One of the most distinguishing characteristics of Muscovy ducks is the fact they roost, like chickens. Muscovies with unclipped wings will often roost in very inconvenient places such as on top of barns, houses, and even in high branches of trees, but even clipped, flightless Muscovies will find a way to perch on the highest surface they can reach. Your Muscovies will greatly appreciate being provided with roosts to fulfill one of their strongest natural instincts.
Roosting has many advantages for prey animals such as birds, and Muscovies are no exception. It gives them a high vantage point from which to observe their environment, and as a result reduces anxiety. Muscovies who can roost at will tend to be calmer than those who are forced to remain on the ground, which goes against their survival instincts.
In addition to keeping your ducks calm, providing roosts will encourage your Muscovies to stay close to home. Muscovies are an incredibly independent species of duck and are not above simply finding someplace else to roost and nest if they are unhappy with their living conditions.
Fortunately, providing roosts doesn’t have to be complex. Muscovies will willingly roost on everything from straw bales, to fences, to chicken-style roosts.
I keep my Muscovies with clipped wings which prevents them from flying or jumping onto high surfaces. To help them get to their roosting spots, I attach ramps to my roosts. This way the ducks can climb up the ramp before settling down to roost.
Since Muscovies are large, I prefer to build their roosts out of a 2×4 turned on its side–sometimes with a second 2×4 behind it to make a wider surface. The ducks seem to really like the wide surfaces, but one downside is their droppings tend to build up. This isn’t a very big deal, though, if you don’t mind periodically scraping off their roosts of the buildup.
No matter what style of roost you decide to go with for your Muscovies, they are sure to appreciate your efforts!
I love my muscovy. But I want to build a roost for them for safety. I m on a lake and lots of predators. Let me know if anyone has any ideas
Unfortunately, the only way to assure safety for ducks is to lock them in a pen at night. You can train them to come off the water by enticing them with food, and then ‘herding’ them into a safe area with a roost. It’s much easier to do this when they’re young, though!
Bringing in and locking them up are not the only options. Buy a pyrenees dog and walk him around the pond for a few days. He will claim it and the ducks. But then the ducks won’t lay inside and anything outside on the ground is fair game. Lol