Allowing muscovy to raise their own young?

[cukooformarans]

I don't clip wings on my muscovies unless I have one that refuses to stay. But that is very very rare. They fly around, but usually come back home. I don't know what happened to the babies. Five of ten died before I finally took them from the Momma. They were in a small pen so I don't know what happened except two drowned. I have put a Momma with babies in a small pen with good luck in the past (Brownie with her last batch) but I had a shallow waterer. I thought I had read since then that the Momma duck needed to be able to submerge her head, hence the ice cream waterers. But they are like 8 inches high straight up. I can't believe the little guys got in there!! By the way, I am in Alabama! Thank you so much everyone for your help! I am so thankful for BYC!

 

[michaelinnc84]

So either the ducklings flew into the bucket or the momma put them there? Either way would be strange. lol

 

[Miss Lydia]

So either the ducklings flew into the bucket or the momma put them there? Either way would be strange. lol

When my duckling was only 2 days old he climbed out of a wooden box that is at least 12-14" high. Them claws are strong. lol

 

[michaelinnc84]

That is just amazing. I can't wait to have some ducklings

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[WestKnollAmy]

Once mine start laying in the spring I clip their wings and keep them penned.
I am getting eggs from one of my girls right now and she is flying out of the pen every day. Tonight I had to go pick her up and take her back as she wanted to stay out and wander around instead of going to bed like she has been doing so I figure she is thinking she may make a nest somewhere. I will keep an eye on her and plan on clipping her wings if she gets to looking around too much or I no longer find her eggs in the coop every day.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Once mine start laying in the spring I clip their wings and keep them penned.
I am getting eggs from one of my girls right now and she is flying out of the pen every day. Tonight I had to go pick her up and take her back as she wanted to stay out and wander around instead of going to bed like she has been doing so I figure she is thinking she may make a nest somewhere. I will keep an eye on her and plan on clipping her wings if she gets to looking around too much or I no longer find her eggs in the coop every day.

You sure have to watch them girls, I find with mine they will hide their eggs in the shaving and when i find them they will go to a different place in the coop to lay but after a while if they still don't get to keep their eggs they will try to find a hiding place outside, which as of last year i think I have pretty much eleminated inside their large fenced in area, just won't be able to let them free range till late in the day.

 

[cukooformarans]

They are the best at hiding eggs! Sometimes I can look in a nest many times before I realize there are eggs in there! And may not even realize it until she starts putting the feathers in! I am really baffled about the waterer thing. I know they can climb but this is your basic slippery plastic ice cream bucket with completely vertical sides. Nothing for the claws to hang on to and no way they could be flying. Hmmmm .... unless it jumped up on the handle (about halfway up the bucket) and then into the water. I don't know why it would though ... it had it's own 5 gallon chicken waterer. (The kind where the only opening is the trough at the bottom, totally chick/duckling safe.) Maybe just curious?? And I definitely have no idea what happened to the other three. They didn't have any signs of trauma, just dead. But the other five are doing great if I can find something appropriate to feed them (information on that on another post.) Thanks again, guys! I really appreciate the help and input!

 

[tnchickenman]

My guess would be on the drowned ducklings that they were on the momma's back and then jumped into ice cream bucket. I would try a 5 gallon bucket for the momma, its a long reach but if its full she'll be able to reach it. As far as wing clipping, I have found if I don't clip wings they roost on top of my house and make a terrible mess! I also have had trouble with coyotes when they didn't stay in the pen. You'd think that as well as they can see at night and the fact that when I go out at night and see them they are always awake, plus I have motion sensor lights on my house that come one that a coyote wouldn't be able to or attempt to get my muscovies but I lost several to coyotes last spring. Strange thing is they didn't even take the carcases, they just left them laying around in the yard. I went out and cleaned the birds the next morning, based on how little they were damaged I think they died of shock. As far as ducklings go I never get more than 6 or 8 to a hatch and all my hatches have been from the same duck. As a matter a fact, I have two ducks sitting now, the beginning of January. I really hope nothing hatches because its too cold for ducklings right now in my opinion. Apparently my crazy ducks don't think so. I wonder if me leaving a light on 24/7 in the chicken house might have something to do with that though. That's the only way I can get any eggs in the winter. I know I probably shouldn't leave it on that much but its kind of nice if I've been at work 10 hours and when I get home its dark and the chickens haven't been fed. I can feed them and know they get the feed instead of the rats!

 

[Miss Lydia]

My guess would be on the drowned ducklings that they were on the momma's back and then jumped into ice cream bucket. I would try a 5 gallon bucket for the momma, its a long reach but if its full she'll be able to reach it. As far as wing clipping, I have found if I don't clip wings they roost on top of my house and make a terrible mess! I also have had trouble with coyotes when they didn't stay in the pen. You'd think that as well as they can see at night and the fact that when I go out at night and see them they are always awake, plus I have motion sensor lights on my house that come one that a coyote wouldn't be able to or attempt to get my muscovies but I lost several to coyotes last spring. Strange thing is they didn't even take the carcases, they just left them laying around in the yard. I went out and cleaned the birds the next morning, based on how little they were damaged I think they died of shock. As far as ducklings go I never get more than 6 or 8 to a hatch and all my hatches have been from the same duck. As a matter a fact, I have two ducks sitting now, the beginning of January. I really hope nothing hatches because its too cold for ducklings right now in my opinion. Apparently my crazy ducks don't think so. I wonder if me leaving a light on 24/7 in the chicken house might have something to do with that though. That's the only way I can get any eggs in the winter. I know I probably shouldn't leave it on that much but its kind of nice if I've been at work 10 hours and when I get home its dark and the chickens haven't been fed. I can feed them and know they get the feed instead of the rats!

I'd say 24/7 is a bit much. I disrupts their sleep cycle and can cause other problems as well, feather picking for one. most do 14 hrs of light on a timer.