Show me your wood duck pens/coops

Does any one have any pics of there wood duck/mandarin coops/pens ? I am getting some mandarin eggs and at least one pair of wood ducks and need some ideas on how to make it . They willl also have a 10x20 barn/shed to be in as well if they dont want to be in the coop .
i have a few kiddie pools and plastic ponds that could be used in it as well .

Is there any certain plants,tres or bushes i should use in it ??
Any help would be great

Quote:
Doubtful they use the barn much, they prefer to be outside. The bigger the aviary, the better. I like my ducks to be full winged (although I have pinioned birds) and my aviary for ducks is 12' high, allows them lots of room to fly around. I used a stong pond liner purchased on eBay for my pond. Had to be replaced once after 3 years of use (replacement below) due to sun damage and poor planning (rocks in the water hold debris from being pumped out).







I planted Aussie Willows inside and need trimmed quite often, but tough and grow well. The Mandarins, Whistling-Ducks & Pheasants in the aviary use the branches for perching. Front left corner below -



I was able to get a hold of several varieties of native grass plugs from a friend who works with the MDC. I'm not sure of their ID, but they generally grow in clumps (not unlike Pampas, which I tried and it died) and provides great nesting cover.



Allow the aviary to your canvas and you the painter, the plants/ponds your paint. Experiment with a variety of plants till you find one that works well for you.

Dan

do you use a pump for your pond ?

Dan, your aviary is wonderful! I would love to build one like that someday! And your little boy is so precious

My pen is not very glamorous, but the ducks seem to like it. I was not planning to breed my wood ducks, but my female had differet plans. She made a nest in the call duck house, and there she is with her husband, happy as can be!

My duck pool is just a kiddie pool with a plug at the bottom. I wrote alot about it on another topic of the forum. But here's a pic anyway!

Dan your aviary is very nice - I don't have any of my wild ducks yet but i have been wondering what to do about the aviary as well. It seems every tree I've planted in there hasn't done well - and there are no ducks or geese even using that pen right now. I dunno - will have to go to home depot and buy some more - at least they have that one year guarantee. I have noticed that many people use evergreens in their aviaries - since I live in high elevation maybe I should concentrate on those.

Great ideas from you guys.

becky bird i really like you coop ! im gunna combine both your i deas to make my coop !
i get my mandarin eggs sunday and my wood ducks next sunday

I thought you were having to sell all your chickens because it was against the ordinances where you live? Are they going to let you keep waterfowl, but no chickens?

I have Black East Indies.

I have never lost one. They fly around the house and everything.
They do have an inclosure for winter, when we are not home and I lock them up at night.

Its not fancy but it works well its 6 feet high and 10 feet long X8 feet wide.

I made it out of 2X3's because they were easyer to handle while building it.
I did use treated 2X4's for the base.
IF THEY WERE GOING TO BE IN IT 100% of the time I would have made it 8 feet tall and twice as big.
It has a 35 gallon pond with a plug I pull to drain it.

I added a Red Dog House for the winter. I put a tarp on top and added Clear plastic to 2 sides for a wind break.


THEY ALSO Have a 100 gallon pond out front.

if they werenst so loud i would of liked to get some !


Since we know the guy who inspecs your house to make sure all birds are gone he said i can keep birds that look wild .So we are keeping my geese ,muscoveys,pheasants and i am getting wood ducks . Even though most of my geese are white we wont get rid of them . We dont care thy are staying . Just becasue 2 nieghbors think they run the street and are retired and have nothing better to do than complain doesnt mean are family members are going to be re-homed . If anybody is going to be re-homed it should be the cranky nieghbors with no lives ! sorry i had to vent a bit . lol

That's weird you have to get rid of just your chickens... The funny rules we live by. LOL

-Kim