Muscovy keepers share your pics!

[TherryChicken]

Thanks for the info!

No problem. I pmed you

 

[bkostman]

This is my Muscovy she showed up 2 weeks ago. I love her Named her Marjorie but live in Wisconsin
Any advise

 

[macgro7]

This is my Muscovy she showed up 2 weeks ago. I love her Named her Marjorie but live in Wisconsin
Any advise

What?

 

[bkostman]

Any advise for Wisconsin fall and winter

 

[Patriciaallison]

I want to build a floating duck coop but have no idea how to start. Any suggestions?
P

 

[Patriciaallison]

Sorry wrong thread!! I'm a Goofball!

 

[Hayden W]

Any advise for Wisconsin fall and winter

Hey, I live in Minnesota and I have two muscovys. Just have a nice dry coop for them in the winter and insulate it and put a heat source near them because in the winter here it gets -80 with the wind chill sometimes but you also want water so they can bath because they need to stay clean in order to stay healthy. I would recommend using corn to feed them in the winter because it hears them up. Hope this helped if you need anything else just pm me.

 

[MinnesotaNice]

Any advise for Wisconsin fall and winter

Similar to chickens, just make sure you have a coop area for them to get out of the cold. Doesn't have to be huge....well, depending on how many ducks you have. Keep water and food out of it and make sure they're bedding is dry. Ventilation is also important for ducks. Keep track of when they lay (typically early morning) and get those eggs collected before they freeze on very cold days. Personally, we don't put supplemental heat in ours. Just make sure it's well insulated. Obviously try to keep them inside on days where frostbite is a threat. I also wrap my duck and chicken runs in a clear tarp to keep them out of the wind and it also keeps the snow out. If they want to wander outside of that to the snow, that's their choice. Ducks are very winter hardy. More so than chickens in my experience. They'll hang outside in the snow while the chickens look out from their roosts.

You can provide water many different ways. Just make sure it's deep enough for them to get their nostrils wet. A few ideas are getting a heated water fount, make your own base heater, or get a heated dog bowl. If the weather permits, fill up a bin/little pool and let them bathe. They love the water, but it's not critical to let them swim in the winter. When my ducklings are off of the heat, I bring them outside in a cage where they can eat, drink and swim all day. At night, they go in the garage and sleep without water and food. My reason for telling you this is your ducks won't need water at night - they'll be sleeping. So, you could also run warm water out to their area every morning if electric is not an option. Before I had electric, I did this in the morning and when I got home from work. A lot of it is trial and error and everyone has a different set up and opinion.

It's good you're thinking of this now! Good luck.

 

[Ecwynes]

I imagine perhaps a strafoam based wood raft anchored to cinderblocks with a couple of nylon or rotproof ropes perhaps a dog igloo on it and some porch space. Maybe use that fake plastic deck wood, though it's heavy and may force thicker styrafoam. Perhaps a hinged attached entry ramp. Though if possible I personally would prefer an island for my Muscovies.

 

[ameliadanielle]

The only time my muscovies ever get in a little house is when they are laying or broody. They literally roost with my chickens at bedtime. I was under the impression that their behavior was different from a normal domesticated duck and they wouldn't be interested in a duck house. That's the way mine are anyway.