Duck hut design questions

[User635240]

Hi, a couple of quick questions. I'm planning a duck hut that will be 12*12, right at the edge of the pond.
1) would a suspended floor, 18" above the soil, be a good idea, to provide shade and cover for the ducks? Is 18" a good crawl space height?
2) would a ramp from the ground to the suspended floor work for ducks to access the hut? Do they use ramps?

 

[U_Stormcrow]

My ducks do not use ramps (perhaps if they were shallow enough?) - my suspended floor is 32" off the ground (chickens above) and 4' deep. I can crawl under it. Its not comfortable to do so.

Also, there's a LOT of dried crap I'm crawling in when forced to do so.

Being forced to rebuild, not going to put a floor in this time. Doing the whole thing larger, with a bigger roof.

 

[Penpal]

With ours, we had a lean to on ground enough above the pond that it would not get pond overflow. The wall was on the west side, where the strong winds come from, with a wall on the north and one on the south. Covered the ground with a thick bedding of straw. The ducks created two nests, and sometimes just one.

 

[User635240]

@U_Stormcrow @Penpal you're saying you just extended the walls to the ground with no flooring at all? What would prevent predators from digging under?

 

[U_Stormcrow]

@U_Stormcrow @Penpal you're saying you just extended the walls to the ground with no flooring at all? What would prevent predators from digging under?

I have an electric fence, and a large pasture. Most people use a skirt outside the hen house/duck hut - chain link fence, hardware cloth, woven wire fencing, or concrete pavers.

 

[Penpal]

Yes, to the ground. We had a dog loose, also the ducks spent most of their time on the water. Trapped a couple freeloaders.

Now, there are too many predators in this area and I would use electric netting all around the pond and resting area if I were to have ducks again.

 

[User635240]

Yes, to the ground. We had a dog loose, also the ducks spent most of their time on the water. Trapped a couple freeloaders.

Now, there are too many predators in this area and I would use electric netting all around the pond and resting area if I were to have ducks again.

Like this product? https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B016IXLN08/

 

[yarrowhouse]

In my experience, ducks don't do well with tall ramps, and I've learned every bit of space they occupy will need care and maintenance, so you won't like having that crawl space that is difficult to access.

Our first pen was a prefab metal frame 12x9ft that we reinforced with hardware cloth. Not too difficult to access but the sides were only 4ft tall which was really annoying, and it wasn't big enough to feel ok leaving them all day if we weren't around.

Since then we built a much bigger pen, 8ft tall with hardware cloth on all sides and top. So so so much easier to maintain, move around in, and totally comfortable leaving them in when we have to go away.

 

[User635240]

Ok thanks everyone for your feedback. Helped me reconsider some designs and avoid problems in the future.

 

[Penpal]

Yes, like that product.