I'm getting Muscovies! Advice would be great!

[fancbrd4me02]

I am so excited. I have been looking for muscovies locally so I can get some before the 31st, and I finally found a breeder. I can get white, black and white and chocolate and white! Woo-Hooo!!! People with muscovies, what kind of house do they like? Will they live in a "ark" shed or do they have to have a roost? I am building them a pen right now, and would appreciate suggestions.

 

[pringle]

Nice!I just got a pair of scovys on sunday and im loving them!The male is huge and was scared of me at first but I think he and the female are getting used to me already.As of sunday the female already layed 2 eggs on on monday and one today!Im so exited to hatch them out with the new incubator im getting soon.Just so they get used to there surroundings there in a smallish dog house with an attached kennel its working out for them but probably tommorow im going to make them a big run.Not to hijack your thread or anything but can scovys fly a 5 ft fence?There about a year old or so and heavy.

 

[lovesduckies]

Quote:
aweee want more??? lol we are pretty close! i have 10 eggs right now. my little girl has been laying one everyday since the 14th

i know they won't be hatched before the 31st, but who follows laws? lol. i'm kidding, kinda.....

anyway... my scovies live in my bedroom with me.

spoiled huh, i know. Mine like to roost on the child's play pen that they sleep in at night. they do fly, so i'd clip wings if you are going to let them free rang or won't have a top on the run, if you have a run, which i would put in. i can give you my idea of my pen i'd like to build when i get the resources..

i want to find a wooden dog house (shaped like a house) and have a fenced in run for them to play, dig, mess up, eat, etc. in. i also plan on getting a kiddie pool, the hard plastic kind for them to play in and dunk their heads. i have heard and seen that those are easier to clean because ducks are very messy

and when they go outside (if they do

) i will be clipping wings.

hope that helps some

 

[lovesduckies]

Quote:
i'd clip wings in case, just to be safe. i have seen my female fly pretty high inside my bedroom lol. my drake can fly pretty high too and he's a big fat boy. we call him turkey boy

 

[keeperofthehearth]

They do like to roost but a wide board or shelf would work out fine just as long as they can get about 1 or two feet up off the ground. A roost in their run could be as simple as a few placed cement blocks they can get up on. They may still be able to get over that 5' fence. Not by much but to be safe you could clip a wing or add some sort of makeshift fencing to the top of your 5' by and extra foot to bring it up to 6- 6.5'. That should keep them in. If you do have predators around, such as coyotes, you need to consider whether they can get over your pen walls or not. Have fun with your Scovies!

 

[fancbrd4me02]

Do you think they will get into the trees if I keep one of thier wings clipped? I always put my birds in before dark - Do thy go into trees during the day, or just to sleep?

 

[keeperofthehearth]

If a wing is clipped they won't get into the trees. If your trees are dense they probably wouldn't get up there anyway. Being a large bird, they need some open space to roost.

 

[MysticalMom]

My muscovies free range and I don't clip their wings. I'm lucky in that I live on 260 very secluded acres and don't have to worry about neighbors and such and my dogs chased all the other wildlife away ( except for all the groundhogs and including the deer

) years ago, or at least keep predators away. They fly around sometimes, but I've never had a problem with them flying away. It is funny coming out in the afternoon and they're perched on the roof.... or suddenly looking at me through the 2nd story kitchen window, from the deck. My big drake seems to like to make a high and wide loop around the house when I let them out of them pen in the mornings. But they know where they're fed, fat and spoiled and i really don't think they have any desire to leave.

As for their pen. I have a really really nice duck house, but not one ( NOT ONE!!) of my ducks use it.

Attached to the duck house is a 12x12 dog kennel type pen wrapped in wire mesh with heavy tarps I can roll down in cold weather and I have a few of the plastic igloo type dog houses in there. ALL the ducks seem to prefer those and my female muscovy is laying right now in one of them that I have off the ground about 2 feet on cinder blocks.

ENJOY your muscovy. They're the best ducks ever. As a matter of fact I have 4 more adults (females) coming from a muscovy duck rescue here real soon... I can't get enough!

 

[lovesduckies]

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wow you are lucky. i thought it was funny when mine perched on the side of the pen they sleep in inside my bedroom.