Duck pen idea

[EggLuver]

No one here knows yet but I live off the grid and I am slowly working to make my place self sufficient and with that comes a lot of thought and ideas. One idea is to have different kinds of fruit that did not need a lot of tending such as grapes. I remember when I was little my grandparents had a huge area of grape vines and all that was done to them was picking and eating the grapes. It was kind of oval shaped and they had constructed it so that the vines also made a roof over the area and there was only one opening into the inside. I was thinking of doing the same thing with the duck pen. Of course the vines would have to be about a foot away from the pallets so the ducks did not eat all the grapes.

My thinking is that the water from the changes to the duck pools would be used to water the grapes and nearby fruit trees thus killing 2 birds with one stone. The second advantage is that the grapes would provide shade in the summer and protection from rain and snow. Yes some water would drip through but they will always have the house if they want to get out of it. Protection from the wind is another advantage. The last advantage that many of you may be interested in is protection from above. Hawks, Eagles etc.

You can also feed some of the grapes to the birds themselves. Mine loves Choke Cherries until the wild birds showed up one day and cleaned me out. Only threw them a handful at a time so as to not give them too much at one time. It was kinda funny to watch them eat them because they would chew on them and spit out the seeds. The wild birds ate the whole thing.

On another note,,,, They love watermelon. Gave them what was left on the rind and the cleaned them up.

 

[Amiga]

Good idea!

My ducks have a grape arbor in their garden area, adjacent to their secure day pen. Water from their swim pans can be channeled into the grape arbor or into a couple of lower raised beds. Originally, it just went to the grapes.

But I found in a year with loads of rain, that the additional water seemed to encourage black spot, so now I can reroute the channel if there has been abundant rain.

Also consider hardy kiwi (you need a male and female for fruit). Dwarf weeping mulberry may also be another perennial that could be trained over a fenced area.

Congratulations for your off-grid setup.

 

[seaneduck]

I have Virginia creeper growing over my duck pen. I cut a couple of branches off my existing plants (at the point where the stem went into the ground) and they took off! I use the duck pool water, with all those yummy nutrients to water them, and then train the vines to grow up, around and thru the chicken wire of the pen's sides and roof. The ducks will eat the leaves and berries, but I have wooden panels up three feet from the ground so they really have to stretch to reach them.
I love the shade it provides, and can't wait for it to really overtake the overhead portions of the cage.

 

[ducklucky]

Good for you, stay off that grid! There are tons of fast growing things to shelter your birds, don't know where you are...we have a lilac that we planted next to the chicken run that is about 15 feet tall, planted it ourselves, grew like a weed, guess it was the natural fertilizer from the chickens. A lot if evergreens grow quickly and any vine is great. And YES, poo duck water is fantastic fertilizer for all plants that grow ABOVE ground, you don't want to use it on root veges unless you want that certain flavor Their dirty bedding is also excellent for between rows. Congrats on your project, keep up the good work, and let everyone know your secrets to not paying bills anymore...

 

[chicksooner]

Great idea! Are there any flowering vines that would be safe for ducks and chickens?

 

[Amiga]

What I find lovely is nasturtium in planters along the top of the fence. If they are happy and well fed, they will begin to cascade across the top and down the sides of the pen.

Since they are edible, they are safe for the ducks and tasty in your salad.

 

[EggLuver]

Thanks all. I am planning it all out still but I am not trying to raise feed for the ducks but rather for me. I am trying to make the most effective use of the land and using something for more than one purpose seems to be the best thing to do. I am in Montana so what ever I grow will be slow. I plan on Grapes, Blueberries, Raspberries and probably Crab Apples and Apricots for fruit.These will all be planted immediately down slope from the duck pen. I have rabbits to take care of the rest of the garden needs. Chickens will come next year and range even farther than I let the ducks.

As of right now I plan on putting and the mutt ducks and Pekins in the freezer this week and keeping the silver Swedish that I have. I know that people will be giving away more next year too.