Duck house ventilation question

[LonesomeDuck]

Hi everyone,

We are converting an old chicken coop into a duck house and had some questions about ventilation. Right now the old chicken coop is about 10 feet tall at the arch, 8 feet wide and has two vents about 5 feet up that are 1 feet by 1 feet with wired screen to protect against predators.

Should I get ridge vents installed on the roof of the coop to help with ventilation? If I do the ridge vents should I close up the two existing vents to help prevent against drafts during cold winter days? Should I add any insulation to the attic? (walls and attic are currently uninsulated).

Thanks,
Lonesome Duck

 

[TLWR]

Ducks come with their own handy dandy down coats. Too hot with no ventilation is more of an issue than cold.
More ventilation the better. I'd leave what you have and put in the ridge vent. I wouldn't bother with insulation. Protecting from the wind, which you have, will help keep them comfy.
With the ridge vent, you could build 'shutters' to close up the existing ventilation if you have nasty storms or super cold weather - the ridge vent would be ok on its own if you closed up the others for a bit.

 

[chickens really]

Ducks can handle extreme cold temps...Wind chill is the only thing to worry about..Air quality should be number one...Mine live in a Dog house...Use straw for bedding as it is hollow and traps in heat. The only thing on a Duck to get cold is their feet...I live in Alberta, Canada and we get down to -40 sometimes....
Your current coop will be fine...

 

[ChickenCanoe]

We are talking about outdoor animals regardless of the species. The only reason they have housing is to prevent predation. One should shoot for a minimum of 1 sq. ft. of ventilation per bird.

 

[casportpony]

We are talking about outdoor animals regardless of the species. The only reason they have housing is to prevent predation. One should shoot for 1 sq. ft. of ventilation per bird.

Possibly even more for ducks since they have a tendency to make a really wet mess of everything, even without a water source! They are bigger than most chickens, the eat a lot, and they drink a lot, so that means that they poop more, lol.

-Kathy

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Absolutely.
Doesn't sound like the OP has enough ventilation. They don't say how many birds they're talking about.

 

[LonesomeDuck]

We're planning on having eight ducks.