Duck Run Question

[MissMonty]

Hello!!

I am looking into getting both chickens and ducks when we purchase some land this spring. My original plan was to keep the chickens and ducks together in the outside run and then having separate coop areas for them.

After researching a little more and since I will most likely have the space (we're looking at getting min 5 acres, hopefully more) that I would rather go ahead and look into plans for something bigger and separate.

For chickens I noticed pretty much everyone has a covered run of some sort, which I plan to do for the chickens. But ducks it seems about 50/50 as to if people have them in just a paddock and have a safe enclosure for at night or if they're in a covered run (either with paneling or some kind of fencing).

Is there a reason less people have them covered? This would save me significantly when building if I don't have to worry about a roof but I also don't want to skip out just to realize my mistake after something gets my ducks.

I would plan on having their own indoor coop area with a small covered run they can go in and out as they please and then ideally a paddock style run with a decent sized pond out there. I have plenty of time before I'd be building this so I'm in no rush, just looking for a good discussion on what would be the most idea situation.

Thoughts?

 

[Amiga]

Hi!

I can't say for anyone else, but sometimes I think it's risk assessment that makes the difference between covered and uncovered runs.

We have so many predators of all types around here, if I am not nearby, I keep the ducks in covered runs. When I can be nearby, they have extended areas that are fenced, but without covers. There is one garden area I have with netting over the top.

At night, they are in a "barn" area I made in the walkout basement.

 

[revans2003]

Raccoons will climb up and over an Uncovered run

 

[MissMonty]

I know raccoons and such can climb over which is why at night they would be in a coop area with maybe a smaller run that is covered. This would just be for daytime use. I would have the fence tall enough that most daytime animals wouldn't mess with it (like a stray dog for example). So my question is more for just daytime use only.

 

[revans2003]

I know raccoons and such can climb over which is why at night they would be in a coop area with maybe a smaller run that is covered. This would just be for daytime use. I would have the fence tall enough that most daytime animals wouldn't mess with it (like a stray dog for example).  So my question is more for just daytime use only. 

Oh, in that case I wouldn't worry about it. I didn't have a top on my run for a long time and the Hawks did not mess with my adults. I put the top on when we had ducklings.

 

[MissMonty]

Yeah see I'm not sure how bad hawks will be around me either. I have very LOUD dogs (huskies) so most animals stay so far from my property anyways that I don't see it being a huge issue.

I just never knew why people almost always have covered runs for chickens but not their ducks.

 

[JJpuck]

I think it's best to look at the types of predators that are most common in your area. We have a lot of red tails where I'm from, so I have a cover on my run. In my opinion, I would put a cover on your run just in case. I have this netting. It comes in all different sizes. It has worked great so far without snow or leaf pileup in the winter and fall.

<<http://www.amazon.com/Fishing-Socce...cer,+Basketball,+Cage,+Goal,+Barrier,+Netting.>>

It was on the pricier side, but it has paid off so far!

 

[MissMonty]

I'll have to look into that. See I wanted to build a pretty decent sized run for them, I may use it for other animals here and there as well when they're not in it. So covering the whole thing worried me in the sense that if something got stuck on top it would be a huge pain to get it off. Maybe I'll look into building a more medium sized covered run attached to their coop and then maybe I'll either just stick to a tractor style run or maybe a run where I can keep a constant eye on them.

 

[HnkyDnkyZZFarm]

Up until a wind storm did some demolition work for us with a tree, we had a decent enclosed run. Our coop is inside another enclosed space though, so the run is primarily used when we're acclimating someone new or have chicks that are too small to have run of the full space.

The ducks have never been fond of the enclosed run. I think it has something to do with their belief that they just might want to do some flapping and the enclosure isn't suited to it.

They are so-so on the coop. if they're shut in at night, they'll have a three am freak out - drives the neighbor nuts. Then they want out at 7am for the morning parade. They have free choice as to where they want to be. It's chilly enough lately that sometimes they shack up with the rabbits, sometimes with the chickens, sometimes they do their own thing.

My bunch are fairly chunky monkeys though. At least double to triple the size of the chickens and I've seen them bum rush animal intruders. I'd like to add a goose as an extra layer of security to kind of work with the duck detail by night guarding the chickens.