Ducks to Square Foot Ratio

[AMBiEN22]

Hello everyone!

So my first question was easy, but this one is where i am sure a lot of people will begin to debate. My question is simple; How close do you follow the Ducks to Square Foot Ratio, and what ratio are you using now?

I ask because i have read a few articles that say ducks need anywhere from 3-15 feet of space, which is a large range. I am also asking because i am planning my coop build and i want to make sure they have adequate floor space.

The coop will be housing six (6) Cayuga Ducks.

Thanks ahead of time,
Mike.

 

[Going Quackers]

well, their is this little thing call duck math??

In all seriousness, you may have 6 now but is their a drake? if so, a possible raise in the amount right there. Perhaps, later on you love the ducks and want to add more, maybe a different breed this time?

and so forth, i guess basically what i mean is always consider expansion, i started with 4.. you know how many i have had since then?

As of this moment i have 14 Muscovy, 2 calls, 2 buffs arriving Thursday and a nest of 9 eggs... under a broody with some arrival date of between soon and next month lol

I had 2 nests last year, re-homed the majority(kept the lone duck) , sadly suffered two loses from a predator(ie, neighbours dog!) and added 3 more ducks(by trade )



I am not some crazy duck person, honest! but i am realistic, my mini barn expanded last year... it's now roomy enough to house a fair bit.. it takes the 14 i have right now(calls are housed separate) , could bump to 20 maybe even a few more...

Always plan for the possibility is all i am saying, rarely does the flock stay the same, it's always changing sadly sometimes not even through your own intentions, loses happen, nests happen, and that little unknown issue duck math, good luck!

 

[Amiga]

The three sf number would be a minimum for night shelter, the larger numbers are for when you know there will be days or weeks when weather closes everything in and they have to stay in the coop.

And Going Quackers makes a good point - building in some flexibility in your infrastructure is wise.

I have found that we don't hatch eggs, but we have taken in rescues. And sometimes rescue opportunities arise quickly.

Another reason to have some space and design flexibility is for those times there may be a conflict, new ducklings or an injured duck that needs its own space.

 

[AMBiEN22]

well, their is this little thing call duck math??

In all seriousness, you may have 6 now but is their a drake? if so, a possible raise in the amount right there. Perhaps, later on you love the ducks and want to add more, maybe a different breed this time?

and so forth, i guess basically what i mean is always consider expansion, i started with 4.. you know how many i have had since then?

As of this moment i have 14 Muscovy, 2 calls, 2 buffs arriving Thursday and a nest of 9 eggs... under a broody with some arrival date of between soon and next month lol

I had 2 nests last year, re-homed the majority(kept the lone duck) , sadly suffered two loses from a predator(ie, neighbours dog!) and added 3 more ducks(by trade )



I am not some crazy duck person, honest! but i am realistic, my mini barn expanded last year... it's now roomy enough to house a fair bit.. it takes the 14 i have right now(calls are housed separate) , could bump to 20 maybe even a few more...

Always plan for the possibility is all i am saying, rarely does the flock stay the same, it's always changing sadly sometimes not even through your own intentions, loses happen, nests happen, and that little unknown issue duck math, good luck!

I hear you, i only ask these questions because i want to do my homework and research before i have my ducks. There is nothing that angers me more than people who buy animals then do the research as their animals suffer using trial and error tactics.

Thank you for the reply! Although you never explained the duck math, but rather to buy a barn because i may be addicted quick!

The three sf number would be a minimum for night shelter, the larger numbers are for when you know there will be days or weeks when weather closes everything in and they have to stay in the coop.

And Going Quackers makes a good point - building in some flexibility in your infrastructure is wise.

I have found that we don't hatch eggs, but we have taken in rescues. And sometimes rescue opportunities arise quickly.

Another reason to have some space and design flexibility is for those times there may be a conflict, new ducklings or an injured duck that needs its own space.

Thanks Amiga for the response,

I'm pretty sure i am going to over shoot on the space requirements in the coop as well as my run, just wanted to probe and see what everyone else is doing! I have seen people's coops and runs compared to their number of ducks and they seem very cramped so i guess everyone has their own style of doing things (in my area of course, and i am sure breed plays a major role in space req. as well).

 

[ducklover87]

I see you live in southern NH. I live in upstate NY and it gets cold here so there's times in the winter when I keep them in due to negative temps for extended time, nor'easters, and just bad weather. So keep that in mind too. I had 4 ducks in a 10' x10' shelter but as Going Quackers stated duck math kicked in and now I have 4 ducks, 15 twelve week old ducklings, 3 geese coming next week, and 8 eggs in the incubator. Needless to say I need a bigger shelter now. The 10' x10' was big for my 4 ducks. That gave them 25 sq ft each which was a lot of room for them but with the new additions that's not a lot of room. If your going to stick with just 6 cayuags than an 8'x8' shelter would be big enough, it'll give your ducks like 10 sq ft each which is good but if you think you might want more go bigger or you could build 2 shelters if you wanted

 

[Going Quackers]

I'm actually unsure if an explanation exists of 'duck math' it's a rather unexplainable type thing lol Ducklover87 raises a good point bad weather? may mean they are indoors, mine will go out to a point but in hail, sleet and wicked cold? i say skip it and toss them some greens and lock 'em in!