Thinking about getting Muscovies

[holiday hawk]

So I finally bought a home last summer where I own a couple of acres. I've always wanted to raise birds, and I finally can! I started with chickens, and will be getting quail next Friday. I would like to add another bird, and I wanted to start doing research ahead of time to see how much money I will need to save up to create a pen for them. I've got several questions, and was hoping someone with turkey experience could answer them!

1. What type of coop do they need? I have seen that they can live with chickens, so I assume they would use a coop similar to chickens, but can't find a definitive answer. I have even seen some people say their ducks do not use a coop as reliably as chickens. I live in eastern Ohio in Licking County, so it gets pretty cold here; not northern Minnesota cold, but cold. What type of coop would these ducks need to be winter ready?

2. How much run space do they need for their run? How many muscovies could I keep in a 10x10 or 10x20 run? I would put the coop inside the run to help keep it safe.

3. Is there anything you think a duck newbie is not asking? I'm thinking about maybe getting them late in the summer or early fall when I've built up some more "play money" after buying a new chicken coop and building an aviary for my quails. I'd like to learn everything I can between now and then to see if they would be a good fit for my family and our property, and what I should know about them if they are. I was asking about turkeys on that forum, and someone helped me see that they would not be a great fit for what I'd like to do, so I'm hoping to get the same type of information about ducks!

 

[StinkyAcres]

Following as I am also considering getting Muscovies!

 

[Luv Ducks]

I am in Ohio, Licking County Too!!!! I have Muscovy Ducks that I have in with my 4 little Call Drakes, 2 Khaki Campbells, 2 Rouen Hens, 1 Rouen/Mallard, 1 Mule Duck= half Muscovy, Half Rouen Duck and 2 Mallard ducks. They all live together in a big covered pen. There is a Duck house, a Pet Gazebo, 2 Dog houses, a chicken coop house and also another large pet pen for housing in my pen. They are cold hardy, very quiet compared to the other Hens for sure, very friendly and lay nice eggs that I eat everyday. They eat out of my hand but do not want to be held. I got my Hen and drake as babies but my Drake got up to 15 pounds and was too hard on my Hens so I had to rehome him. I kept his sister and traded him for another young blue eyed female last summer. They get along with all of the other ducks and I love them!!! They are fed a small amount of scratch grains, Layer crumbles and Flock Raiser all mixed together and also get to eat grass daily when out in a supervised fenced in part of the yard. I hope that you folks get them. Newark Ohio on Craigslist lists them all the time. That is where I found mine only a different location.

 

[bhaugh]

Muscovy are great birds. But they fly and you will need to cover the pen to keep them from flying off. In a 10x10 I wouldn’t have more than 3 as the drakes are big or 3 girls would be best. Older birds settle after time and the desire to fly off is less. I would personally not house them with chickens. If you have a predator problem securing them at night is always ideal but ducks don’t lay in nest boxes so you’ll find eggs everywhere

 

[StinkyAcres]

Muscovy are great birds. But they fly and you will need to cover the pen to keep them from flying off. In a 10x10 I wouldn’t have more than 3 as the drakes are big or 3 girls would be best. Older birds settle after time and the desire to fly off is less. I would personally not house them with chickens. If you have a predator problem securing them at night is always ideal but ducks don’t lay in nest boxes so you’ll find eggs everywhere

Can't their wings be clipped to prevent them from flying?

 

[Luv Ducks]

Can't their wings be clipped to prevent them from flying?

Yes they can. I even pinioned mine so that they would not fly but one was older when I got her so I chose not to do that but I do clip her. Mine like to hide their eggs as they know I eat them and will put them in the top of a chicken house that I have. They say they are great climbers but mine only climb the ramp to the chicken house. Mine have no roosts as some people think they have to have them and mine have no desire to perch on anything. Some people that let them free range have complained that they perch on top of their house or in the trees in their yard. My pen is covered with poultry netting to keep them safe from hawks. Good luck with yours when you get them.

 

[Miss Lydia]

My one Muscovy female roosts right along side the chickens. lol

 

[holiday hawk]

Muscovy are great birds. But they fly and you will need to cover the pen to keep them from flying off. In a 10x10 I wouldn’t have more than 3 as the drakes are big or 3 girls would be best. Older birds settle after time and the desire to fly off is less. I would personally not house them with chickens. If you have a predator problem securing them at night is always ideal but ducks don’t lay in nest boxes so you’ll find eggs everywhere

They will get their own pen, but just curious if I can just buy a chicken coop and use it for them or if they need specialize housing. Hawks are the biggest predator we have inside city limits, so they will need to have the top of the pen covered anyway so that will work out. Would you suggest a chicken coop to secure them, or is there a type of housing that they would prefer?

How many could comfortably fit in a 15x15 pen?

 

[holiday hawk]

Yes they can. I even pinioned mine so that they would not fly but one was older when I got her so I chose not to do that but I do clip her. Mine like to hide their eggs as they know I eat them and will put them in the top of a chicken house that I have. They say they are great climbers but mine only climb the ramp to the chicken house. Mine have no roosts as some people think they have to have them and mine have no desire to perch on anything. Some people that let them free range have complained that they perch on top of their house or in the trees in their yard. My pen is covered with poultry netting to keep them safe from hawks. Good luck with yours when you get them.

Sorry about doing this in two post, did not realize I could have multiple quotes in one post until after I posted it!

As much as I would love to free range them as well as my chickens, my city has very strict laws for when your birds leave your property. Very few regulations for backyard egg layers in general, but once they leave your property it's gloves off with the city. I know my nearest neighbor would not care, but I have about 6 others that they could get to without too much trouble and I unfortunately do not know them well enough to know how upset they would be, so they will need to stay in their run. Hawks are actually my biggest fear of predators inside city limits (we have a bunch out this way) so they will be have the top of the run covered in wire as well.

 

[Luv Ducks]

My flock is kept 99% of the day in a covered run. Hawks are very plentiful where I live. The Ducks tell me they would rather be safe than injured by a predator. That's my story and I am sticking to it. lol