Muscovys in the back yard?

[emsevers]

I've been wanting to get some muscovys to have in the back yard. I want them for their bug eating abilities. I was wondering if I had them back with my garden would they eat my garden? I know that chickens would I've just never had ducks and was curious if they would ravage it all?

 

[sandspoultry]

our Muscovies like greens and stuff so I would think they would eat those, I don't know about the rest.

Steve in NC

 

[DuckLady]

Quote:
I have 4 scovies needing homes...neighbor...LOL See here
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?pid=1495497#p1495497

They do like slugs, bugs, worms and veggies. I fence them out of the garden, though they patrol the perimeter hoping a cherry tomato will roll under the fencing.

 

[lowcountrypoultry]

Depends, mine never really mess with the garden.. and if they do I don't really notice.

Its my chickens that make the mess

 

[emsevers]

Yeah I knew that the chickens would take over the garden. I was wondering if I let them loose in the garden for a small amount of time if they could help with pest control. I don't like using pesticides so I thought this would be a much more natural way of doing things. Plus Muscovy's have really grown on me. I thought they were ugly at first and now I think they're pretty cute and from what I've heard their personalities are perfect for what I'm looking for.

Another question: Do ducks jump? How far off the ground could they get with their wings clipped. Could they get over a 3 foot fence? We have a 6 foot fence that goes all around our yard but I was going to section off an area that I could keep all my animals out of. So would a 3 foot fence do it?

 

[Wifezilla]

I have khaki's, a buff and a runner. They can jump and fly a tiny bit...maybe 2-3 feet UP and 4 feet out. They have never tried to go over my 3' breezeway gate. The rest of the yard has the 6' fence.

 

[emsevers]

That's what I was hoping. They don't look like they're all that springy.

 

[Shared Acres]

Ours go after bushes, trees, most anything.

 

[sandspoultry]

Quote:
You are right if you clip the wings they will stay on the ground. If you don't they can fly pretty good (the hens anyway) We had one last year named "flyer" that every afternoon would take off from the roof of the chicken house and fly out over the corn field circle around and come back in over our house for a landing after about a minute or 2 minute flight. The strange part was after she sat and raised a clutch of ducklings no more flying? We could never figure out if from the sitting her wing muscles got weaker or she forgot how?

Steve in NC

 

[emsevers]

That's weird. You would think once a flyer always a flyer.