muscovies with chickens?

[leroy25780]

i read up about this breed of duck by a friend of mine and they seem like a great fit for my homestead. they dont quack, they mostly free range and are pretty nice if tame. but how will they fair with living with my chickens and guardian goose? i also read that they can be bullies with other poultry is this true and will it work out if housed with each other during the night?

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I keep 8 muscovy with my flock which totals about 95 chickens. I do have lots of room and no one is locked in my large shed, so they can come and go as they please.

There are occasional goosing and pecking between the species, it's short, and more of a "I gotcha" moment. The ducks do mess the water. I use buckets and rubber pans to water.

Muscovy are a wonderful breed of duck. They don't need water like other mallard based breeds do. Mine can be contented with a bucket of water. We do provide either a small livestock trough or a kiddie pool during summer, and a larger rubber pan in winter, as they do like to take daily baths.

My muscovy will patrol the yard at night hunting bugs due the warm months, which is fascinating, to look out the window at midnight and see the ducks walking about with their heads down. They are great for keeping bugs under control without the destruction that chickens will do.

They roost like chickens, some of mine have gone as high as 20 feet, some will sleep on the floor too. They can fly somewhat, long glides, and they are quiet.

The only downfall to me is their desire to reproduce. If you are looking for a steady supply of meat they will brood and raise big batches without much help. If you don't want them to reproduce than finding their nests and picking up the eggs is important. They are a bit vicious when defending their nests.

Sorry for the long winded reply. You can keep them with chickens as long as you can deal with the messy waters which isn't as bad as other breeds.