Chicken coop/Duck house

[Heidi T]

We are building a combination chicken coop and duck house this summer. It will house 6(10) chickens and 4(6)ducks. The coop I have now is 6'x6' and has six chickens. This is a bit small for the long Minnesota winters.
The new coop/house will be 8'x12'. I plan on having nesting boxes 18' off the floor with a shelf above it. The ladies seem to enjoy the shelf and added about 6 sq foot of floor space. I haven't had ducks over the winter yet so I need ideas!
Any suggestions or things that would be handy.

 

[thomasboyle]

My ducks and chickens share a coop too. I hope your nesting boxes are 18" high and not 18'. It will get old having to climb a ladder each day to get the eggs!

My #1 recommendation is keep the food and water out of the coop. Ducks make a huge mess with water, and you don't want the inside of the coop wet or it will stink! Made that mistake my first year! The chickens will roost up above and the ducks on the floor. I give the ducks plenty of hay in the winter to keep warm. Make sure the ducks have a place to sleep that is not directly under the chickens. Chickens poop when roosting, so the ducks needs to be protected from them! My ducks like to sleep under the nesting boxes.

 

[Alaskan]

A poop shelf under the chicken roost will give you a nice poop free (relatively) floor for the ducks to sleep and play on.

I too keep food and water outside, but I recommend having a sheltered area for it.

Having the water up against a wind block keeps it thawed a bit longer, and makes it more comfortable for the animals to drink.

Actually, a nice big wind block would keep the wind, and some of the snow out of the run, which sure is handy.

Don't forget the horror of snow, and what it will do to your landscape. Nothing worse than not being able to open the door to get to the chickens because it is frozen solid to the ground. (That is why all of my run doors are dutch doors).

Also, snow berms!!! Where are the snow berms going? And what will they block?? And the MELT, will all of that water flood your coop in the spring?