First time duck owner. What is effective shelter and housing, and how to clean it? (PICS)

[ashswag14]

I'm hatching some ducklings and chicks for a friend. We usually give them back after a few weeks when they are ready to be outside with the other ducks. But I've been reading alot of stuff on here and it seems like a wonderful experience to own ducks. So I was thinking about asking if I could keep 2 or 3 ducklings and raise them to adults.
I have an old shed type thing I was thinking I could convert into a home for them to go in to at night. But I have no idea what it should consist of and what work I need to do on it to make it ducky friendly.
Here are some pics of it







It has this kinda perch like thing at the top. I think that's where someone put like a bed or something as its about the size of a twin mattress. Should I tear that out or would it be fine?


Anyways, what should I do to it to get it ready? Do I need to put sawdust or straw in the bottom of it? And how do I clean it/how often? Also how do I clean the yard as I hear they poop ALOT lol? Any other pointers or tips for raising ducks would be greatly appreciated too!
Sorry for all the questions haha I just want to make sure they are happy!

 

[Deleted member 94844]

Oh, wow... that could be great! How to dress it up depends on the type of ducks you have and whether they will nest. The most important thing in my opinion is being sure it is easy to clean. What is under that flooring? Is it a slab or wood? The carpet def needs to go as it will get disgusting. Best to have a smooth surface that you can sweep or hose out as they will poop a lot. I don't offer food/water once the adult ducks are in for the night which minimizes the mess and poop, but they will still crap all over. Unless you have very small ducks or Muscovys they will not be able to fly up to that ledge, but you could use it to store straw or other materials. I wish I had a shed like that to fix up!! First I'd install some beadboard and trim inside, hang some pictures, some shingles on the outside... LOL.

 

[Amiga]

See if this gives you ideas. https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/206659/coop-pics-for-ducks-designs

The loft section might work for storing bedding or other useful materials - just put some kind of railing to prevent things from falling on the ducks.

I would take up any carpet. And put down vinyl floor sheeting and run it up the walls nearly a foot to make it easy to clean and keep poop out from under the edges of the sheeting. I got mine free from a flooring store.

Poke those walls. Raccoons will. Any gap larger than half an inch, or that could be made to be larger than half an inch, must be fixed. Predators have time and patience and may be stronger than you realize. Check the flooring. Check the tops of the walls.

Half inch metal hardware cloth is a really great invention.

Another thought is to line the inside with some plywood. You'd get a little better insulation and it would be stronger against predators.

It needs ventilation. Some adjustable openings covered with metal hardware cloth should work. The windows are a good start.

I would attach a porch to the front of the structure, and surround that with metal hardware cloth for warm evenings.

 

[ashswag14]

Haha. We hatch Pekins, Khakis, and Runners, but I was thinking I'd keep a few Pekins since they seem to be the most lovable lol. So every now and then I would just have to sweep out everything into something and put new bedding? How often should I do that? What should I use as bedding and where do you think I could purchase it?

 

[Amiga]

I use pine shavings and spot pick daily, and stir the bedding. If it gets an ammonia smell, it all gets cleaned out and replaced. Otherwise I sprinkle fresh bedding every few days and stir it in.

I use the bottom of a big plastic dog crate with sawdust in the bottom to hold the water pot, and that keeps it from splashing the bedding. The sawdust needs to be stirred and changed out as needed, also.

You may be able to go with a foot or foot and a half of shavings for bedding, and it could be months before you need to replace it. Just remember to spot pick and stir. A little peat moss helps keep it fresher, too.

Places that cater to horse people usually have decent bedding.

 

[ashswag14]

Ahh thank you both! Good ideas

 

[Going Quackers]

That thing is awesome! i'd leave the little bunker thing fabulous for storage, bedding, extra bowls so forth i wouldn't store feed in it but that's just me. You pretty much want the same thing as chickens get, good ventilation and predator proof main differences are accommodating the wet factor. I have stall mats down on the floor of my barn, then i bed mainly with shavings, i have some new flax bedding mixed in right now, i am a nut bar but i clean daily and then stir the bedding.

My water is up on blocks, a standard chicken waterer type i leave the dunking the nares bowels outside this lessens the water mess, some of the stalls don't get feed/water and you don't have to have feed/water overnight for older birds, i just keep the main area of the barn with feed/water so more birds have access as well this allows all the laying females to have access 24/7. It also helps in times of poor weather as it's fully protected.


There is mine, you cannot see but off to the right are 3 small duck sized stalls.. it's all elevated on old industrial skids, then it's sided with old barn boards, metal roof and antique windows back with hardware cloth. Heavily treed area that it's set in as well, this help ease the heat in the summer and the winter winds.

 

[ashswag14]

That thing is awesome! i'd leave the little bunker thing fabulous for storage, bedding, extra bowls so forth i wouldn't store feed in it but that's just me. You pretty much want the same thing as chickens get, good ventilation and predator proof main differences are accommodating the wet factor. I have stall mats down on the floor of my barn, then i bed mainly with shavings, i have some new flax bedding mixed in right now, i am a nut bar but i clean daily and then stir the bedding.

My water is up on blocks, a standard chicken waterer type i leave the dunking the nares bowels outside this lessens the water mess, some of the stalls don't get feed/water and you don't have to have feed/water overnight for older birds, i just keep the main area of the barn with feed/water so more birds have access as well this allows all the laying females to have access 24/7. It also helps in times of poor weather as it's fully protected.


There is mine, you cannot see but off to the right are 3 small duck sized stalls.. it's all elevated on old industrial skids, then it's sided with old barn boards, metal roof and antique windows back with hardware cloth. Heavily treed area that it's set in as well, this help ease the heat in the summer and the winter winds.

That looks good! I'm still kinda confused about the ventilation bit. Should I take the board, screens, and glass off the windows?

 

[Deleted member 94844]

I think the windows will be fine as-is, just ditch the screens and staple 1/2" hardware cloth securely on the inside... covering the entire window area. A 'coon would be able to rip the flimsy screen and get inside. You can adjust the glass sash for ventilation depending on the weather.

 

[Amiga]

I think the windows will be fine as-is, just ditch the screens and staple 1/2" hardware cloth securely on the inside... covering the entire window area. A 'coon would be able to rip the flimsy screen and get inside. You can adjust the glass sash for ventilation depending on the weather.

Ditto!