Duck Coop Designs

[Jossielyn]

I am in need of plans for a Duck Coop. We have one runner and two magpie ducks who have outgrown the guest room, and now the garage pen. We have coyotes and raccoons, so I know we need hardware cloth to make it predator proof. If you know of plans I can purchase, or a website, please let me know. I'd like it to include a sunken tub for water and a shelter...and I'd like it to be off the ground. I've spent way too many hours on-line searching and I always come back to chicken coops. Someone, somewhere must have plans I can either use or purchase.

 

[Alaskan]

Chicken coops will work just fine for ducks, simply take out the perch.

But often, all ducks need is a dry sheltered box to sleep in. So, even a dog crate or kennel, or just a wooden box work wonderfully.

One lady I know just used a very large nursery pot (the ones they put trees in), flipped it over and cut out a hole for a door. I can't remember if she weighed it down with a rock, or used tent stakes to keep it stable, and from blowing away. With the giant plastic pot, it is super easy to pick up, rinse off, and put back.

You will need a rain proof place for the food, but another box will work for that, or a tarp awning.

The lady who used the nursery pot made sure that the run was/is predator proof, strong hardware cloth walls, with wire on the top of the run.

Even in Alaska, people keep ducks very happy, in just a sheltered wooden box. Truly.

 

[Jossielyn]

Thanks, that helps.

. I'm just over thinking this. We have coyotes and raccoons so I definitely need to use Hardware Cloth to keep them safe. I want them to be able to be outside when I'm at work. For now they're in a large pen in the garage when I'm gone. Today they're outside roaming and hanging out in the kiddie pool. My labrador, Pete, is keeping guard.

I want to have a safe shelter with a pool for them. The pool needs a drain because, as we all know, they're messy.


I'm looking at dog houses, too, and will attach a run of some kind.

Just put the chicken coop on Craigs List. Hope it sells soon so I can use the $$ to build something suitable. These are our gals. Reina, the runner duck, Maggie, the whiter of the two is a Magpie, as is Phantom, the darker of the other two. Thanks again!

 

[Alaskan]

I would put ALL of your money into a strong predator proof run, biggest possible.

Then, slowly, over time, you can upgrade from a messed up laundry basket covered in a tarp, to a better, cuter looking wooden box for them to sleep in.

I don't know how people do a duck pond with a drain...the muck in the bottom of a duck pond is like sludge. Maybe, if you used a very large pipe to drain it? And made sure the drain was at a good downward slope?

When I had ducks I used a deep child's snow sled full of water, as well as a maybe two foot in diameter horse bucket. They weren't too difficult to dump out and rinse off. With them, the trick was putting them where the dumped water wouldn't cause a mud puddle, and that water could drain well.

For their water dishes, I put them on top of a wooden pallet. That way the water could drain below and the are wouldn't become muddy.

Remember that wherever the dirt gets muddy, the ducks will make deep holes with their bills. So think through how the water will drain, as well as the edging of their pen. You will need to bury the wire maybe two feet, or use a concrete footing.

 

[Alaskan]

By the way, those ducks are super cute!

 

[Jossielyn]

Thanks for the info, and thanks for the comment. I'm just getting ready to post pictures of the completed coop...Hope you can see it.

 

[Jossielyn]

I just posted a picture of the finished coop. I built it up off of the ground and covered it with hardware cloth. You'd need wire clippers to get in. I know what you mean about the mud. When they're out in the yard, I like to make puddles for them. Their happy cooing is sooo sweet. I actually found a class for chickens with a little duck logic thrown in. Because of the class, I bought a deep rubber bucket for their water. It's deep enough for them to clean their noses, but not so deep that they can get in and poo. They seem to poo a lot! They're so cute and sweet that we just clean and move on.

 

[Alaskan]

I cant find the pictures.

 

[Jossielyn]

I posted it under Post Your Pictures...

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/596294/post-your-chicken-coop-pictures-here/1020

We've had rain here in Portland, so I'm trying to decide if I want to put up a temporary wall (with an opening) to keep the straw dry, or if I'm just going to put a tarp over the top. The top has hardware cloth screwed in so it's predator proof, so I can just throw a tarp and we should be fine. They'll be out in the yard anyway, as long as we're home.

So, this morning when I went to get the eggs, Maggie, the magpie, was sitting on the three fresh eggs, plus two fake eggs. When she saw me open the door, she quickly tried to cover them up so I wouldn't see them. So sweet! I gently took the eggs and told her she'd have more tomorrow morning.

 

[Alaskan]

Wow! You did a great job! It looks super predator proof, and i love the flooring around the pool, easy to clean and comfy for their feet.