Duck house height

[Autumn Leaves]

I'm planning out my duck house to build in the spring/summer (what else can you do when it is -11 outside). I will have Magpie ducks. How tall is the minimum height for a house for them? I want them to be able to stretch but I've never seen once in person. I'm trying to keep the house low profile and hide it behind some shrubs to keep hubby happy and for shade.

 

[needlessjunk]

2 feet should be good. Just rememeber that it's going to kinda a pain to clean out thought of you just have a door on one side.

 

[Autumn Leaves]

I was going to make it so that one whole side opens. I was thinking 4X8 for the footprint with the 8 foot side opening. I may make it so that the roof hinges up also. It may be easier just to make it 6 foot tall though for ease of cutting boards.

I'll just tell the ducks not to poop in it

 

[Amiga]

Our first duck house was four feet high - and I am glad, because I had over a foot of bedding in it. There is a Dutch door on the 8 foot length side for ease of maintenance, and a pop door on the short length side.

Lots of bedding is very helpful in cold weather, and I would just spot pick the top of the bedding then stir it - did not need much bedding that way.

 

[Autumn Leaves]

Thanks for the bedding information. I would prefer not to have to bring my ducks in the garage when we have the bad cold snaps like I am with my chickens right now. It will be one crowded garage!

 

[Amiga]

Please do think about the cold - my Runners, well, about five of them - do not thrive in below-freezing temperatures. Some ducks do okay to a point, but I know of no ducks that would be thriving without some form of heat or extremely well-insulated housing in the weather we have had this winter.

Some ideas are - placing the duck shelter right up against a heated shelter, or half in-ground for insulation and heat from the earth. Some kind of thermal mass heating system. If you go electric, remember there are too many coop fires from things going wrong with wiring. You have time to think ahead, and that's great.

 

[Autumn Leaves]

Yes last night made me think some more about the cold. I'm considering installing some form of heating system that I would only use on subzero days. Luckily my father is an electrician so I'm going to run some ideas by him. Safety is huge! I don't want to loose my pets to a fire, I would rather bring them in my laundry room than risk that!.

We normally don't get too many dangerously cold days here (except for last winter, that was crazy!). So bringing them in wouldn't be horrible.

I'm also thinking about summer heat. It will have shade from an oak. I'm thinking about making removable panels for the summer with hardware cloth behind. This would be in addition to the winter ventilation.


So for planning purposes - at what temperatures do ducks have troubles. Everywhere says they are much hardier than chickens but how much hardier? I would love to hear from the warm areas for summer temps and the cold areas for winter temps - that's the beauty of Ohio- we get it all!

 

[needlessjunk]

I'm in TX and cold for me is 20-30. Every once in a big while it will get down to the low 20's at night. Mine is a 3 sides coop with one side all hardware cloth. When it will be around freezing at night I have a board I slide over the open side. My door is all hardware cloth and I have vents at the top. I'll see if I can find a pic. Most of the year it is hot and we have nights and don't drop below 85-90 in the summer.