New Muscovy Duck Just Appeared in my Flock

NancyNY

Chirping
6 Years
Apr 29, 2015
6
15
74
I have 8 ducks in my flock. They are about 8 months old. We let them out at the crack of dawn every morning from their coup, they spend the day foraging and swimming in our huge 3-4 acre pond/lake and right before sundown they happily go back in their cozy home. I have 2 drakes in my flock and all is going great.

I do all this because we have predators and I want them safe.

Here is my problem. A new "duck" showed up a week ago and he has no plans to leave. He has tried to just come in the coup with the rest, but we have not allowed it. He is huge and I'm not sure how he would be in there all night. I feel bad because where we live its still freezing at night. He sleeps outside the door. I don't think he is a wild duck because he comes right up to me when I'm calling the ducks in at night.

Does anyone have experience with Muscovy Ducks? I've attached a photo, showing his size and my ducks. I'm assuming he flew in. No one I know has ducks in my area but me. I'm now at the point where I want to keep him safe.

Any advice would be great, this is my first attempt at raising ducks, but this is one problem I never saw coming. Thanks in advance!
 

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Poor guy. He is a domestic muscovey (they are huge) and I suspect he has been dumped by his owner. The owner probably thought you have a nice pond and nice ducks so another will fit right in. Its so sad. The poor guy wants to go in a coop at night : he knows he is safe in a coop.

He needs rescuing. Maybe there is someone nearby with an all male flock? I'd take him if I were nearby!
 
Awe. If I had one fly in, I would make sure he's safe at night. They are just as susceptible to predators. If he's sleeping outside the coop and not someplace else where he might be more safe, he's actually just a sitting duck and could attract a predator. If you don't want to keep him, maybe find a local rescue that would take him in or find him a home where he can be safe at night. Have you posted anywhere local so that his owners might find him? Unless he was dumped which happens all of the time.
This is kind of heartbreaking. 🙁
 
I have 8 ducks in my flock. They are about 8 months old. We let them out at the crack of dawn every morning from their coup, they spend the day foraging and swimming in our huge 3-4 acre pond/lake and right before sundown they happily go back in their cozy home. I have 2 drakes in my flock and all is going great.

I do all this because we have predators and I want them safe.

Here is my problem. A new "duck" showed up a week ago and he has no plans to leave. He has tried to just come in the coup with the rest, but we have not allowed it. He is huge and I'm not sure how he would be in there all night. I feel bad because where we live its still freezing at night. He sleeps outside the door. I don't think he is a wild duck because he comes right up to me when I'm calling the ducks in at night.

Does anyone have experience with Muscovy Ducks? I've attached a photo, showing his size and my ducks. I'm assuming he flew in. No one I know has ducks in my area but me. I'm now at the point where I want to keep him safe.

Any advice would be great, this is my first attempt at raising ducks, but this is one problem I never saw coming. Thanks in advance!
Poor thing, it sounds like he’s been released by his owner. Maybe let him in with the others for a night or two, and see what happens?
 
I would put him in a pen with your other ducks but supervise them for an hour or so, male muscovys can sometimes bully smaller, weaker ducks so if you see continued attacking or chasing or cornering or agression towards the other ducks its probably not a good idea to leave him in their pen at night. At first there will probably be a bit of a stirr up and some fighting might happen, try not to interfere too much unless a duck is getting badly hurt because it is them naturally sorting out their hierarchy, if the fighting continues probably dont leave him in there. Good luck! He is a beautiful big muscovy!
 
I have a large Muscovy Drake that looks very similar to yours. He does not bother my smaller Mallard Hens and only seems to want to mate with my larger Rouen Hens. I have raised him since he was 3 days old and I have his sister which he does not seem to bother with. They are all kept in a very large pen along with a Mallard Drake. He shows my Mallard Drake who is boss but does not bother him because he is much faster. My pen is completely covered and has several houses that they can get away from each other. Yours is beautiful just like mine. It is mating season here for mine and so far so good since they are only 8 months old and he is only mating my two Rouen hens. Good luck with yours, he is beautiful.
 

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