Duck Houses and Care for Winter

[halecards]

Hey! I have six ducks (2 welsh harlequins, 2 pekins, and 2 black swedish) and they are about six months old now. I live in northern Missouri, so our winters can be pretty harsh. I'm thinking of ideas for houses for them to stay in, during the winter and for night time. They free ranger all the time, day and night, which I should lock them up at night, but I don't have a house for them to lock them up! Could you post pictures of your houses and also any helpful ideas for the winter and care for the cold months would be great too! Thanks!!

 

[Amiga]

There are currently some responses to Arielle on the Winter Housing ? ? ? topic that you may find helpful.

In my case, I have my nine runners in a section of the walkout basement for wintertime nights.

One thought I shared on that other topic is that the ducks need protection from both winter weather and predators.

Before I realized I wanted to keep the runners in the basement, and for their shelter the other two or three seasons of the year, I built them a double-walled 4'x8' plywood house. The insulation is perlite and vermiculite - minerals with a good R value that don't mold or burn - and keep at least a foot of pine shavings on the floor for insulation and comfort. Attached to that is a 4'x8' porch, covered top sides and bottom with half inch hardware cloth and serious footings to prevent digging. The whole thing is surrounded by two strands of equine tape (electric fence).