New (soon to be) duck dad! Muscovys! Need advice :D

[DukesDucks]

Good news that you have found homes. If possible, it would be best to wait until you can tell sexes of the ducklings. They will need to be several months old. A good ratio is 1 drake to 4 females. It is also possible to have an all drake or all female flock. Using the BYC search function for 'sexing Muscovy ducklings' can give you some info. You could also post pics and members here will help.

 

[ljmastercraft]

these things LOVE mealworms...

 

[DukesDucks]

IMO They shouldn't be getting treats until they are at least 3 weeks old. They need to be getting their nutrition from their food. It is like giving a toddler too much candy, then wondering why they don't want their healthy dinner. Ducklings grow quickly and can just as quickly run into health problems without a proper diet.
Treats should not be more than 10% of their total diet. Make sure they have free access to grit once they are getting treats.

 

[ljmastercraft]

Oh treats are <5% of their total diet. i throw in 20 or 30 mealworms once a day. But they go CRAZY for them.

Their regular food they're eating consistently. They're double the size they were a week ago - it's amazing

 

[ljmastercraft]

they're now 1 week and 3 days. amazing how they're developing their own personalities. they still go crazy and freak out from time to time, running around their little pen, but now they're a lot more chill. i can reach in and grab one and they don't run around. tomorrow i'll start introducing them to their 10'x20' enclosure outside during the day (they'll still sleep inside at night). it's fully enclosed with 1" chicken wire, so they don't have to worry about predators, but it will introduce them to the outdoors. Another week and hopefully they'll have the feathers to swim (i have a big kids splash pool for them with ramps in and out, etc).

TOO cute. i put them in this little tub when I do their twice a day indoor enclosure cleanup (the amount of poo is absolutely staggering). they just sit there and look at me while i clean everything, very curious!

 

[ljmastercraft]

there is one that's a full day and a half younger than the rest. I introduced him to the pen earlier than i probably should have, only a few hours after he hatched, because on his own in the incubator he was freaking out - hearing his brothers and sisters - but although he's noticeably smaller than the other 13, i make sure when i put food in (i fill their food bowl 3x a day, and make sure they always have water), that he always gets some food, even if his siblings run him over a little. i'm thinking in the next week his size difference won't be too noticeable. The two early hatchers are clearly the largest of the group, followed by the remaining 11, and then the last little runt. But they are just absolutely adorable all 14 of them.

also attaching a picture of their enclosure i replaced the little box inside the big box with a ramp, which they'll eventually use to get in and out of their splash pool, so i'm introducing them to the concept of using it

 

[DukesDucks]

They certainly are cute. Please add your location to your profile because it helps with giving advice.
1" chicken wire will do nothing to stop predators. In my area the main ones would be fox and raccoons. A pair of fox ran through my yard this morning at 9:30. The only birds I have ever lost to predators have been daytime attacks. I hope their run is close enough that you will be able to hear a commotion if an attack occurs. These predators are fast.
Also please use the Search function on this site to learn about ducklings, water and swimming. Without functioning oil glands yet or a mother duck, ducklings can become waterlogged.
If you are thinking of ramps, they aren't really duck things like chickens. Ramps need sides so they don't fall off and hurt themselves. Instead I used large rocks inside and outside of my ducks kiddie pool so they can easily climb in and out.

 

[ljmastercraft]

They certainly are cute. Please add your location to your profile because it helps with giving advice.
1" chicken wire will do nothing to stop predators. In my area the main ones would be fox and raccoons. A pair of fox ran through my yard this morning at 9:30. The only birds I have ever lost to predators have been daytime attacks. I hope their run is close enough that you will be able to hear a commotion if an attack occurs. These predators are fast.
Also please use the Search function on this site to learn about ducklings, water and swimming. Without functioning oil glands yet or a mother duck, ducklings can become waterlogged.
If you are thinking of ramps, they aren't really duck things like chickens. Ramps need sides so they don't fall off and hurt themselves. Instead I used large rocks inside and outside of my ducks kiddie pool so they can easily climb in and out.

Promise you I've done my research, and then some. Spoken on the phone to people around the country that have raised Muscovys for decades, etc.

Predators during the day will not be foxes and raccoons - I live in the suburbs, with an 8' wall around all 4 sides of my property, and neighbors on 3 of the sides. Predators I worry about are daytime predators - hawks, eagles, and other flying animals, where 1" chicken wire will be more than enough to stop them. At night they'll sleep in the house where they're safe

 

[ljmastercraft]

Happy ducklings! They LOVE being outside during the day (weather is perfect), and then in the evenings I bring them to their inside home.

 

[Huntmaster]

Happy ducklings! They LOVE being outside during the day (weather is perfect), and then in the evenings I bring them to their inside home.

View attachment 3742684View attachment 3742683View attachment 3742682View attachment 3742679View attachment 3742678

Looks like you are getting all set up to keep a few yourself