Duck run/coop suggestions

[smpinky]

Hi! My boyfriend and I are new to ducks and were wanting some suggestions on what works better for ducks. We have 2 ideas. Build a larger duck coop and give a nice fenced in area or use a 10x10 dog kennel with converted dog houses in it. We want what's safest for them and want something they will like and use. Should we cover it or do you find its alright not covered? Any suggestions would help!
Thanks!

I'll also add. We have 2 mallard 3 Muscovy ducks

 

[DancingWthDucks]

Hi and welcome to BYC!

It really depends on what sort of run and how predator proof your design is.... Foxes and Racoons can easily climb a 6 foot fence, so adding electric strands of wire or a 1 foot overhang at the top will help prevent this. The mesh also needs to idealy be chain link/ weld mesh/ hardware cloth to prevent stronger predators from breaking in, and the gaps can't be too big, otherwise Racoons can reach in and grab your birds. Electric wire strands around the base or a mesh skirt will prevent predators from digging in. One advantage of building your own run, is that you can give your ducks more space to roam around. 'Storey's Guide to Raising Ducks' (which I'd highly recommend), suggests that you should ideally allow 50 square feet per duck (bantam breeds don't need as much room), so a 10foot x 10foot area would be anough for 2 ducks.

Here's a helpful article about building predator proof runs:
https://poultrykeeper.com/pests-and-predators/poultry-fencing/

The dog run could also work, as long as you add a layer of smaller holed mesh around the bottom half of the run to prevent Racoons from reaching in, aswell as using a mesh skirt or paving to stop foxes and dogs from digging in.

Here's some more useful links:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/waterfowl-housing-coop-run-designs-plans-for-ducks-geese-etc
https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/chicken-run-plans-pictures-designs

Good luck,
Charlotte