How much can the Muscovys eat????????????

[Germaine_11.20]

I have 11 young Muscovys and they are voracious eaters. They never stop eating. I thought they were supposed to be a duck that did well free ranging and fending on their own.

They break into every coop given the chance and eat the chickens food--and that is after they have free ranged and eaten their own food.

Am I going to have to continue feeding them forever or will they eventually learn to eat from nature for the most part?

 

[Bleenie]

Mine are kind of hogs too, especially when i keep them in the pen. they only get really food crazy when i give them corn or scratch. I usually only let them free range when it's nice outside and when i'm outside and they do well eating all the bugs and weeds, they hardly come back to the pen for feed (the goat eats their feed if he can get to it though!).

how big is the area they are free ranging?
Mine free range on about 5 acres with access to a large creek, so there's plenty of buggies and stuff to munch on.

ETA: I have 16 Muscovies and 5 Bantam Cochin chickens. My baby Muscovies are not free ranging yet.