Seems to me that some of the expense is going to depend on how many ducks you have. We started with eleven, and I wanted room for up to fifteen,
Then there's your climate. We're in New England and it's about six degrees F this morning.
When it became apparent some of our Runners were not winter hardy, I looked into safely heating their outdoor house. Yikes!
Then I realized that our emergency storm shelter in the basement would be warm enough and easy to convert to longer term duckie use. Voila! I saved some serious money and I have found it to be much easier to care for them in the winter (especially when there are three feet of snow outside).
We built a 4'x8' double walled plywood house, large enough for the largest flock I anticipated, and attached a 4'x8' porch for water, food, and cooler nights in summer. Those - the night shelter - are covered with half inch hardware cloth.
So maybe you already have an area that is going to make getting the proper shelter a little easier, say right up against the house or garage, or in a walkout basement like mine. It's not for everyone, but I must say we don't have an odor problem, it is easy to clean up and maintain, the ducks are safe and warm enough (the basement is not heated), and we initially set it up with a puppy pen we already had.
I think everyone's pictures are great! Such ideas! But I want to toss in the importance of protecting ducks especially at night. They are very vulnerable to predators, including family pets. Please think about this before you have the ducks. They need a safe place.
Also, while they are in the brooder, think about how you will manage the water splash. Ducks splash. They splash water, and poop, and food. They don't do it to be naughty, they are just fun-loving ducks! There are some great topics on how people manage duck water. Have fun reading all about it!
