Duck house sizes

[Knighstar679]

I am rebuilding my duck house. So in looking at what I can rebuild with very little extra cost right now it seems like an 8x8 is going to be the best I can do for the fluffy butts.
Now they will get to be out in a large run which will be about 35 by 17ish almost all day so they will only be put in it at night.

I will likely have 5 or 6 welsh harlequin size layers and maybe 10 bantam ducks, you think they can manage in a house this size ok?

 

[Isaac 0]

Seem's a bit small for 15 ducks, I would go bigger. Three to five sqf. is recommended per duck.

 

[Knighstar679]

Seem's a bit small for 15 ducks, I would go bigger. Three to five sqf. is recommended per duck.

It will be 64 sq figuring about 3.5 sq ft per duck comes up to 18. Something ducks for allowed for the space. 21 ducks if I did just 3 sq ft per duck. My welshies hate being in the house unless it’s cold or certain weathers we have been fighting over it every night for almost a month. They won’t spend much time in the house unless I put a pool inside it. Buggers seem to have forgotten that several of them gotten eaten by a fox!

 

[Jpat]

I think getting all female welshies would be a wise choice as a welshie drake would be too much for bantom ducks

 

[Knighstar679]

I think getting all female welshies would be a wise choice as a welshie drake would be too much for bantom ducks

my welshie drake is confused. He doesn’t bother the female black East Indie I have and only goes after the one male black East Indie I have. I am working on more girls for him. The fox ate his other girls a few weeks ago so now he is left with his one girl and the BEI.

 

[BReeder!]

I am rebuilding my duck house. So in looking at what I can rebuild with very little extra cost right now it seems like an 8x8 is going to be the best I can do for the fluffy butts.
Now they will get to be out in a large run which will be about 35 by 17ish almost all day so they will only be put in it at night.

I will likely have 5 or 6 welsh harlequin size layers and maybe 10 bantam ducks, you think they can manage in a house this size ok?

I say 8x8 is sufficient for night time. I have 6 in a 4x4 area... the pop door into the run is ALWAYS open though. They have access to 15'x12' run with a pond any time they want and they get access to the lawn quite often (constantly at the moment as I am reconstructing the fence asking the front of the run...). Predators on the ducks is fairly limited here though so I can do this. I also could let the ducks into the remainder of our coop with the chickens (8) and turkeys (2), and further into the rest if the shed (coop is built into or shed) which would give all of them a 12'x10' area. That's my winter vortex backup plan...
That said, depending on where you are and the need to (or not to) keep the ducks in lockdown for an extended period of time, a small duckhouse may be fine. 8x8 is large in my opinion given my circumstances, but could be small if you need to keep them in there for more than just a night.

 

[Knighstar679]

I say 8x8 is sufficient for night time. I have 6 in a 4x4 area... the pop door into the run is ALWAYS open though. They have access to 15'x12' run with a pond any time they want and they get access to the lawn quite often (constantly at the moment as I am reconstructing the fence asking the front of the run...). Predators on the ducks is fairly limited here though so I can do this. I also could let the ducks into the remainder of our coop with the chickens (8) and turkeys (2), and further into the rest if the shed (coop is built into or shed) which would give all of them a 12'x10' area. That's my winter vortex backup plan...
That said, depending on where you are and the need to (or not to) keep the ducks in lockdown for an extended period of time, a small duckhouse may be fine. 8x8 is large in my opinion given my circumstances, but could be small if you need to keep them in there for more than just a night.

my hope is by winter time that an additional 11 ft by 10ft will be a three quarter covered run to give them even more space to hang out in if needed during those cold times. That should give them even more space to hand out in. The pool is planned to be outside that area. The other are part of their run is going to be devoted to grass for however long that lasts. That way they can noodle for bugs, they will also be set free into the back yard for bug hunting and noodle time as well several times a week.

 

[Miss Lydia]

It will be 64 sq figuring about 3.5 sq ft per duck comes up to 18. Something ducks for allowed for the space. 21 ducks if I did just 3 sq ft per duck. My welshies hate being in the house unless it’s cold or certain weathers we have been fighting over it every night for almost a month. They won’t spend much time in the house unless I put a pool inside it. Buggers seem to have forgotten that several of them gotten eaten by a fox!

Are you going to have fort knox run so if they don't want to go inside they will be safe. I hate your hatching to feed the predators. You know they'll be coming around to see what's for dinner.

 

[Knighstar679]

Are you going to have fort knox run so if they don't want to go inside they will be safe. I hate your hatching to feed the predators. You know they'll be coming around to see what's for dinner.

This run a ground predators is going to have to mess with my dogs this time to get to them as it is in the middle of my fenced in back yard. To date the only things fuzzy that have come in have been a few mice and rats and all of those died to my Belgian Tervuren girl. There will be a skirting to have to dig through for ground predators like my last one, it will be hidden by landscaping so it looks pretty and the ducks have something to eat when they are out.

Then There will be the secured run as well. Which I want to run a hot line around the top and middle to stop things from going over the top like what happened last time. Just encase it gets past the dogs. But I have to do things in increments to afford it all.

 

[Miss Lydia]

I sure understand having to do things in increments.