Questions about Muscovy ducks !

[Doctor Pammie]

Hi, everyone. I'm back with lots of questions. (I posted questions about escaped ducks a few months ago.) We have two drakes and 5 hens, all about 4 months of age. They are in a very large electronetted area where we keep our chickens. When we first put them in with the chickens, they all roosted in the big coop at night. Bit by bit, they've all decided to roost outside on top of the coop at night. Our largest drake finally was able to fly up there yesterday. I have a few questions:

1) Should we build a separate coop for the Muscovies for when the ladies start laying? Even though they fly out of the fenced area, they do spend most of their day in there. Also, we will get snow and ice in the winter. Won't they want to have some shelter from that? Or will they revert to using the chicken coop?

2) Given the days are getting shorter and cooler going into winter, would you expect mating/laying behavior now? Or will they likely hold off until spring? (Nights are mostly 40F or so for lows right now.)

3) What should we be feeding them? We are ready to switch all of our hens to layer feed. Is this OK for the Muscovies? Up until now, they have been getting grower/finisher, which is what we give the pullets until they start laying. (Our current batch of Welsummers is 6 months old and *still* not laying, but we're ready to switch their feed anyhow.)

4) Long term, will it be alright to "keep" Muscovies and chickens in the same area? Our roosters will not stand up to the Muscovies who occasionally grab a chickens feathers on their back and hold on until the chicken squawks and runs away. (It seems to be the hens who do this when they think the chickens are in "their" feed or "their" area.) Most of the time, they have all been cohabitating very peaceably, including all roosting together inside.

I appreciate any answers, advice or suggestions anyone can provide. Also, if there are any books you've found useful, I would welcome recommendations. Thanks in advance!

 

[Miss Lydia]

Hi, everyone. I'm back with lots of questions. (I posted questions about escaped ducks a few months ago.) We have two drakes and 5 hens, all about 4 months of age. They are in a very large electronetted area where we keep our chickens. When we first put them in with the chickens, they all roosted in the big coop at night. Bit by bit, they've all decided to roost outside on top of the coop at night. Our largest drake finally was able to fly up there yesterday. I have a few questions:

1) Should we build a separate coop for the Muscovies for when the ladies start laying? Even though they fly out of the fenced area, they do spend most of their day in there. Also, we will get snow and ice in the winter. Won't they want to have some shelter from that? Or will they revert to using the chicken coop?

2) Given the days are getting shorter and cooler going into winter, would you expect mating/laying behavior now? Or will they likely hold off until spring? (Nights are mostly 40F or so for lows right now.)

3) What should we be feeding them? We are ready to switch all of our hens to layer feed. Is this OK for the Muscovies? Up until now, they have been getting grower/finisher, which is what we give the pullets until they start laying. (Our current batch of Welsummers is 6 months old and *still* not laying, but we're ready to switch their feed anyhow.)

4) Long term, will it be alright to "keep" Muscovies and chickens in the same area? Our roosters will not stand up to the Muscovies who occasionally grab a chickens feathers on their back and hold on until the chicken squawks and runs away. (It seems to be the hens who do this when they think the chickens are in "their" feed or "their" area.) Most of the time, they have all been cohabitating very peaceably, including all roosting together inside.

I appreciate any answers, advice or suggestions anyone can provide. Also, if there are any books you've found useful, I would welcome recommendations. Thanks in advance!

I have separate coop for my ducks because I have 4 drakes and being in the same house together would cause way too much friction among the ducks and chickens, but during the day light hrs all ducks/ chickens and geese have access to all houses. Only at night is everyone in their own house. My Scovy's can be hateful to the chickens too. My ducks usually lay inside on the deep shaving I provide for them but have also been know to get into on of the chickens nest boxes to lay their eggs. So as long as they have a way to get inside will probably lay where they want too.
My flock eats an all flock feed and I provide oyster shell on the side for the layers. I use this feed from hatch till old age. Once they get around 20 weeks you can start feeding layer though. But most likely they won't lay till next year most of mine that hatch in spring of one year don't lay till next. around 7-9 months of age. i find keeping chickens and ducks together is fine as long as everyone has plenty of room to stay out of each others way, drakes can try and mate with a chicken [and can kill them if they succeed] but I haven't ever had that here .Mine have about a half acre of fenced area to graze in and hunt in. Storey's Guide to Raising Ducks by Dave Holderread is a good one.

 

[Double Kindness]

I now have 10 muscovy ducks, I know the sex of 6 of them, but I really need help with the other 4

as I only can keep 3-4 over the winter.

I have someone picking up a pair tonight, of my first 6, I know which are female, but not this batch. How old are these guys?

One of my females got on top of the coop yesterday, and much flapping and running across the enclosed pen to and fro. I think I might need to get electric netting or something to put over the fence and for the 1/2" hardware cloth.

The dark chocolate one is the only one that I can get into the coop at night. I know there are lots of predators nearby, and I would hate to lose one of my birds to them or have a bird escape.

 

[Doctor Pammie]

Thank you, Miss Lydia! You and I probably have similar weather, as I'm rather near the Blue Ridge and I suspect you are in or near the mountains, too. How do your Muscovies do in the cold? Will they seek shelter on their own? Do you make them go in at night? Also, how big is your duck coop? How is it different from your chicken coop? I'm relieved to know they won't start laying until the spring, hopefully! One less thing to worry about! I will look into that book! Thank you so much for the information!

 

[Miss Lydia]

Thank you, Miss Lydia! You and I probably have similar weather, as I'm rather near the Blue Ridge and I suspect you are in or near the mountains, too. How do your Muscovies do in the cold? Will they seek shelter on their own? Do you make them go in at night? Also, how big is your duck coop? How is it different from your chicken coop? I'm relieved to know they won't start laying until the spring, hopefully! One less thing to worry about! I will look into that book! Thank you so much for the information!

This is one of my houses

Chicken coop on the right with a wall and door to separate, the ducks house is on the left where the screen door is. the part on the right was a storage building until the poultry math got hold of me. lol My Scovys do real good in the cold actually, there are many places for them to get out of the wind and for my old ones i have dog houses set up for them to use during the day, everyone gets locked up at night and they are all ready to go when it get around 5:30 now, the older ones teach the younger. I could never leave my animals out over night they would be dead we have alot of preds. even my dogs are in at night. I have 2 more houses for my ducks and a separate house for my geese. Yep I am nuts. lol inside the duck house we made stalls so my drakes could be separated from each other. If you want pics I have them on my profile page. Last winter a couple of my scovy's my one drake and one of his girls got frost bite from the extreme cold we had, I use heated buckets and I think them sticking their heads into them and then hitting the frigid air is what caused it, no one else had it. They are fine now.

 

[Going Quackers]

Hi, everyone. I'm back with lots of questions. (I posted questions about escaped ducks a few months ago.) We have two drakes and 5 hens, all about 4 months of age. They are in a very large electronetted area where we keep our chickens. When we first put them in with the chickens, they all roosted in the big coop at night. Bit by bit, they've all decided to roost outside on top of the coop at night. Our largest drake finally was able to fly up there yesterday. I have a few questions:

1) Should we build a separate coop for the Muscovies for when the ladies start laying? Even though they fly out of the fenced area, they do spend most of their day in there. Also, we will get snow and ice in the winter. Won't they want to have some shelter from that? Or will they revert to using the chicken coop?

This is one of those, 'personal preference things' i prefer to have birds of different kinds housed separate, i do have some hens who free range and some silkie roos as well, so they will mingle around the ducks and often eat in the ducks 'area' but again everyone has their own housing, ducks are wet, chickens are dry and ducks definitely are more messy than chickens, mine mainly ignore each other but my hens will put a duck in place, they are fearless lol

Will they want shelter? depends on the bird, i find most ducks do, drakes it has to get bad, i have some who live outside only in the pen they refuse to come in.. then one night they will, ducks are funny that way but i always have the option for them, i do have the advantage of super tall cedars in their pen so even if they opt out of my man made shelter they do have some form realistically.

2) Given the days are getting shorter and cooler going into winter, would you expect mating/laying behavior now? Or will they likely hold off until spring? (Nights are mostly 40F or so for lows right now.)

mine are not.

3) What should we be feeding them? We are ready to switch all of our hens to layer feed. Is this OK for the Muscovies? Up until now, they have been getting grower/finisher, which is what we give the pullets until they start laying. (Our current batch of Welsummers is 6 months old and *still* not laying, but we're ready to switch their feed anyhow.)

i do not use layer, to many age ranges and to many males here, i prefer grower, scratch and whole corn, i use a buffet style feed regime here, in other words birds choose which they need, they also all free range. I also have read so many conflicting things, but feel feeding excessive calcium to birds not laying is likely not a good idea, i opt for free choice oyster shell for all layers, my chicken hens have done fine on this so do my ducks, they all lay plenty and have hatched babies to boot.

4) Long term, will it be alright to "keep" Muscovies and chickens in the same area? Our roosters will not stand up to the Muscovies who occasionally grab a chickens feathers on their back and hold on until the chicken squawks and runs away. (It seems to be the hens who do this when they think the chickens are in "their" feed or "their" area.) Most of the time, they have all been cohabitating very peaceably, including all roosting together inside.

totally depends on the birds, as i said my chickens do drive by it goes okay no one has been hurt and scuffles are uncommon, you have to watch, both sides are capable of harming, chicken beaks are sharp and a well placed one to the eye, ouch plus scovies are big they can harm a chicken too.

one has to be sure their is plenty of space and reduce feed competition to least amount possible. I run a pretty good sized duck flock and practice that regardless of whether the chickens come into the mix.

I appreciate any answers, advice or suggestions anyone can provide. Also, if there are any books you've found useful, I would welcome recommendations. Thanks in advance!

 

[Rachele anne]

I have 4 ducks almost full grown but i resently was given some muscovy eggs and 5 hatched there about a week old and they have been handled the whole time and are socialized with all day but when i take them out side they seem to only follow me sometimes they will walk off and start crying so i have to walk over and get them what do or did i do... my others followed me everywhere. And still do

 

[Miss Lydia]

I have 4 ducks almost full grown but i resently was given some muscovy eggs and 5 hatched there about a week old and they have been handled the whole time and are socialized with all day but when i take them out side they seem to only follow me sometimes they will walk off and start crying so i have to walk over and get them what do or did i do... my others followed me everywhere. And still do

I've only ever has 1 Muscovy and 2 gosling imprint on me but maybe they have imprinted more on each other than you and get so busy when outside doing other things they forget where mama is[you] you could try using something they like as a treat and see if you can train them to follow. I have noticed even when my Ducklings are with their mama's she can wander off and sometimes they stay behind and start crying when they don't see her and here she comes running to where they are to gather up her babies. They sure are cute. Congrats on the hatch.

 

[Rachele anne]

Ya thanks its ok if they dont imprint on me as long as there happy and healthy... another question is when they get older can i put them with my other 4 ducks ... they arent muscovys

 

[Miss Lydia]

Ya thanks its ok if they dont imprint on me as long as there happy and healthy... another question is when they get older can i put them with my other 4 ducks ... they arent muscovys

You can but intros have to be done slowly and give ducklings time to get adult size, I'd take them out daily with you being right there let everyone get use to being together then by the time the ducklings get around 12 weeks old they will most likely be ready to mix in with the adults. It doesn't matter if they are same breed unless you have small Mallards or Calls or Runners where you'd have to worry about a large Muscovy drake mating with them.