Duck enclosure pictures please!
- Thread starter Shayrae4
- Start date
Welcome to Backyard Chickens!
We live on the coast of Maine (midcoast) and have a small flock (currently six) of silver Appleyard ducks. They have an elevated duckhouse that is ~4'x8' and an attached, covered run that is ~12'x8'. The area under the duckhouse expands the run area, and we are able to close that space off if we need to separate a duck(s). The run is predator proof with a predator apron going all the way around.
We located our duckhouse near the vegetable garden and the compost so that used bedding could go easily into the compost, and compost could go easily into the garden. We have a small fenced pasture surrounding the duckhouse, as well as an adjacent fenced pasture. We let them free range in the mornings and evenings (supervised) or when we are out working. Otherwise they stay in their pastures or in the run if we are away.
The run is mostly shavings and straw except for the end where their water bucket is. We have pavers there. We planted comfry downhill from the duckhouse to capture nutrients. We then feed some of the comfrey back to them and use it in the compost. The ducks also use the comfry for cover during the summer.
You can see more details in the article about our duckhouse build:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/feel-free-to-duck-in-to-the-maine-duck-inn.75852/
Feel free to follow-up with questions, and please keep us posted on your progress!
We live on the coast of Maine (midcoast) and have a small flock (currently six) of silver Appleyard ducks. They have an elevated duckhouse that is ~4'x8' and an attached, covered run that is ~12'x8'. The area under the duckhouse expands the run area, and we are able to close that space off if we need to separate a duck(s). The run is predator proof with a predator apron going all the way around.
We located our duckhouse near the vegetable garden and the compost so that used bedding could go easily into the compost, and compost could go easily into the garden. We have a small fenced pasture surrounding the duckhouse, as well as an adjacent fenced pasture. We let them free range in the mornings and evenings (supervised) or when we are out working. Otherwise they stay in their pastures or in the run if we are away.
The run is mostly shavings and straw except for the end where their water bucket is. We have pavers there. We planted comfry downhill from the duckhouse to capture nutrients. We then feed some of the comfrey back to them and use it in the compost. The ducks also use the comfry for cover during the summer.
You can see more details in the article about our duckhouse build:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/feel-free-to-duck-in-to-the-maine-duck-inn.75852/
Feel free to follow-up with questions, and please keep us posted on your progress!
So my duck housing isn't nearly as nice as 3birds. I have 9 Muscovy ducks. I bought a 10 x 20 shed and had a wall put down the middle. The ducks have one half which includes a people door and a duck door with a ramp to their run. I bought a portable garage kit which had just poles and tarp like roof. I attached it to shed and covered sides with chicken wire plus one side is also tarped for wind protection. My people door into run isn't a thing of beauty but it works for me.
Maddog_photog
Songster
My girls have had a few houses through the years.
They actually started out in the little house. Then we built a 3' x 6' house for them, then added chickens and built a similar house for them basically on stilts. Then we had some predator issues, so they were penned and the chicken house and duck house were merged and the chickens had the upstairs apartment and the ducks downstairs.
Then I decided to build a big one I can walk into.
The first duck hut
The new, larger duck hut with the later version of the elevated chicken hut (with things to keep them from trying to sleep on the roof where I couldn't reach to put them into bed)
The apartment building - chickens upstairs, ducks downstairs
The bird mansion with repurposed (and recently repainted) first duck hut into food hut
They actually started out in the little house. Then we built a 3' x 6' house for them, then added chickens and built a similar house for them basically on stilts. Then we had some predator issues, so they were penned and the chicken house and duck house were merged and the chickens had the upstairs apartment and the ducks downstairs.
Then I decided to build a big one I can walk into.
The first duck hut
The new, larger duck hut with the later version of the elevated chicken hut (with things to keep them from trying to sleep on the roof where I couldn't reach to put them into bed)
The apartment building - chickens upstairs, ducks downstairs
The bird mansion with repurposed (and recently repainted) first duck hut into food hut
We've got 17 runners and this is what we built. I don't worry about them being snatched by anything and luckily we don't have any bears but we've got most everything else.
My 3 pens are located in the backside open area of our barn where the previous owners may have parked a trailer or tractor. The pen on the left is our first one and we learned very fast that it's a bad idea to make it so short you can't stand up in it. Back breaking for cleaning!
I got some heavy plastic/rubbery sheets from Sam's club that come on their pallets of some wine or liquid product to lay down on the floor. Then I cut the duck pellet bags in 1/2 and stapled them to the walls so when they projectile poop onto the walls it basically just slides off most of the time. I put a 4" board in front of the doors to hold in the shavings.
After losing a couple of my ducks to predators my husband decided to build a fortress so we wouldn't have to worry about something swooping down or digging under to get them. It's actually so safe we could probably get away with not closing them up in their pens at night but I do anyway. I just can't go there yet and they all just put themselves to bed each night.
There is hardware cloth all over the sides, and along the ground on the outside to prevent digging under. Welded wire on the whole top. I've actually got 2 separate runs. The smaller one is the one with the pink pool. The way this is constructed I could have multiple separate areas all over the place by just using some welded wire to block off areas. Comes in handy when you've got too many drakes or young birds that can't be with the older ones yet. Right now all 17 are together and doing great but I know that in the spring once mating gets going full force I will have to break things up.
My 3 pens are located in the backside open area of our barn where the previous owners may have parked a trailer or tractor. The pen on the left is our first one and we learned very fast that it's a bad idea to make it so short you can't stand up in it. Back breaking for cleaning!
I got some heavy plastic/rubbery sheets from Sam's club that come on their pallets of some wine or liquid product to lay down on the floor. Then I cut the duck pellet bags in 1/2 and stapled them to the walls so when they projectile poop onto the walls it basically just slides off most of the time. I put a 4" board in front of the doors to hold in the shavings.
After losing a couple of my ducks to predators my husband decided to build a fortress so we wouldn't have to worry about something swooping down or digging under to get them. It's actually so safe we could probably get away with not closing them up in their pens at night but I do anyway. I just can't go there yet and they all just put themselves to bed each night.
There is hardware cloth all over the sides, and along the ground on the outside to prevent digging under. Welded wire on the whole top. I've actually got 2 separate runs. The smaller one is the one with the pink pool. The way this is constructed I could have multiple separate areas all over the place by just using some welded wire to block off areas. Comes in handy when you've got too many drakes or young birds that can't be with the older ones yet. Right now all 17 are together and doing great but I know that in the spring once mating gets going full force I will have to break things up.
Attachments
The one thing I would have changed with ours would have been to make it easy to divide the duckhouse so that both sides could see each other and both sides could have access to the run. We've made do by making the area under the duckhouse an area that can be separated, and we added a small annex to the run, but it's not ideal.
gardavis2
Chirping
- May 27, 2020
- 19
- 51
- 94
These guys are four White Cresteds in the coop which is in the back porch.
I let them out around 7am. They spend the day on the small lake and wander back at dusk. Once in for the night, they get sliced grapes through the hardware cloth.
I let them out around 7am. They spend the day on the small lake and wander back at dusk. Once in for the night, they get sliced grapes through the hardware cloth.
- Thread starter
- #9
Do you know the dimensions of this?
Maddog_photog
Songster
I thiiiiink it’s 8’ long by 3’ wide and 4’ high.
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