Basement coop

[Emmjjaayy]

Is there a reason you can't make the coop predator proof or hire someone to do it for you? Your house will smell like a sewage plant in no time if you let six ducks live in it at night, not to mention they may cause major flood damage.

yea I was worried about the smell down there. Do you have any suggestions for a predator proof coop outdoors? This is our first time caring for ducklings.

 

[DuckyDonna]

show some pictures of your yard and the woods. There are tons of ideas for pens on byc. There is a whole thread or more on it. What do you have to work with as in materials? Are you going to have to do it yourself? Can you spend money on it?

 

[Amiga]

We converted part of our walkout basement to a duck barn. No, the house does not smell like sewage. The barn is managed to avoid that. I use good bedding (have used pine shavings, now use chopped flax straw), have watering stations to minimize wet bedding, tidy up bedding and refresh daily with full cleanouts as needed, control moisture - often run a dehumidifier, make sure fresh air comes in regularly, use Sweet PDZ if needed (have not had to for years) and the fact that it’s so close and so easy to work in, I believe makes it easier to keep up. Getting a utility sink made it that much easier to keep up with. All my supplies are at hand, I can get to the ducks in a flash, don’t worry about too cold or too warm, never have to shovel to reach them...it works for me. and keeps predators out, I don’t need a heater so there’s no fire risk. It’s naturally cooler in the summer, so not worried about overheating. Much less expensive than my other options.

 

[Miss Lydia]

@Emmjjaayy

 

[Emmjjaayy]

We converted part of our walkout basement to a duck barn. No, the house does not smell like sewage. The barn is managed to avoid that. I use good bedding (have used pine shavings, now use chopped flax straw), have watering stations to minimize wet bedding, tidy up bedding and refresh daily with full cleanouts as needed, control moisture - often run a dehumidifier, make sure fresh air comes in regularly, use Sweet PDZ if needed (have not had to for years) and the fact that it’s so close and so easy to work in, I believe makes it easier to keep up. Getting a utility sink made it that much easier to keep up with. All my supplies are at hand, I can get to the ducks in a flash, don’t worry about too cold or too warm, never have to shovel to reach them...it works for me. and keeps predators out, I don’t need a heater so there’s no fire risk. It’s naturally cooler in the summer, so not worried about overheating. Much less expensive than my other options.

that’s awesome! And was kind of our plan as well. Would it be ok if you sent us some pictures of it? We also have a utility sink in our basement which I understand will help a lot. Have you had any trouble with ducklings sneezing from the wood shavings?A few of mine seem to be sneezing so I switched them to pellet bedding and they still sneeze but not as much. Also what do you use for water stations or if you could send a picture of that too that would be great! Thank you so much for sharing with me.

 

[Amiga]

When they were ducklings, they ate shavings, so I kept them on towels till they were nearly full size, then went to shavings. I’ll work on getting photo’s tomorrow

 

[Amiga]

 

[Emmjjaayy]

Thank you for sending me a photo! Great idea