Magnificent Marvelous Muscovies!

[Kiwibird]

I have black soil. The pen is a similar size. There's still a bit of grass, but not much. I throw in a lot of weeds for the ducks to eat, and that takes a bit of pressure off the grass that is in there. However, they are penned up all the time, as I live right by a busy road. This means the duck run can get a bit muddy and stinky. I am considering my options to keep it as nice as I can.

 

[Claires Poultry]

Hey guys, look at this! This is my beloved Chava.

@cluckmecoop7 created this meme for me.
Click this link if you would like her to create a meme for you also:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/i-can-make-memes-for-you-click-here.1334418/

 

[Muscovy Wunda]

Ducks are messy little critters, but they make the best fertilizer! If I hadn't been digging in the garden the other day, I'd say wood chips are great! They look nice and dry on top, but underneath they are wet and closest to the ground appear to be beginning to break down, and stinky! So I can imagine they wouldn't last long with splashy ducks. I've come across threads in here before where people swear by river stones, but that might not work if you want to keep grass

 

[AquaDuck]

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?

I have gravel in their run, good drainage. Not great at hiding the poo though, it just sits on top so I add more gravel every now and then. Also have straw in the corners where it doesn't get wet. When I change the straw in the house, I toss the least soiled into their run.

 

[Kiwibird]

Thanks @the cluck juggler and @Muscovy Wunda . It's really helpful to hear what works or doesn't work for others. I appreciate it.

 

[Kiwibird]

Oh, and @Claires Poultry , thank you for your earlier suggestion of the pea gravel, too.

 

[AquaDuck]

"Hi you big hairy, four legged duck, you wanna be our friend?"
I swear, duck don't know what fear is. Everything is curious and interesting to them.
(Logan the husky is not duck friendly though, he's only 8 months old but his stalking game is stellar.)

 

[Muscovy Wunda]

One of the benifits of muscovys, they don't need alot of water to be happy. Even though its only 200m from their coop, they never venture to the dam but are satisfied with the small water dishes in the coop. They also love the sprinkler. But with today being a touch warm I thought I'd try them with a bigger body of water and 4 out of 5 turned their beaks up at it! So here is Rose, enjoying the tub of water all to herself, loving life! I've probably not yet mentioned Rose because she's not one to socialise with people. She likes to keep her distance.

 

[Claires Poultry]

Hi everyone
How are your duckies doing?
Mine are doing fantastic.

Oh btw, I REALLY love my ducks!

 

[Kiwibird]

The babies are growing. The males are about the same size as the pied girls now. The pied girls are not laying yet. They are about six months old, and the babies are about 9 weeks.