Scovie houseing?

[wefroggy]

Question for all you Scovie people. Do you build them housing and if so do they use it? I have 10 (I hope) scovie babies and they will eventually be housed in an outside enclosed area next to my chicken house. I was planning on making them a little house with nests inside. Is this something they will use at night or will they prefer to sleep outside? I will be putting in a little wading pool for them, but it does get cold up here in the winter.
Any input would be appreciated.

Oh, also, it is possible that I have 5 scovies and 5 Pekings, housing suggestions for pekings? These are my first ducks.

 

[Bleenie]

I've always housed my Muscovies(and other ducks) with my chickens. they have a large pen/run & a good sized house for nesting adn the chickens always sleep inside it too. the ducks nest in the house and a few sleep in there but most just hang out in the covered run. Only 1-2 of my Muscovies roost.

 

[Germaine_11.20]

I was wonderin the same thing too! I have 3 adult muscovies and have kept them with the chickens but would like to house them elsewhere.

Now I have 11 more babies thanks to OnTheSpot and really need to find them all a new home. It is adorable the way they have bonded with my geese babies.

 

[keeperofthehearth]

I have both a shed that I've placed roosts/shelves and nest boxes in as well as a duck house that DH built that has four nest boxes built into the design. All my Scovies are closed into them for the night for protection as we have marauding coyote and racoons. The broody hens generally take their ducklings in around 7:30pm while they are young or hang out in them on inclement days or for rest periods. All of my adults roost unless brooding.

 

[Bleenie]

I just built a small house for my older ducklings to be moved into. They're getting bigger and much messier in the brooder so i thought it was time to scoot them outside. they will still have a light for a while longer but as of now just a dirt/grass floor and a decent sized run attached. I am thinking of "planting" a shallow storage bin in the ground for them to use as a pool too.

 

[Parrotchick]

My 2 Scovies have a pen about 10' x 16' with welded wire all around. It's 6 feet tall with welded wire fencing covering the top. I have a BIG sturdy doghouse somebody gave me as their house, and a big ladder made of branches for roosting (seldom used). Mine use their shelter when it starts to get dark and definitely in nasty weather, even though there is a lame tarp covering part of the pen. They're definitely more inclined to get cozy inside than the crazy 3 Pekins in the adjacent pen, who would barely go in their houses during the howling blizzards this winter.

My female sits in the far corner of the house and chirps at me when I walk by. I really have to put a door in the back of their house so I don't have to keep kneeling in duck yuck to reach for her eggs. I have a giant rubber food bowl about 20" in diameter and maybe 8-10" deep they occasionally bathe in. I thought in winter I could crack the ice, but it froze all the way down overnight so I got a floating pond de-icer. I also have another rubber bucket for water.

All the ducks get daily supervised free range time, but the muscovies take their time leaving the pen. I swear the Pekins are spring loaded when I open the door to their pen.

My muscovy drake is not to be trusted around me chickens. He used to try to mate some of the bigger hens, which could kill them. Now he is constantly attacking one my the roosters. Your mileage may vary however; my drake was raised with chickens and seems to have identity issues (I am actually his favorite hen-he has no interest in doing duck things but will stand my me wherever I go, nipping at my legs)

 

[Rare Feathers Farm]

I house mine in 16 x 16 pens per every trio. I use the "hog panels" covered in welded wire that's buried 6 inches down on three sides. The fourth side is a gate that's 16' across so we can get the backhoe in there & scrape it out every so often. As for the shelters. I use apple bins (they are $10 a piece around here). I put OSB on the bottom, (as a roof), flip them upside-down and cut holes in them. I then use that foam sealer stuff to seal the cracks. My use the bins for shade, shelter from rain & wind, when it's really cold and as nesting areas. I also use them for my geese. They aren't pretty but they're cheap and will last several years.

 

[wefroggy]

Thanks to all for the responses, it was very helpful. I have a better idea of what I am going to do for them. I would love to keep them in with my chickens, but I think my chicken house is maxed out.