Alternative Duck house

[aaronburton87]

Hello, I will be raising 7 cayugas, 3 golden hybrids, and two buff geese.
Rather than a traditional barn, I would like to use a garage in a box (refer to photo).
The one I would like to use is 150 square feet, will this meet the requirements for them to live comfortably (If I'm going to eat their children, I should atleast let them feel at home)?
Safety isn't a concern, I'll be putting up an electric fence.
I have 7 weeks before I need to worry (ducklings and goslings don't arrive until June 7th, already have a seperate brooder setup), but I like to plan ahead.

This is a stock image

 

[TLWR]

When I google garage in a box I get these:


If you aren't concerned with anything getting into the yard, it could work, but I don't think those are made with ventilation in mind. Unless you were planning to leave it open

 

[aaronburton87]

I was thinking of venting it with 4" pvc with a ball valve to co trol air flow. Just hookup and old computer fan

 

[ShadowQuackers]

I'd be worried about wild life getting in really easy.
The sizing sounds great and is tall which will help with cleaning it out.
But it looks like it will be easy for a fox or snake or neighbors dogs to dig under or lift up the bottom of the sides.
I had a racoon take a duck from the top of a outdoor dog kennel with roof doorway. It was about a 4 inch gap at the top of the door.
Even with electric fencing things can find a way in. Either jumping over or digging under. I have a 3 foot electic fence and a cat that jumps it every day.
Just a warning. If you think you're good then it should be ok.

May want to think about some sort of hard floor if only for easy cleaning of a house that big.

Jade

 

[aaronburton87]

The fence is 7 feet tall. It has chickem wire dug 2 feet into the ground. The fence is there, just no electric wire

 

[ShadowQuackers]

Wow nice fence setup! I wish I could have that setup.

With the floor, I've had dirt floors and raised floors and concrete floors. With the dirt floor and straw I always had a hard time keeping the smell all the way gone. No matter how well I raked and shoveled it seemed to stick around. That being said I have found that my ducks liked it better, were ok with being locked up all day if the need arose, and were more likely to build nests in the house than in the yard.
I like the concrete/straw set up so far since it was so easy to clean and pressure wash every other month but it does mean your not moving the house around but it sounds like you want a fixed place.
I have also used cattle mats while costly were easy to clean and could move around at need. Main problem with them was having level ground to place them.

With venting. On one of the faces of the garage could you lower the side but not fully and have a part hard wire cloth/ part wood closure at the bottom? It would solve the venting and mean you would not have to run electricity out there if you don't have it set up already.

 

[boosterpacksmom]

Have you looked into metal sheds or mini barns instead?

 

[aaronburton87]

6 times more per square foot

 

[lomine]

It sounds like predator proofing will not be a factor with this so that's good. Though I would recommend thinking about protection from aerial predators if they are in your area. So the other factors to consider in a shelter are space, protection from weather, and ventilation. And durability and cost should probably be at least a small factor. Breaking it down...

Space: You're all good there, you'll have more than enough space.

Protection from weather: Ducks are fine in cold weather but they should have a place to get out of the wind. This would protect from wind and rain as long as the weather isn't too severe. Not sure how much snow you get but I doubt this thing would stand-up against heavy snow.

Ventilation: This is going to be a main concern. Good ventilation means good air flow. If you live in a warm area you could just leave the front part open and create an opening in the back. This would allow air to easily pass through. Maybe replace part of the wall with hail cloth or something like that. If you want to leave the door mostly closed and the walls intact, you could use your pvc pipe/fan idea. You might want to look into roof turbine vents. They are designed to draw air up and out. You may be able to figure out a way to use those and then you wouldn't need electricity. Or perhaps a few of those solar powered vents designed for RVs. I image those are pretty light and they aren't too expensive.

Durability & Cost: I can tell you without a doubt one of these garages wouldn't last a single season in my area. It would either collapse under heavy snow or get blow away by high winds. It you have to continuously replace the garage it won't save you money in the long run. But this will depend solely on the weather in your area. If your weather is pretty mild, this garage sounds like a good deal.

If you are still considering flooring I suggest looking into the deep litter method. It works great on bare ground, it's low maintenance, and if done correctly has no smell. I use it in the majority of my run and I love it. I used to just mix it up once a week because the flat duck feet pack it down. Took like 10-20 minutes depending. Now that I have chickens too they do all the work of turning it. All you would need to do in install a lip at the garage door to keep the bedding in.