Ducks- what kind of shelter do they need??

[nccatnip]

Okay, I know this has been gone over before but I never really thought about getting ducks. That is until my friends pointed out that I had a perfect water supply for them that had been hidden behind a bunch of brush we cleaned out. An old elevated cement fish pond. With a drain!! How lucky am I? So what kind of shelter do ducks need, I hear TSC is having some in the next couple of weeks.

 

[okiechick57]

I have both my kinds of ducks in large shipping crates turned on their sides with holes/door cut out.......my scovies like to roost on top of that...... but so far they all seem happy .....sounds like you have a great start with that pond......... we have tons of mini ponds on our land right now.......in all the low spots ! Mine use kiddie pools and horse tanks....

 

[LinckHillPoultry]

Just any kind of shelter they can get in during bad weather.

 

[flyingmonkeypoop]

Ducks dont need a fancy shelter, we have used old dog houses before and they work great. Right now we are using 'hay houses' made from hay bales stacked on top of each other with a tarp for the roof. We put some straw inside and they dont really sleep in it, so it doesnt need that much cleaning. If you are getting female ducks, make sure that you can reach inside the shelter for the eggs.

 

[Katy]

I just use dog houses for mine...and they very rarely go in it no matter how cold and nasty it is out.

 

[nccatnip]

okay, I can do that, I have a rather large plastic dog house I can use- what breed and how many do you guys recommend? Easy keepers, friendly.....

 

[Katy]

I'm partial to my call ducks...the hens can be very loud, but they all have great little personalities.

 

[MandyH]

Mine have nice liitle barrels turned on the side with one end open. I fill them with hay and staked them in the ground so they can't roll over or anything, and they sleep on the pond bank. They lay eggs in the tree roots and in the sheep stall.

 

[deeszoo]

Hey Katy! It is nice to see a fellow Kansan!! I like my Call ducks too. They are loud, but that is part of their charm, I think.

The BEST shelter I ever put together for my ducks was the bottom of one of those plastic dog houses next to a dog house. Then we leaned a piece of plywood against the dog house on the north side. That left it open on the east and west sides. The ducks loved it and laid their eggs there. They never went in the doghouse, though. Once they figured out we were taking the eggs, they quit laying there.

Mostly my ducks and geese won't go inside when it is bad weather. They have a choice, we have a chicken barn, but they prefer to stay outside. I have seen them get in the water and bathe when it is so cold that the ice was forming on them as they were bathing. They just preen off the ice later. They don't seem to feel the cold much.

DeAnna

 

[Katy]

Where are you located? I'm in the central part of the state. I'm actually thinking of parting with some of my call ducks.

I want to use one of their pens for some of my chickens.