Oh my!!! 5 muscovy Ducks laying under the house! Inaccessible! Need advice

[Muscovy-palooza]

We have 6 ducks that have gone under our farmhouse to lay. It is not accessible at all. We had been trying to keep an eye on them. All of a sudden most of them disappeared! We thought that they may have flown off. We looked everywhere or so we thought. We have two barns, a coop, springhouse, guesthouse, farmhouse, huge boxwoods (possible nesting site), and a pond where they love to hang out. I searched a few times a day.
FOR THE RECORD, I tried diligently to get them to take to the coop where there are several nesting areas. I even placed some of the tsc fake eggs in the nesting boxes. I found a duck a couple of different times in them but never any "real" eggs.
Our original mamma is nesting in one of our barns where she hatched 2 clutches last year. Unfortunately, none of the others joined her to nest. It's a shame because I can access her chosen spot. We thought that we blocked off all access under the farmhouse but apparently not! So now what?
I put leg bands on all of the girls in order to distinguish them. We have 3 whites and 4 grays. I wanted eggs, not more ducks! Now it looks like I am going to have another muscovy-palooza by the end of April or early May.
I bought two 4x4 pens from TSC. I opened them up and put them against the house making a run and trying to keep a few in and the others out. Turns out I was too late. Now I am just leaving the doors open to the runs for the girls to come and go to forage and take a dip in the pond at will.
Now for the questions....
1. What will happen when all of the ducks are in the same area (under the house) with their own babies? Will they fight?
2. Should I just let them keep them under the house for shelter and close off the pens for them to come out to forage a little and have access to their food and water? This would allow me to handle the chicks some to get them used to being handled.
3. Should I move them all to the 10x14 coop? I do not have any fencing for a run. Last year I used a dog crate (with poly mesh to keep little ones in) to let them have some outside time in the grass. I would move them into the coop at night. Sweetie Pie got into the routine of taking the babies into the coop at dusk. She just refuses to lay in the coop! Just not sure if they would fight in a more confined area. I have kiddie pools that I thought that they may use to keep their own babies in. Of course it wouldn't be long before the babies would be able to climb out.
4. Is there an easy way to sex the ducklings?
5. Should I try to sell some of them? If so at what age and how much?
Any ideas, suggestions or advice would be much appreciated.
Thanks!

 

[Miss Lydia]

This sounds like @Ren2014 and her Muscovy's. Mine do lay and hatch inside their houses but they do not like other females around their babies at all. So I don't know what to tell you maybe since all of yours are in close proximity they will do a large care of each others too. maybe @casportpony has run into this with her flock? Depending on how popular Muscovy's are in your neck of the woods you might have a good chance of selling I'd ask at least 10 each or if the want more then you can give a better price. As for sexing that comes later with Muscovy since you can tell by quack or tail curl Usually around 6 weeks up the drake are noticeably larger than the females.

 

[Chikngal]

We don’t have ducks but this works for our chickens. When we get new chicks we keep them locked in the coop for 8-10 weeks. No free ranging only the coop and small run. Our girls always go to the coop to lay and put themselves up when it starts getting dark. Hope this helps.

 

[casportpony]

I found it easiest to sell them as young ducklings. Once they are a little older they aren't as cute, people don't really want them.

 

[Miss Lydia]

@casportpony do you let your girls hatch in general population? any problems?

 

[Muscovy-palooza]

I found it easiest to sell them as young ducklings. Once they are a little older they aren't as cute, people don't really want them.

What age could I sell them?

 

[Muscovy-palooza]

I have been watching closely today and see that 3 of the ducks that have been going under the house have been down at the pond for quite some time. Not like typical sitting ducks. They may still be in the laying stage. Should I continue letting them have free range to go under the house or should I close the runs and lock in the other 3 that are definitely sitting? They likely wont be too happy about being shut out from their eggs. I hate to traumatize them. My guess is that they have been going under the house for roughly 1 week.

If it is suggested that I lock them out from their eggs under the house, should I lock them in the coop for a period to encourage them to lay in there? I have found ducks in the nesting boxes a couple of times. No eggs though.

 

[Miss Lydia]

I usually wait a week or more but last time a member wanted them right after hatch so they were 3 days old but I would never sell all the babies out from under the mama. This is just me.

 

[Muscovy-palooza]

I usually wait a week or more but last time a member wanted them right after hatch so they were 3 days old but I would never sell all the babies out from under the mama. This is just me.

Thank you. I couldn't take any if it's a small clutch. That does seem like it would be traumatizing.