Building the ultimate duck coop

[Rondiesel]

Howdy team. So we've been bitten by the duck bug, and are finally giving in. I've been doing a ton of research and snooping on here andI'm trying to decide how I want to go about my design. We are thinking around four ducks, mainly for eggs but friendly as well. still can't make up our minds on breeds

But like blue Swedish, anconas, WH, and well, everything else

For the duck house I was wanting to hear some design ideas, likes and dislikes, where to make panels to open etc. I enjoy building and will have to add the cute factor for the wife

But want simplicity and function. I really like the drain idea on their pond, and plan on using a dog kennel for their run. That would equate to about 300 sq ft of run minuse their house, pond, and small feed water area which I plan to build on a grid or decking. What do you duck experts recommend for run space and house space? They will also have a large fenced in backyard to free range when we're home and can keep an eye on the quack jobs, so they will definitely get out to roam around. Any input or pics greatly appreciated.
P.S. Quail chicks hatching as we speak!!

 

[Rondiesel]

Forgot to mention but we live in northwest Colorado, so hot summers and cold winters.

 

[TLWR]

We recently joined our duck house and chicken house together. Doors open on both ends for easy clean out (I hose it out daily).

The original duck house
It has since been used as an outdoor brooder for new birds and fenced around to give littles a good size space to have fun but be separate from big girls
Now it is the food house



Original duck house we built was this when I decided to add more ducks - 3x6 made with fence boards and the front roof opens on either side.


We then built the same style for a chicken house, raised it and just made a large door in each end for cleaning



Then we moved it and merged the duck and chicken house.
The top door on this side stays open during the day for the chicken. The other door is opened on the upper level to clean and then the bottom sides are opened on to hose out each morning after the ducks.


Ducks have a side door open all day as well



And I have since moved the food house up next to the combined house.



For us, this design has worked well. We had initially built a 3x6 raised garden bed using the fence boards. I looked at it one day as a duck walked by and looked at DH and said... we just need to add a roof. And that's basically what we did.

I painted interior boards and even with daily hosing, we were able to reuse all the boards from the duck house when we merged the house together into their new apartment building :lol


The birds used to hang out under the duck house, so we made sure there was plenty of room for them to hang out there in the heat of the summer. The food hut is raised as well and they also fit under there.

 

[Rondiesel]

those are awesome pics, thank you. what kind of ducks do you have? do they lay in the house at all? You say you hose the duck house out every day, do you use any bedding in there?

 

[TLWR]

I have a small bin in there with pine straw and they typically lay in that.

This morning the chicken went into the duck apartment and laid her egg in their bin :lol


I have 3 indian runners and a welsh harlequin

 

[Rondiesel]

leave it to a chicken

How are your runners? seems like I have read mixed reviews on their laying and personalities. Some people seem to say they're great and others say they're pretty skittish. Also, beautiful pup you got. We have two merle Great Danes that will be sharing some backyard with our ducks.

 

[TLWR]

They lay great!
The first year I had eggs out to wazoo!

Since then, when they take a break, they are serious about it. They molt and stop laying and it is like they forget they are an egg laying bird and it sometimes takes months to get going again!

As far as personality, batch 1 was 3 runners raised when I was not working. I had one very friendly sweet silver runner, a pretty friendly fawn and white and a chocolate who was happy to hang behind everybody.
My silver runner died after an injury - she was the leader of my trio.
Chocolate runner took over, but seemed to look to the fawn and white for advice on what to do.

I then raised 2 more runners and a welsh harlequin. I was working and didn't spend near as much time as I did with the first batch.
The WH is friendly but hangs back like the other 2. The 2 new runners fit the skittish label. One of them wouldn't take treats from my hand for over a year. She still doesn't want to, but will.
Then my fawn and white runner was taken by the fox. So the chocolate runner looks to my black runner for advice now. They will follow me if I have food and come running if I call them (and they think I have food) and will hang out near me, but no sudden movements or they think you are after them.


With runners - I think they can easily be skittish birds - but the more time you spend with them as ducklings, the less skittish they will be.

 

[Mellykins68]

I'm in Golden Co, we just finished building a house and pen for our four girls. My husband want to make sure that it was as safe as possible for them since we are in the canyon. The house is a good size that either he or I can get in an out to clean it. We put a window on one side to let light in for them. The lap pool will be heated in the winter and we ran electric to the house for lighting and to heat if it gets too cold. He also put up some installation on the walls inside the house. Most is recycled, since we are in construction.

 

[dotknott]

I need a "Beware of Duck" sign!

 

[Mellykins68]

I got it on Amazon