Duck Tractor advice?

[LemonDoodles]

I am going to make a super simple, lightweight duck tractor this weekend. My two Pekins need to get out more and I can't be stuck to the yard playing "scarehawk" with fear of running inside for a second. What do you think is a good size for two Pekins? I was thinking A-frame, 2 ft high by 4 ft long... Does that sound about right? Do you think they will be able to stand and flap? Or would 3 x 3 A-frame make more sense?

I plan on making it light enough for me to carry and it will just be for hour stints, a ducky playpen!

Thoughts?

 

[70%cocoa]

How wide are you going to make it? 2 feet might be too low to allow flapping. What is your ducks' wingspan when they stretch out? Are they adult ducks?

 

[grawg]

Just be careful how wide you make it. I was planning on making a semi-mobile duck house and made it 4'x6'. The length isn't a big deal but the width makes it awkward.

 

[TrinityFarms]

I run my pekin ducks in 'duck tractors' that are 2' high, 8' wide and 12' long. They still have lots of clearance. We have them out on pasture as long as we can during the year. If you are only putting yours in there for the occasional play time, 2' will be lots of height.

 

[ChickInDelight]

That seems WAY small. They can't fly, so can you perhaps make a bigger, uncovered run for playtime. Plastic chickenwire is cheap.

 

[TrinityFarms]

Sounds like LemonDoodle has predator worries though (or maybe I misunderstood why you need to watch them while they're outside). If you have hawks or owls in your area, the ducks might not last the hour in an uncovered pen.

 

[TrinityFarms]

Sorry, I missed the part where you said you were thinking of an A-frame. If you're still planning on an A-frame, then I would make it taller than 2 feet. My cages are all built like boxes, so the ducks can use the full area, but another idea would be to take some semi-rigid hose or pipe and bend it into half circles to form an upside-down U shape. It increases the usable space of the cage for only a little increase in surface area.