Muscovy Questions

[BlueHorse17]

Hello everyone! I have four Muscovy ducklings that I incubated about two weeks ago. They’re growing fast! I just have a few different questions in regards to them. This is also my first time having ducks.

1. How old before they can be sexed?

2. When do they start laying?

3. Can they be kept with chickens?

4. Should their pen be covered? Will they try to fly away?

5. Has anyone trained theirs to use a nipple waterer, or automatic feeder they can step on?

6. Do they take dust baths? Or mainly clean off in water?

7. Besides their bagged food, what else can they have as far as treats?

8. What male to female ratio should I have?

 

[Miss Lydia]

1 drake to at least 4 and up females.

My Muscovy don't begin to lay until following spring after hatch so 8-9 months old. They are slow to mature.

My Muscovy arent water hogs like my Runners and Buffs but they do like a bath a day,

I keep my ducks all 3 breeds with my chickens but my drakes have plenty of females to keep them occupied. My Muscovy drake does like to grab a mouth full of feathers if a chicken gets to close to his space.

forget the nipple waterer, mine have buckets and my chickens drink out of them too. No water or feed inside the coops though. Way to messy.

My Muscovy free range on half acre fenced and to keep them home I clip one wing each year in the fall after their big molt. Not the drake though he would never leave his girls.

 

[Quatie]

Hello everyone! I have four Muscovy ducklings that I incubated about two weeks ago. They’re growing fast! I just have a few different questions in regards to them. This is also my first time having ducks.

1. How old before they can be sexed?

At about 6-8 weeks you should be able to see noticable size differences. The feet of the males are larger, as well as the body size.

2. When do they start laying?

They usually start laying at about 28 weeks, but if they come of age in the winter they may put off till next spring.

3. Can they be kept with chickens?

People do it and someone else can answer this better, but I would be wary of males with chickens. @Miss Lydia can help you with that

4. Should their pen be covered? Will they try to fly away?

So it is a possibility they will fly away. Mine free range on my property, but they have clipped wings. They can still jump over the fence if they choose to, but I have not had that happen. Some people have had no issue with them flying away.

5. Has anyone trained theirs to use a nipple waterer, or automatic feeder they can step on?

Not sure if you can train them, but they will still need water for them to dunk their whole head in.

6. Do they take dust baths? Or mainly clean off in water?

They clean in the water. They don't like the water as much as other ducks, but they still love their baths.

7. Besides their bagged food, what else can they have as far as treats?

There are a lot of things you can give them. Meal worms and peas are popular. But most fruits and veggies, lettuce. Scrambled eggs, and there is a long list.

8. What male to female ratio should I have?

 

[Crazy Maizie]

In addition to the above, I have mine eating out of a treadle feeder. They were easy enough to train, but I got the feeder when they were older. My favorite feeder for them is the ones made with PVC pipes and they stick their heads in. But, we needed something to keep the wild birds out.
We have a chicken waterer with the cups and the ducks like to sip out of there, but they have rubber bowls filled with fresh water, a stock tank, and a kiddie pool (during warmer months) to bathe and stick their heads in. The chickens will also drink out of those. Ducks don't dust bathe, but they will lay in dirt or sand where shade is provided.
The chickens are separated by a piece of fencing, but they also hang out together.
I don't clip wings unless necessary.

 

[Quatie]

When it rains instead of my Muscovy paying in the rain or mud they stand stalk still like statues. While the Runners and B uffs are having a blast.

Mine love the water! I wonder if it is the water here . The last time it rained, the Muscovy and my other ducks, fought me beak and nail about going to bed. When we flood irrigate, the Muscovy have a ball. I think that is mostly cause all the bugs come out from hiding in the grass. When we dump the water to refresh it, they always come running to wherever we dumped it.

On a separate note, Muscovy can still jump really high even when their wings are clipped. Mine have no problem going over a three foot fence. I could see them getting over a higher fence and have heard of them climbing fences. A couple of them would jump over the fence to lay an egg and then jump back. Once we incorporated the area, they stopped jumping over the fence. But they could leave at anytime if they choose to.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Any time you have neighbors who have dogs that’s always a chance. As for water a kiddy pool is good. In winter I only give mine a cement mixing tub to bathe in because
The pool would just remain frozen. So they get the mixing tub when it’s in the mid 30’s

 

[Miss Lydia]

Then of course as they mature 12 weeks on the females will trill and the drakes will huff an hiss and the drakes get their carnucles in quicker.

 

[Crazy Maizie]

This is my first time having ducks so it’s all brand new experiences for me! We have a six foot high fence around the perimeter of our backyard, but I was still thinking of having them in some sort of inclosure. Well, with plenty of room to still roam around and such. The wintertime was also another concern. That and we get rain like seven months out of the year, but I’m assuming rain is no problem for them? I know they like to play in it, but is mud bad long term for their hygiene?

Long term it could be. But they do love to stand in the rain and love mud puddles.

 

[Miss Lydia]

When it rains instead of my Muscovy paying in the rain or mud they stand stalk still like statues. While the Runners and B uffs are having a blast.

 

[BlueHorse17]

Aha! Actually already had a pic of them on my phone. The three Muscovy I have are circled in yellow. Thoughts on possible colorations?