Magnificent Marvelous Muscovies!

[Claires Poultry]

@Muscovy Wunda How are your Muscovy eggs coming along? Are they still alive?

 

[Muscovy Wunda]

@Muscovy Wunda How are your Muscovy eggs coming along? Are they still alive?

They are growing dispite 2 8hr power outages 2 days in a row. A couple are a day or so ahead of the others thanks to broody hen. I did try get a video of the heart beat of embryo in one but came out blurry, so here's just a peak inside of what they look like at day 5.

 

[Claires Poultry]

They are growing dispite 2 8hr power outages 2 days in a row. A couple are a day or so ahead of the others thanks to broody hen. I did try get a video of the heart beat of embryo in one but came out blurry, so here's just a peak inside of what they look like at day 5. View attachment 1919433 View attachment 1919433

Looking good!

 

[Miss Lydia]

Isn’t that just amazing?

 

[Claires Poultry]

Isn’t that just amazing?

Surely is!
I love that ducks are so hardy!

 

[Kiwibird]

My mule drake seems to be back to normal now. He's a little too curious for his own good, and will try eating things which other ducks ignore. The straight muscovies seem to have a stronger self-preservation instinct when it comes to choosing their food.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Good news!

 

[Kiwibird]

I had a long sit in the Muscovy run today, just watching the young ones. I thought I only had one hen out of the six, but now I am sure I have two, and maybe a third. I'm pretty happy about that.
I put sand around their water tub today. I think it is an improvement already. I might put arborists' chips through the rest of their run. I think wood shavings really only work inside the coop. Does anyone else have Muscovies confined to an outdoor run? If so, what are you using on the ground where they've eaten the grass, and what are the pros and cons?

 

[Claires Poultry]

My Muscovies are free ranged most all the time, but they are occasionally confined to an outdoor pen for short periods of time. Their outdoor pen is big enough that don't usually eat it down all the way.
I assume that sand or pea gravel might work good if they eat down all the grass and there is only dirt\mud left.
@Miss Lydia What is your opinion?

 

[Muscovy Wunda]

Ours are locked up from 5pm, till 8am, and once a week all day when I go to town. Cage is 7.3m by 3.3m currently with the five ducks and has been 5 chickens in there too. Water is generally kept in cage. Our floor is just a good draining, well compacted dirt, and even in the one wet season I got to experience here it never turned to slush. We have more red clay/sandy soil here so maybe thats what it is? I know the pockets of black soil we have around here don't take much to turn to mush.