Muscovy duck questions

[Crazy Maizie]

My muscovy drakes do not create a muddy mess. Their wading pool has to be emptied every 4 days and scrubbed to stop mosquito larvae hatching, but its not muddy. I fish leaves out of the water every evening and it would be usable for more than 4 days if it were not for mosquitoes. But I only have one "clean boy" who bathes very splashy splashy every day. The other three do not get in the wading pool from one month to the next. They stand on the side, dip their heads in the water and "dab wash" doing all the splashy splashy movements of their clean compatriot but without getting into the water.

I feed my muscovy boys in the duck house and have deep water tubs for them to drink out of. They don't make a mess in the duck house. Their occasional drake squabbles occasionally knock over the water tubs, but the water disappears into the deep layer of pine shavings and oak leaves. They sometimes kick over their food bowl too, but the pellets also disappear down into their bedding. Meanwhile, my pekin drake drinks from his water tub all night and his pine shaving bedding in his dog crate is saturated by morning. All my pekins have been "compulsive drinkers" and end up with wet bedding. Muscovy just don't to that. Plus, as already said they are stinkers, often don't bathe from one month to another, and so don't mess their wading pool.

On duck feed, my son uses organic layer feed for his girls [and one drake] and cannot find organic duck layer feed. So, he uses organic chicken layer feed and adds brewer's yeast to their feed. I don't use organic food for my muscovy drakes. I previously used Purina duck pellets, but my TSC has had a supply problem all year. They only get 2 or 3 sacks at a time -- not a pallet-ful, and 3 sacks on the run were moldy at the beginning of the year. So, I don't buy Purina duck pellets anymore. I am using DuMor all flock 17% protein. All seems to be well after 6 months using it and it is not a dusty as the Purina Ducks pellets were. I would not use this for laying female ducks. I would definitely use layer feed with extra niacin as brewer's yeast or nutritional yeast

My drake will splash the first day the pool is clean, but after that nothing. I had 2 drakes that I let one hatch out (5 eggs - 3 hatched w/2 being drakes). Those 2 would ever get in the pool. They dud like you said - just dip thrir heads.

One problem with tsc is that they let pallets sit outside when it's delivered and sometimes it's not put away as quickly as it should be - rain and moisture can get into the feed. I had a bag of birdseed that was moldy when I opened it. The store said the pallet got rained on before they had put the delivery away. They refunded of course, but this is a known tsc issue.

 

[StinkyAcres]

Seems like drakes don't bathe as much as ducks. My females bathe multiple times a day and make the pool muddy every day.

 

[Miss Lydia]

My drake hadn't any choice about bathing when he would start biting me I obliged by tossing him into the pool where he would come to his senses and think wow this feels good and begin to bathe. And sometimes that was a couple times a day.

 

[Crazy Maizie]

My drake hadn't any choice about bathing when he would start biting me I obliged by tossing him into the pool where he would come to his senses and think wow this feels good and begin to bathe. And sometimes that was a couple times a day.

I've done that as well. Sometimes their hormones get the best of them.

 

[Ilovemychicks08]

Possibly. Not Muscovy, but I’ve hatched some eggs from a couple of my mallard-derived breeds, and most have fit in the auto turner. I’d do some test-turns with the eggs when you start / every now and then and make sure the eggs are indeed turning properly.

@Miss Lydia @ruthhope

Thank you!

 

[Ilovemychicks08]

I have never used an incubator. Having Muscovy you really don't need one. But My Muscovy eggs aren't any larger than my Buff Orpington ducks eggs maybe a tad smaller so you should be able to use the egg turner if it was size you are concerned about.
This might help
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/incubating-and-hatching-muscovy-eggs.63532/
as for sexing it usually only takes around 5-6 weeks to tell duck from a drake by size the females slow down in growing the drakes keep going.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/how-to-sex-muscovy-ducks.77916/
I have had many Muscovy drakes over the years and have never had one go after any of my chicken hens, Keep 4 and up females and he will be a happy boy.

I may buy ducklings and later on get some hatching eggs.
Or maybe a drake if it works well!
Thank you!

 

[Ilovemychicks08]

My female Muscovies and chickens don't get along great because they were raised separately. I'd say if you want to keep them in the same coop, I'd make sure to raise them together or at least very close to each other.

But the problem I see with raising ducklings in a chicken coop is the food and water situation. Ducklings need access to food and water at night and they make a big mess of their food and water. And ducks must have water near their food or they could choke. Just something to think about.

I feed my adult Muscovies NatureWise All Flock because it contains 125 ppm niacin.

Another thing I wasn't aware of when I first got Muscovies is the fact that they are pretty much always broody during breeding season whether they have eggs to sit on or not. I get pecked and bitten every time I gather eggs now. Not a big deal, but it can be a bit annoying.

The ducklings will be raised indoors for a few weeks before moving outside to my original duck coop. And with slow integration(as i do witth chicks) im hoping they would get along.

The food is always in the coop because of wild birds and othet animals. And i could make a area just for the feed.

I would be feeding them naturwise all flock, about the only all flock i can get around here.

Some broody ducks could be ok, as long as i get some eggs before they go broody

 

[Ilovemychicks08]

A good eye can tell the difference between male and female muscovy ducklings. Depending on where you get them from, if they breed for certain colors (like chocolate), they can be sexed at hatch via color.
Once feathered, you can definitely tell by body shape and head shape.

As for raising ducks with chickens, it's doable. Ducks are bossy no matter what breed you have. My runners are actually bossier than my muscovy. I keep my ducks and chickens in separate coops and sections of the run due to their needs and what I started with. But, they could pen up together.

Muscovy aren't as messy as other ducks with water. They like it when it's first fresh, but won't hang out in it or drill in the dirt and mud as much. The most mess comes from food mixed with water.

An all flock will work for a mixed flock. I add nutritional yeast for the 1st 6 months no matter what feed. Then, I only add nutritional yeast if I see one limping. They probably don't need the extra, just makes me feel like I'm doing something. Ducks tend to twist an ankle once in awhile - usually rest is all that's needed.

I've never incubated any eggs. But, my muscovy hatched some chicken eggs for me once. She wasn't the best chicken mom, so the 2 that survived had to go to a brooder. They are very broody, so I don't think you need an incubator. I'm always breaking their broodiness.

By the size and carnacles of muscovies it should be easy once they grow.
I may look for some chocolates just so i can know!

Im not sure anyone can be bossier than my Buff Orpington chicken, she rules everything. Even the ducks i had before she bossed around

Ill add niacin to their diet, i dont want any issues

Thanks!

 

[Ilovemychicks08]

My muscovy drakes do not create a muddy mess. Their wading pool has to be emptied every 4 days and scrubbed to stop mosquito larvae hatching, but its not muddy. I fish leaves out of the water every evening and it would be usable for more than 4 days if it were not for mosquitoes. But I only have one "clean boy" who bathes very splashy splashy every day. The other three do not get in the wading pool from one month to the next. They stand on the side, dip their heads in the water and "dab wash" doing all the splashy splashy movements of their clean compatriot but without getting into the water.

I feed my muscovy boys in the duck house and have deep water tubs for them to drink out of. They don't make a mess in the duck house. Their occasional drake squabbles occasionally knock over the water tubs, but the water disappears into the deep layer of pine shavings and oak leaves. They sometimes kick over their food bowl too, but the pellets also disappear down into their bedding. Meanwhile, my pekin drake drinks from his water tub all night and his pine shaving bedding in his dog crate is saturated by morning. All my pekins have been "compulsive drinkers" and end up with wet bedding. Muscovy just don't to that. Plus, as already said they are stinkers, often don't bathe from one month to another, and so don't mess their wading pool.

On duck feed, my son uses organic layer feed for his girls [and one drake] and cannot find organic duck layer feed. So, he uses organic chicken layer feed and adds brewer's yeast to their feed. I don't use organic food for my muscovy drakes. I previously used Purina duck pellets, but my TSC has had a supply problem all year. They only get 2 or 3 sacks at a time -- not a pallet-ful, and 3 sacks on the run were moldy at the beginning of the year. So, I don't buy Purina duck pellets anymore. I am using DuMor all flock 17% protein. All seems to be well after 6 months using it and it is not a dusty as the Purina Ducks pellets were. I would not use this for laying female ducks. I would definitely use layer feed with extra niacin as brewer's yeast or nutritional yeast

My ducks i had before spent all day in the pool.
So im just hoping for a duck with a little less water liking.
I found a pvc pipe feeder im going to make.
My previous ducks also soaked their bedding every day.

I dont have a tsc within 40 minutes of me. Our local feed store only carries one brand of all flock(Nutrena) and two brands of duck feed(kalmbach and nutrena)

 

[Ilovemychicks08]

So if i found someone with a chocolate drake and a blue, black, or lilac hen would they be sex linked?