Any ideas?

[GoneQuackers]

I'm having a hard time figuring out what to do for housing for my ducks. I don't have any ducks yet, just eggs on day 9 in the incubator, so I still have a good bit of time to work on this.

We have a building to use. Just need to get it cleaned out.

I have a chain link dog kennel that I'm going to connect to the wide opening. (going to put hardware cloth around the bottom half of kennel) Other than that, I don't have anything else planned and would really love to get some ideas from people!

The ducks will free range during the day as long as I'm home. This enclosure is for night time and when I'm not around to keep an eye on them. (which won't be often)

This is what I have to work with:

Front view with opening.


View to left.

 

[Going Quackers]

Nice building! Main things? are predator proof and good ventilation/airflow after that it's more about what you want to do. I like windows in my coops.. my duck barn has 3 they provide light and ventilation. We actually just scoured antique malls and found old ones and then hardware clothed the inside.

This is what the barn looked like while building you can see the one window and the others on the floor.. we have since expanded the barn as the ducks have er.. increased? lol



This is shot standing at the door, when it's been finished you can catch a glance of the hardware cloth backing the windows, the shelf serves double duty as they are Muscovy they like to roost and we built nest boxes underneath...



Here is a today shot, you can somewhat see the addition off the side from this shot, the light coloured wood off in the cedars.. we are siding it with old barn barns.. so a bit of a slow process... it's elevated up on some industrial skids.. this allows a porch..

 

[thepregnantgod]

Wow! Nice building. I have taken to a few Muscovies myself but as I'm in a residential area with an HOA, there are no shed possibilities for me. Windows sound good - but my advice would be to find out where the sun is going to shine in and if you don't have enough ventilation how hot it will get inside. My ducks will go to shade as soon as it gets above 80 degrees here in FL. Thus, they'd love a shed like that so long as it remained cool.

Another consideration, I didn't see the bottom of the shed but if I were to build one from scratch, I'd make some way for the water to run out of the shed (an inch or two from the bottom). Ducks poop A LOT and cleaning the area with a hose is easy so long as it can run off into grass or something. If it just pools in the area that just makes it harder.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Nice building! Main things? are predator proof and good ventilation/airflow after that it's more about what you want to do. I like windows in my coops.. my duck barn has 3 they provide light and ventilation. We actually just scoured antique malls and found old ones and then hardware clothed the inside.

This is what the barn looked like while building you can see the one window and the others on the floor.. we have since expanded the barn as the ducks have er.. increased? lol



This is shot standing at the door, when it's been finished you can catch a glance of the hardware cloth backing the windows, the shelf serves double duty as they are Muscovy they like to roost and we built nest boxes underneath...



Here is a today shot, you can somewhat see the addition off the side from this shot, the light coloured wood off in the cedars.. we are siding it with old barn barns.. so a bit of a slow process... it's elevated up on some industrial skids.. this allows a porch..

I really like your set up Quackers.

 

[Miss Lydia]

I'm having a hard time figuring out what to do for housing for my ducks. I don't have any ducks yet, just eggs on day 9 in the incubator, so I still have a good bit of time to work on this.

We have a building to use. Just need to get it cleaned out.

I have a chain link dog kennel that I'm going to connect to the wide opening. (going to put hardware cloth around the bottom half of kennel) Other than that, I don't have anything else planned and would really love to get some ideas from people!

The ducks will free range during the day as long as I'm home. This enclosure is for night time and when I'm not around to keep an eye on them. (which won't be often)

This is what I have to work with:

Front view with opening.


View to left.

That is so cool; that you have your starting point already there. With the gaps in the wood from drying I'd use some kind of batten to secure it so there are no longer gaps or small preds will come right in. We just finished a storage build using board and batten to keep the spaces from showing when it dries out completely. I would also put hardware clothe on the floor with maybe small gravel to help keep diggers out and also makes clean out easier just hose it down.inside. You can separate them an area with shaving for nesting. I would also put some kind of top to keep out climbers and ariel preds. But to already have the main structure in place is awesome.

 

[Going Quackers]

I really like your set up Quackers.

Thank you! It's not the prettiest thing but it works! lol

 

[Miss Lydia]

Thank you! It's not the prettiest thing but it works! lol

I like anything old or made to look that way.

 

[Going Quackers]

I like anything old or made to look that way.

As do I... my dream? a big old two story farmhouse with an equally old bank barn.. .. again my dream, nowhere near a reality lol.

 

[GoneQuackers]

Going Quackers, I love your building! Especially the outside. I too love the old look. Like you, my dream (since I was a child) has been to have an old two story farmhouse with an old barn located on the property. I finally managed to get the house a year ago this coming weekend! No old barn though, just 3 buildings.

I forgot to mention, we have access to some free old barn wood and plan on using it to fill in the gaps in the duck house.

With the huge opening in the front, do you think we will still need to add a window or two? Do you close the windows in the winter? Our winters get down into the teens, we usually don't get a whole lot of snow though.

Miss Lydia and thepregnantgod, thanks for the advice about the bottom. I like the hardware cloth and pebbles idea. I'm trying to do this as cheaply as possible and will see what I can scrounge up.

It already has a metal roof and I will be using a chain link panel for the top of the kennel, so no worries about anything getting in from above.

I read somewhere that ducks feel safer if they have a small opening (door) to go into. Is this true?

Should we make some kind of box for them to go into that's inside the building?

I'm going to get 2 kiddie pools. One will be in the yard for when they're out and the other will be in their enclosure. For the pool in the enclosure, should I put it in the kennel part or inside the building? I had first planned on putting it in the kennel part but was thinking that for the real hot days, maybe it would be better inside?

Sorry for all the questions, I just want my duckies to be safe and happy. They're only eggs right now, but I already

them.

 

[mominoz]

It's all about the upkeep

I suggest either pavers of some sort, or hardware cloth with round rock of some sort or rubbermats, conveyor belting or horsemats work well. So you can hose out or put straw over. Depends on your climate, Florida people or desert people get to use sand, lucky ducks. .I use pond rock and rubber mats for base and hose and only use bedding in nests or winter. I also have a well, and don't like shoveling bedding much, or paying for it.. . If you don't have a closeable door for night time, and if you really want them safe. Hotwire the top of fence and base around building and fence. This keeps out just about anything.Overhead raptors....eh, if you have a problem with them you may need to net. I live in a National Forest in SE and they are around, but none are eyeing my ducks,,But I have TALL runners and Saxonya nd geese . The Bantam ducks are in safe predator proof pens and don't get let out.