Finished the duck house! (pic)

[WestKnollAmy]

Great duck house!

I still have to tell my ducks bedtime and make them go up at dark. If I wait until an hour after dark, however, they have gone in themselves and i can close them up but I worry over owls and such getting them so I like mine put up.

I agree with the above poster, make a funnel and they do need a wide ramp to go in. Some of mine hate my 4" rise to get in theirs and I had to put them a step up to get in. Rotten creatures.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Thats an awesome duck house

 

[Hideaway Haven]

That is the most beautiful coop I have ever seen!!!!

 

[Back on the Farm]

Quote:
My ducks live with my chickens. They free range on the farm during the day and go to the coop at night. The ducks have no problems going up & down the ramp. When I moved them from the brooder to the coop, I had to 'teach' them how to go up and down the ramp-I used meal worms & they got the hang of it quick.

 

[animalsRawesome]

wow! BEAUTIFUL house!!!!!

 

[duckyfromoz]

Well done to your husband. That house is gorgeous- and come the coldest nights Im sure your ducks will appreciate it. If its dark inside they are less likely to want to go in there- leave food inside during the day- and none else where- with the door left open they may be inquisitive enough to venture in on their own. Once they know thats where the food is you will have half the battle won with getting them inside.

 

[RunnerWhisperer]

Very nice!!!!

 

[DuckWrangler16]

That is an excellent house!

Hopefully you dont have Muscovies they dont herd like runners they more or less just scatter in any direction possible. I would Try feeding them inside... it is much easier to lure than to force!

 

[jbourget]

fantastic housing for the ducks. i am even more pleased with the fligth pen youve made. you could put some nice mandarins or wood ducks in there! please post photos of the ducks and the pond on this thread too ?? thanks!

 

[lovesgliders]

Nope, no Scovies, just three little Mallards that like to flex their wings! Herding them isn't going so well. I am going to try to coax them into it via their bellies, like someone suggested here. Yesterday I left the food bowl at the foot of the ramp and--GASP--didn't bring them any treatsies. (yes they are very abused)

Well they got hungry enough to lean over the ramp to eat.

So today the food bowl is propped ON the ramp so that, near as I can tell, they will have to stand on the bottom edge of the ramp to eat.

I don't think they are terribly pleased with me but they need to realize that the house ain't gonna eat them. LOL

Here is a front shot of the pen (fully covered, so I suppose you could call it a flight pen or aviary):

Duckingham Palace: Front by Just In Luv, on Flickr

It's massive and impossible to really show how big it is in a picture. It's 48' x 24'.

Here is the pond. It's only 8' diameter but they like it.

Pond Progress by Just In Luv, on Flickr

(picture taken before the pen was even close to being finished, of course... had to get the tractor in there!)