My Muscovy Drake seems to have kicked my chickens out of the coop at night

[Paintingsummerpurple]

I live in eastern Ontario Canada, I have an 8 month old Muscovy Drake who refused to enter the raised chicken coop all winter in favour of taking refuge in the straw bales under the coop in the chicken run. I have noticed this week that he has ventured into the chicken coop (where the female ducks slept all winter) and now my 7 chickens are out in the bales under the chicken coop at night. I am not happy and I need a plan. Any ideas out there? I have two 10 month old females, one is laying eggs but they are not fertile. Both females have slept in the coop in the nesting boxes all winter.

 

[aart]

How big is the coop, in feet by feet?
Dimensions and pics would help immensely.
You may need separate enclosures for ducks and chickens.


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[Paintingsummerpurple]

I am in south eastern Ontario, Canada. My coop is 4'x8' with a run of 8'x14'. The drake stayed out of the coop all winter even at -33c yet this week he seems to be going into the coop when one of the two female ducks is in there during the day and at night

. There is presently no mating happening. Everyone seems to get along and the chickens are able to go into the coop during the day and lay their eggs.

 

[Alaskan]

I would make a separate coop for the muscovy.

The girls will probably start to make serious nests soon in order to brood. At this point both they and the drake will start to want much more privacy.

I keep my muscovy and chickens together in the winter (noone is brooding, and hauling water and feed through snow is a pain... so easier with fewer pens), but come brooding season everyone wants more space so the muscovy get their own coop.

Luckily muscovy don't need as secure of a coop as chickens do. You just need to keep out dogs and big hawks and eagles.

 

[Paintingsummerpurple]

Thank you so much for sharing your experience. I am planning to move them into my chicken tractor today which will be inside a fenced yard, until I can build them a summer dwelling.