post #4 of 6

6/11/12 at 8:10pm

ReDave

Location: Central California Sierra Foothills
Joined: 5/2012
Posts: 10
offline

Select All Posts By This User

Also, My wife was adamant about not getting just one duckling. I'm not sure if ducks are more social than other poultry, but I've watched ours groom each other more than I've noticed our chicken or turkeys. And at night, almost since we got them, they sleep all neck overlapped, kinda cute.

Rhode Island Reds, Black Spanish Turkeys, Chocolate Brown Muscovies

post #5 of 6

6/12/12 at 4:23am

Going Quackers

Location: Canada
Joined: 5/2011
Posts: 3,905
offline

Select All Posts By This User

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kevin565

You have a nice start but it needs to be predator proofed, Right now really any predator could get to her.

I agree, that is literally a sitting duck. As well it does need a companion...

~ Firefly Farms home of Miniature horses, 14 Muscovy ducks, 2 calls ducks ( 2 buff ducks joining this spring), 4 Ameraucana chickens(1/2 doz Silkies coming spring, darn chicken math finally got me) , Lionhead rabbits and your typical dogs, cats, fish, and parrots...

post #6 of 6

6/12/12 at 4:46am

HEChicken

Location: Wichita, KS area
Joined: 8/2009
Posts: 5,883
My Coop
offline

Select All Posts By This User

You absolutely need a companion for her. The neat thing about Muscovies is they aren't noisy like other ducks so you can have 2-3 and probably slip under the radar pretty well.

I got six about four weeks ago and it is stunning how fast they grow. They are almost like cornish cross the way they stack on the weight and size. I only had them inside for about two weeks and then out they went. They are pretty hardy and never seemed to have any issues. Of course they did have each other to snuggle up to and stay warm. I brooded them with a dozen guinea keets, and there was only one night after they went outside, where it dropped down to about 50. The keets were huddled and looked miserable so I put a heat lamp in the outside brooder for them. They immediately went to sit under it. The muscovies stayed at the cooler end of the brooder, so clearly weren't bothered by the low temp.

Enjoying my 10-acres of country heaven with 50+ chickens, turkeys and muscovy ducks!

Read about my fox attack here

Read a fox attack survival story here

How to build a hoop house in 10 easy steps here