Muscovy Ducks

[Mel Lloyd]

Anyone keep Muscovy ducks with their chickens? I've heard they are great for fly control, and lay fairly well, too. I've heard they don't require a water source as much as other duck breeds, anyone have any advice? Will a baby wading pool be sufficient within the run?

 

[sylviethecochin]

Hello!

I keep Muscovy ducks in the general vicinity of my chickens, though they do bed down elsewhere. Muscovies lay fairly well, more in some strains than others, and they do require a lot of light to trigger laying. They're chronic broodies, so if that's not your thing, you might want to look elsewhere.

Great for fly control; they'll snap flies right out of the air.

Mine are perfectly happy with a few puddles, but like to go to the pond every now and then. I would not use a wading pool, as the water will get very dirty very quickly, and you'll want to change it. Your run may get ruined pretty quickly.

 

[Alaskan]

Anyone keep Muscovy ducks with their chickens? I've heard they are great for fly control, and lay fairly well, too. I've heard they don't require a water source as much as other duck breeds, anyone have any advice? Will a baby wading pool be sufficient within the run?

I really like starting them out separately....so the muscovy know that they are muscovy and do not try to breed the chickens. (Which could kill the chickens)

I also prefer having them in separate coops(cleaning and care is way easier that way) EXCEPT in the horrid winter when the snow gets really deep... then it is easier to put them all in the same coop.

They do well together in the winter ...

But it is better to split them in the spring because my muscovy are super maternal. They cry if you take their eggs, they live to brood and hatch out.

I would not keep them as egg ducks.

 

[Ladybird CA]

I would not let Muscovy ducks near baby chicks, they can eat them

 

[Alaskan]

Muscovy are definitely meat eaters!

But I had a broody chicken hen hatch out a set of chicks in the muscovy pen... and they were all fine.

However my muscovy are very sweet and they are used to each other.

Also, they had a BUNCH of space, so even though they were in the same area they were never too close.

 

[Luvnmom1020]

Newbie here, we are wanting to add muscovies to our homestead farm (Waggin' Tails Farm aka WTF). However I have a question, do muscovies have a good sense of "property lines" or do they wonder far and away? Our chickens stay close to the coop but free range, will the muscovies do the same? Or do I need to fence off an area to keep them from wondering too far? I do plan to clip wings to prevent flight. I already clip my chickens, so I'm very familiar with the process.

 

[Pandabear70]

Anyone keep Muscovy ducks with their chickens? I've heard they are great for fly control, and lay fairly well, too. I've heard they don't require a water source as much as other duck breeds, anyone have any advice? Will a baby wading pool be sufficient within the run?

I have Muscovy Ducks out with the chickens every spring till fall. But i have a male Muscovy that goes after the Rooster's i don't know how to stop him. In the summer time they have a coop outside of the barn and the chickens are in the barn.

 

[Alaskan]

Newbie here, we are wanting to add muscovies to our homestead farm (Waggin' Tails Farm aka WTF). However I have a question, do muscovies have a good sense of "property lines" or do they wonder far and away? Our chickens stay close to the coop but free range, will the muscovies do the same? Or do I need to fence off an area to keep them from wondering too far? I do plan to clip wings to prevent flight. I already clip my chickens, so I'm very familiar with the process.

Mine don't ever wander far... (except for when I didn't clip wings) but it depends on if you have "attractive" areas like a pond... or if you live near a road....