**~~>>Second Annual Cinco de Mayo Turkey Hatchathon<<~~**all poultry welcome!

[superchemicalgirl]

I keep water action small in the winter, as long as the beak can get in a sm tub of water, like the top of a cake carrier . . . .and fill the sand box every once in a while with cool water for a swim . . . .Keeps water issues down to a minimum. I have muscovey, if that makes a diff and they live in the hen house.

I thought I had read that Muscovy aren't really water birds.

I keep the water action low in the winter, too, as much as possible. They don't get their rubbermaid tub or the kiddie pool. They get a small 5 gallon black bucket of water, with hot water in it in the morning, and in the evening if it's completely frozen solid. They still manage to make a giant mess and cram themselves in the bucket.

Let me see if I can find a picture...

I apparently don't have one, but I do have a picture of their glacier at the end of winter... when everything else is melted. And you can fit 2 pekins in that bucket, plus the head of another duck.

 

[Wisher1000]

My boys made me a water heater for Christmas last year (after I bought the tin, lamp kit, and printed the step by step instructions!) I love it! Even if you don't have electric in your pen, you could run an extension cord for one lightbulb. I use mine under a galvanized waterer. Our winters are usually mild and I didn't use it at all last winter, but it would work under a pail, rubber pan, or an old stock pot from the kitchen or thrift shop. Use whatever wattage will keep the water from freezing, but not make it hot. I use a 25watt bulb.

 

[superchemicalgirl]

I have a metal heated water base in the chicken coop and a heated bucket in the goat house. The ducks are the ones that have to suffer. They get hauled water.

For those of you wanting to run wires, we don't want ours on the ground (we'd have to move them each time we plowed, which gets old after the first 43908 storms, or January, whichever is first... not to mention my army of chickens pecking at it) we did this:



We had the orange cord to the coop, and a blue one to the goats... not pictured here. No idea why it isn't set up yet. Maybe this was an early snow? Or a late snow...

Could really be any time between October and May.

Wisher, that was nice of your boys to make you the heater, after you bought the supplies and found the plans. They sure are thoughtful!

 

[Wisher1000]

Don't I know it.

 

[Arielle]

Yes for year we had to pick up the cords to plow, but now I have a snow blower, and I usually rider over the cords. Usually.

Muscoy are often in the water tanks for the horses, the sheep and any water of their choosing. THey prefer the deeper water of the horse tanks , but even a kidie pool will do. THey do need water though to clean their heads everyday apparently. So during the winter I empty the kiddie pools and give them head dunking water and they are happy with that..

ON another note-- my canner arrived yesterday, just need the regulator and I'm in business. Need to process a number of 11 month olds and make space for this years young' uns. I have 8-9 to process, and about 15 3 month olds . . . . ummm, , , , I think this is chicken math . .. .

 

[yinepu]

I thought I had read that Muscovy aren't really water birds.

nope.. they are "perching waterfowl".. just not really "ducks"

Mine aren't as keen on swimming as the pekins and cayugas.. they WILL go for a swim.. just not as quickly or make as much of a mess as the others do.
When I fill their pools the pekins are always the first in (usually as it's still being filled.. ) with the cayugas following right behind. The muscovy take their good ol time and eventually make it in there.. they just aren't as water crazy as my others.

 

[Arielle]

Quote: THanks for stepping in Yinepu. lol-- I have no other ducks to compare to. Only the muscovy. THey are manageable in the long New England winter.

 

[SilkieSensation]

Quote: THanks for stepping in Yinepu. lol-- I have no other ducks to compare to. Only the muscovy. THey are manageable in the long New England winter.
Some of my scovies enjoy the water & others (like the big drake I just sold) have to be either thrown in or sprayed with the hose just to get the mud off of them. I have a runner hen the same way though, so it's not just a scovy thing. My calls usually prefer their daily shower to swimming in their little pool, some of my runners & scovies dive for the pool as soon as they see fresh water going in & my pekins fight the geese for space in their pool as it fills. My Anconas & rouens are in as fast as you can fill as well. The khakis & welshies are still small but love to spray their water everywhere every time their waterer is filled. From what I have seen, the scovy hens are much more likely to splash in the pool than the drakes are. My scovy hens bathe & splash just like my other ducks, but the scovy drakes try to avoid getting wet...big whimps!

 

[Arielle]

My bid drake likes to jump in-- ususally right after filling!!

 

[SilkieSensation]

My bid drake likes to jump in-- ususally right after filling!!

Wish my scovy drakes liked the pool. The white boy I just sold looked more like a light chocolate because I could never get him to bathe. My chocolate drake seems to be the same way but not as easily noticed since he is already brown anyway...LOL