Duck coop design

[sayyadina]

I have some questions about designing a house for my ducks.

I'm planning on having Runners, Welsh Harlequins, & Australian Spotted. May also add some Mini Appleyard, Call or Silkies at some point. Will be starting with 10-15.

How much space is required per duck? Should the different breeds be housed separately? They will most likely spend a lot of time in their house during the winter, since we get a ton of snow, and it can be very cold & windy. At other times of year, they'll be free ranging in our pastures with the alpacas. We also usually get quite a bit of ice on the ground, a few inches thick.

My initial ideas were to have mesh/wire walls under a peaked roof, and then have solid insulated walls during the winter. We can also get automatic waters with a heating element. The floor will be concrete, and I'm planning on using pine pellets as bedding, since they're plentiful here, and we have a lot on hand for use in our stove.

Would ducks need a heat lamp?

 

[headred]

Our city code calls for 3 sq. ft. per duck. I think that's a good amount.

 

[sayyadina]

Since I'm in a rural area, and the previous owners had chickens, do you think I'd need to check with the town? Our town used to have a lot of sheep farms, and there was one on our property a long time ago. And there's been no issue having our herd of 15 alpacas, which will be up to 19 by the end of the summer.

Would I need to have separate houses, or areas of a big house, for the different duck breeds?