Muscovy keepers share your pics!

[tsulagvnege]

How about you move the mother's and babies in the pen with the chickens and keep the Drake in the pen with the other ducks without babies?

 

[tsulagvnege]

Now that I see this picture of the mother's and babies I might suggest it's time to wean the mother's from the babies. Put just the mother's in with the chickens to separate them from their babies. The babies look old enough to be with the Drake unless he is trying to mate with them, in that case put just the babies in with the chickens to wean them from the mother's. That should solve your problem and get things back to normal for a while.

 

[joelharris]

Good idea the only problem with that is that the mother ducks and ducklings are eating growers pellets and ducky and the chickens are eating layers pellets and would rather keep my ducks and chickens separate anyway, but thanks for your reply.

 

[joelharris]

Yes I think that is a much better idea

 

[Miss Lydia]

How about you move the mother's and babies in the pen with the chickens and keep the Drake in the pen with the other ducks without babies?

 

[joelharris]

No they sure grow fast

 

[Miss Lydia]

No they sure grow fast

They really do, My drakes don't even try to mate with ducklings their first season, I have 2 ducks going on 6 months old this month and the drakes aren't evn trying to mate with them, now the older girls they would go after but this time of year going into winter there isn't any mating going on. So you would probably be fine putting the young drake in with the younger ducks.

 

[joelharris]

I think I will put my drake with the younger ducks and the mother ducks with the chickens that way they can eat layers pellets which they are old enough for, as the mother ducks and the old drakes, fathers of the young ducks, ehich are now gone used to live in the coop with the chickens and that is where the ducklings hatched in some old drawers on the floor that they used for nest boxes

 

[Miss Lydia]

I think I will put my drake with the younger ducks and the mother ducks with the chickens that way they can eat layers pellets which they are old enough for, as the mother ducks and the old drakes, fathers of the young ducks, ehich are now gone used to live in the coop with the chickens and that is where the ducklings hatched in some old drawers on the floor that they used for nest boxes

Let us know how it goes.

 

[Alaskan]

My baby duckies!

Actual feathers are starting to grow in. I opened the small window all of the way today (the heat lamp is still on). I am going to start trying to get them aclimated to the temperatures since 11 ducklings and one mama duck in an 8x8 coop is starting to get nnnnnaaaaaaasty!

Question: my mama duck is a bit pale on her red skin area. I know that with chickens that if their red combs are a bit red that it can mean that they are wormy. Does it mean the same with my duck?

Se looks so dirty now...she hasn't gotten to bathe ever since the ducklings hatched. (I am NOT putting a water tub in that coop! ) i am thinking that the first warmish day this week I will open the pop door and let her come out and bathe (with me watching ) the temps right now are in the teens.

My coop for the rest of the Muscovy flock is very close to done. It is WAY sad though. NO, good carpentry. However, I am pretty confidant that it will stand up to the snows. The roof can hold me, so yeah!

Also, it is pretty big, maybe about 10 feet by 6 feet, with 10 x 2.5 being two story. And there is also a box that is about 2.5 square.

The entire south wall is plastic panels, so that stops the wind and gives them some light and heat gain.

The north and East walls are done, but with shipping crates and my carpentry skills, so lots of gaps and holes. It doesn't feel too drafty in there though, so let us call all of the gaps ventilation!

They have a small entrance on the East side, right next to the added on box, but I am a little worried that the East entrance will be totally inaccessible once the snow gets deep. But, I guess it doesn't really matter.

On the West side I have an upper and lower entrance, with the thought that only the upper entrance will be usable in deep snow. I do plan on closing this side in a little bit more, with a human sized door. So, this is the only unfinished side.

And, in case you were wondering, food and water will stay outside. And here is the main flock, drake with two full grown ducks, and one mostly grown duck.
( I really super hope you all have fast internet..... I sure did put up a BUNCH of pictures!)