Homemade Indoor Nests
It is quite simple to make it yourself from scrap materials. Indo-duck is a calm, hardy bird, unpretentious in keeping. Breeding these birds is not a troublesome and rather profitable occupation.
Indoor female nests must meet the requirements for nests of other poultry, namely:
- they should be located in a dry place;
- it is advisable to choose a location far from the aisles;
- The litter should be deep enough and consist of dry straw and hay (the duck fluff will cover itself).
In addition to the general requirements, it is especially important that the Indo-Duck nest is set up in a quiet, dark and secluded place. during the incubation period, they do not tolerate any company.
If at the time of laying, an Indo-female does not find such places, then it is likely that she will begin to lay eggs somewhere on the side, outside the house, and it will be problematic to find, and even more so to look after the laying hen and clutch.
In general, the construction of nests for muscovy ducks is not difficult, but very responsible.
The nest itself should ideally have a roof and a saddle that prevents the masonry from rolling out and holds the straw and feathers, and, of course, it should be the size of the hen. Mutees can choose small cylindrical containers with a cut off top for a nest.
It should be remembered that the room in which the nests will be located must be equipped with perches, drinkers and feeders so that the birds feel calm and comfortable. The average duck family consists of five females and one drake.
It is curious that in nature muscovy ducks nest in trees, hence one of their names - tree ducks.
How to build yourself
For musk ducks, nests can be made from wooden planks with dimensions of 400x500x200 mm. A small sill is installed at the very entrance. The finished structure is left directly on the floor, covered with a sufficient amount of dry straw. The litter should be changed periodically. Indo-ducks usually rush in the morning, therefore, in order to make the masonry less dirty, bedding should be added in the evening.
The material for duck nests is: planks, plywood, slab, any light wood will do. It is necessary to install the structure so that you can easily inspect and collect eggs, change the litter, and clean the floor of droppings. The floor is made of wood. Metal sheets will not work as laid eggs try to bury ducks in the bedding and can damage the shell.
Actually, an Indo-duck's nest can be made of anything. An old dog kennel, a discarded barrel, a box, and you never know materials in any household. Here it is important to note which option the bird itself will like, and in time to transfer the future nest to the duck house and equip it there.
Muscovy ducks themselves often draw the attention of the owners to where they would like to carry and incubate the clutch, spinning in one place for a long time, and sometimes climbing into potential "housing".
To make it easier for the bird to choose a place for nesting and incubating eggs, you can put together a simple wooden box measuring 500x500x400 mm and set it at a height of 20-30 centimeters from the floor. The bottom must be lined with dry straw, the rest of the "room" is taken care of by the female muscovy duck on her own.
You need to make as many nests for Indo-Ducks as there are birds in your household. If there are not enough nesting sites, then the indocks for laying will find secluded places, which is undesirable. It can be difficult to find where the muscovy duck has drifted, and there is a risk that predators may destroy the clutch, or the laying hen itself may become their prey.
Placement of nests
As already mentioned, Indo-women love peace and quiet, so the place for the nest is chosen so that other inhabitants of the house appear as rarely as possible, and ideally they do not exist at all.
For laying and breeding, muscovy ducks value darkness and privacy most of all. If there are several females in the duck house, then it is advisable to assign them nesting places in different corners. In the absence of such an opportunity, it will be necessary to build partitions with a height of at least one meter between neighboring hens. Mothers should not see each other, otherwise a quarrel cannot be avoided. It is not recommended to push the nests close to cold, damp walls.
Muscovy ducks are very secretive birds. Place the nests so that they do not see the owner when he enters the house, that is, sideways or preferably with his back to the door. And in general, if possible, it is necessary to reduce the visit to the ducklings while the birds incubate their offspring.
Indoor nests are best placed away from other poultry. Chickens, geese, turkeys can encroach on a warm place. Well, the main condition for placement is darkness.
It is advisable to start arranging nesting sites in the fall. During the winter, the females will get accustomed to the proposed egg-laying site, get used to spending the night in it, and will rush where needed. In nature, muscovy ducks lay their eggs directly on the ground. To prevent this from happening in the household, it is better to immediately accustom females to a certain place of laying. This will allow you to remove the eggs and control the incubation process.
Any free space can be adapted for. And having the desire and the means, to build a separate poultry house, where the birds will be comfortable in all seasons. Plus, given the muskbirds' desire for privacy, this would be ideal.
Although muscovy ducks are waterfowl, they do not tolerate dampness well. The air humidity in the room where the nesting sites are located should not exceed 60-70%. In winter, the house should be heated, and when it becomes hot and dry outside, spray the walls and floor with water or hang out a damp burlap. The room must be disinfected and ventilated.
Video "Maintenance and breeding of muscovy ducks"
In the video, a woman poultry farmer talks about the peculiarities of muscovy ducks, about the nuances of keeping and breeding.