I'm worried about my school's Muscovy drake.

[Miss Lydia]

Maybe everyone should think about what would be good for him. Safety, warm bedding and good food? Muscovy are prone to frostbite on their fleshy faces, living when they can't get out of harsh weather will not help.

 

[african chickens]

what if they could do that at the campus

 

[Miss Lydia]

That would be awesome.

 

[african chickens]

the cafeteria staff could help with food and mabey they could build him a shelter

 

[User105877]

Muskovy ducks reside at our local park year around. I'm sure originally they were dumped. Every year though reproduce and raise chicks. There are a few that are picked off by dogs and cats but they seem to withstand the winter just fine here in. southern Illinois. We have a duck house for ours and it is basically just for looks. They set out in the snow and ice and never go in.

 

[african chickens]

my ducks

 

[Miss Lydia]

A shelter would have to have a door so he will be protected from predators if he isn't locked in overnight he would most likely not use shelter since he would be trapped if a predator came looking for duck dinner. and it will have to have ventilation so the warm moist air he creates with breathing and pooping can escape because that can cause respiratory issues, nice deep pine shavings for bedding so he can cuddle down and stay warm. They don't need food and water overnight [which can only cause issues since ducks are very messy with water]. Not many of us put food and water inside our coops.
i hope it works out.
@User105877 there was a time my muscovy wanted to sleep out overnight too, but I stayed with it and trained them to go into their coop. I wouldn't have any of them if I had let them do what they wanted. They love their house and go in every night on their own.

 

[GranderTheGander]

Yes, it depends on where you are if domestic ducks can survive without shelter. It depends if they get daily feeding, too. I've seen dumped/released domestics, even pekins, live for years and years free roaming with no shelter in the winter. They were on large bodies of water that very rarely totally froze, and kept them safe from predators at night.

Miss Lydia, you live in the mountains, and I am picturing you with a lot of predators, including large ones! The domestics I knew had no predator larger than a raccoon or opossum, and hawks and owls rarely got an adult duck, if they ever got any at all. Plus, there were no smaller predators, such as skunks, weasels, snakes, etc. In addition, the water protected them from dogs, as did a leash law, and protected their ducklings from cats. Although if there were geese around, cats were not a threat to any waterfowl. Geese can scare the heck out of cats!

This is not to encourage or justify dumping domestics, but to verify that many have had long lives when kept fed and have a lot of water around them. Muscovy ducks have the great advantage of strong, high flying skills, too. Their biggest threat in many places are humans, humans who despise them and find one way or another to get rid of them.

 

[SolarDuck]

Just read all this, wishing best of luck i hope you're able to find a good home for him!

 

[Cupbernbelle]

Hi. I attend a university in central Alabama, and my school has a Muscovy drake who hangs out by the lake by some of the dorms. He is there all the time. I've never seen him anywhere else, and I visit him every day just to hang out. It's getting a bit cold since it's mid November, and he seems fine right now, but I've done some research, and it can be dangerous for him if the weather is under 10-20 degrees for prolonged periods. In addition, we get a pretty decent amount of rain here, even in the winter. I'm worried about him. I don't want him to get frostbitten feet or caruncles or develop hypothermia. Is there anything I can do to prepare him for the winter or keep him safe when the temperature gets low?

You could always make him a duck house with some bedding like straw and even add at heat light if you can. But the best thing you can do is make him a house to block him from the fridges weather outside and to hold in his body heat