Duck Coops?

[cristina33]

Could you show pictures of your duck coops and yard! I am thinking about getting some ducks next month but I would like to see what others have as a set up!

Thanks a Bunch!
Cristina

 

[picklespickles]

mine is nothing fancy. just fences, lots of water available (in large plastic fifty gallon bin, cat litter pan, etc.) plus a kids plastic pool dug into the ground so accessible easily. if you search, there are some good pics already on here of ducks ponds, both fancy and plain.

 

[ozark hen]

cristina, mine are in a dog pen. My dh put down heavy gauge wire underneath so nothing can dig into the pen at night. Then we covered the top third of the coop with a tarp over a cattle panel for a ceiling and put a large dog house in the back under the tarp. The back of the pen is covered in a tarp, too. We also lined the back(north side with bales of straw to stop the winter wind. we then made a kind of corral with ten bales of straw for them to shelter behind. They have a black rubber tub filled with water and two feed pans under the tarp to keep the feed dry. Now these are for the muscovies who do not require a pool but they have access to one when they are released during the day to free range. Don't know how much you can see in this photo..

 

[ml]

I have them in Various shelters but they get a large dog crate with hay to sleep in at night in my coop. The sleeping quarters are secure to predators.

In the morning I open up doors so they can run out and take morning dips in the various pools.

All the ducks to free range during the day with baby pools and heavy duty kitty litter boxes and some 16 gallon horse tubs to take baths in each day. The large baby pool has a ramp made out of a plastic compost bin with hinges on it to form a v for them to walk up and down into the water and out.

So far all the ducks but a few muscovies sleep in at night. They pretty much need to be hearded in at night. Working on the clapping thing with the runners to let them know it is time to go in.

ML

 

[ozark hen]

Here are better photos taken this morning for you

 

[cristina33]

Looks Great ! Keep em Coming Love the pics!
Take Care
Cristina

 

[DrakeMaiden]

I have no photos to share.

We retrofitted a horse stall. I'm not sure if the details would be helpful to you. However, there is a partition that runs down the middle of the stall, for times when we need to keep order (mostly to keep the drakes separate from the ducks). My husband also built lean-to type shelters inside for added wind protection. Each side has a plastic rectangular tub for drinking water and feeders. The floor is primarily dirt covered with sand near the feeders/waterers and with straw bedding in the lean-to section. The floor is only partially protected with buried hardware cloth, because predators could only dig from the one outside wall, but I'm hoping to cover the entire floor as time allows. A picture is worth a thousand words, of course.

My husband built them a pond that is about 12' in diameter and 1-2' deep. He did not use pond liner. He found instructions for building ponds using several layers of thin plastic sheeting, padded and sandwiched with sandy loam (rocks removed). It is holding up well to webbed feet so far.

He recently added deer/rabbit fencing around the pond -- about 10' + away from the pond. This encloses the far side of the pond (the barn is on the other side of the pond) and connects it to existing fencing, making a defensible space.

 

[SandraChick]

Mine's an old chicken coop! Hardest part was teaching them to go up the ramp!

They don't need as much as chickens as they can take much colder temps. Also, they need water 24/7...so it's just a matter of keeping the mess to one area so it's easy to clean up!

Sandra

 

[picklespickles]

drake maiden, where did he find those plans? htanks.

 

[DrakeMaiden]

Picklespickles, I pm'ed you the info.