An elderly Muscovy duck asks for a different old age from other ducks, because she starts life as a percher. Young Muscovies roost off the ground and grip branches with strong clawed feet, but a heavy old bird coming down from a perch lands with force her legs and feet no longer forgive. Retire the heights entirely: give her a ground floor home with a proper nest, ramps built for weight and claws, and water she enters like a wading bird rather than an athlete.
Ground nesting instead of the old roost
A floor nest is the right retirement for an elderly Muscovy because her instincts still look for a defined, sheltered sleeping place. Build a low, enclosed nest box on the shelter floor, wide enough for her broad body to turn in, and fill it with straw she can hollow out. If she keeps attempting the old perch, remove or block it rather than lowering it a little; a Muscovy who half-trusts a reduced perch still jumps the last stretch. Site the nest away from the door so draughts do not cross her, and keep a second bedded corner free, because Muscovies like choosing between spots. A hen who still lays will use the floor nest for eggs too, sparing her any climb with an egg on the way.
Wide, grippy ramps built for weight and claws
A Muscovy-rated ramp is wider and sturdier than a chicken ramp because an old drake carries serious weight on big feet. Use a broad board with deep cleats or coarse matting, set at a shallow angle, and fix it so it cannot flex or shift under her. Her claws help her grip, but worn, overgrown claws on an older bird snag on mesh and wire, so keep ramps solid-surfaced and check her feet when she is handled. Replace any ladder-style access to raised areas with this kind of ramp, or remove the raised area altogether. Test the ramp yourself with a boot: if it feels steep or slick to you, it is far worse for a heavy duck in the rain.
Bathing water with a broad, shallow entry
Shallow-entry water suits an elderly Muscovy because she bathes by dunking and splashing rather than long swims. Set a large, low trough into the ground or ramp both sides with the same broad, cleated boards, and keep the depth modest so she can stand while she washes. A heavy old bird who slips getting out of deep water can injure a leg badly, so the exit deserves as much thought as the entry. Put her drinking water in a deep-enough bucket for full head rinsing, anchored so her weight against it does not tip it. In winter, keep a patch of straw around the water station; Muscovies are less cold-hardy around their bare facial skin and feet than feathered ducks, and standing on ice to drink helps neither.
Foot checks and when an old Muscovy needs the vet
An elderly Muscovy's feet carry her history, so home care includes looking at them. Long claws that once gripped perches now catch on bedding and twist toes if they overgrow, and the heavy body presses hard on any sore spot on the sole. Contact a vet experienced with waterfowl if she limps persistently, a claw tears or bleeds, she stops walking to water, or she goes off feed and sits fluffed and withdrawn. Note whether the change followed a fall from height, because that detail shapes the examination. Logging her perch removal, ramp changes and foot checks in KinsLe's Pet Passport keeps one clear record of how her ground-level life was set up and why.