Adding ducks to our flock

Thank you all for your feed back. We are not prepared to have as much mess as ducks seem to produce. Dealing with our five chickens seems about right. So chickens are it. I am so glad I asked the question. Thanks again.

I just added 6 muscovies to my crew not so long ago.

They are/were a little messy - I moved them out the house at 3 weeks as I could not keep up with the cleaning and the smell was really gross.

NOW, they free-range with the chickens all day, they are attracted to the water spots thats for sure, I have a make shift pond (dug a hole, used a shower curtain and filled it with water) I have to clean out that "pond" daily. Other than that I have a roasting pan under the apple tree's with water in - changed daily - I have two other dishes (old roasting pans) placed under the taps, and when there is a hose connected, the water leaks into those pans, every now and then I dump it out and it re-fills - the ducks love those as well.

Muscovies are quiet ducks, they hiss they don't quack. They don't sit in water ALL day long like other breeds, mine are running around with the chickens all day chasing bugs. THey take a dip perhaps twice a day, and of course they love the leaky water dripping.

Overall, they've not made THAT much more work or mess, my free-range area is pretty big.

My coop is also pretty large 20x7, there is a connecting shed 7x7 which I cleaned out and cut a hole into the chicken coop - I kept the ducks in there for a few days, but they do prefer the chicken coop. I have 18 chickens, just hatched 7 guineas (well the broody hens did)

Overall, I'm thrilled with my ducks, they're gentle and love attention, they follow everyone around. Even strangers (we had guys putting up guttering and they commented on how friendly the ducks were - I caught one big BURLY man talking to the ducks )

Muscovies are BIG - not little ducks, and they can fly. They are BUG eating machines from what I've read, and these little guys don't hesitate to snap up a fly.

Under the apple trees with the chickens.

thanks for the pics!

I hadn't seen white muscovies before! VERY pretty!