Floating Duck House Questions

[GiseleN]

There are domestic ducks in the pond down the street from me that someone must have left there, so I am trying to build a floating duck house for them. I am wondering what the best way is to keep it in the middle of the pond so it doesn't float all around and end up at the edge of the water. Do I need to attach a cinder block or some kind of weight to a rope that is then attached the bottom of the house or could I tie ropes to opposite sides of the house and attach them to each side of the pond? Would it tip over if I did that? Thank you to any ideas!

 

[Miss Lydia]

There are domestic ducks in the pond down the street from me that someone must have left there, so I am trying to build a floating duck house for them. I am wondering what the best way is to keep it in the middle of the pond so it doesn't float all around and end up at the edge of the water. Do I need to attach a cinder block or some kind of weight to a rope that is then attached the bottom of the house or could I tie ropes to opposite sides of the house and attach them to each side of the pond? Would it tip over if I did that? Thank you to any ideas!

I would think putting cement blocks with house tied to it or old tires might work too. Any way you can adopt them and keep them safe at your home? Domestic ducks really need a home they don't do well over winter on their own.

@GiseleN Welcome to BYC

 

[Bills vs Beaks]

I hate it when people dump unwanted animals... good on you for helping them.
I second miss Lydia, I would do the cement block(or 2 or 3

)
What breed are they? Any pics?

 

[GiseleN]

They seem to be Pekin ducks. We live in central Texas, so I'm hoping that with a duck house, they'll be ok over the winter. The pond doesn't freeze, but air temperatures can get to freezing during the night at the coldest time of year. I wouldn't mind adopting them except that we have two dogs, and one of them is aggressive towards small animals.
The idea for a duck house came from my daughter and her friends, who are using it as a middle school school project. They need to solve a community problem. So we've researched, and have started construction. The HOA is fully supporting the project, luckily. We just aren't sure about the best way to secure it in the pond. The pond manager suggested a cinder block with a rope attached to it, and another rope attached to the edge of the water so that you can pull it in. But if the rope attached to the cinder block is long enough to accommodate that, the house would also be able to drift to the shore on its own. Maybe a single rope with cinder block, then use fishing waders to just walk in when needed (how often would we need to clean the house out....would they poop in there?)
My daughter likes the idea of two ropes; one attached to either side of the pond. If you want to pull the house to shore, you'd undo one rope, and pull the other one to pull the house in. The water level does go up by a few feet or so with heavy rain, though. This is basically a retention pond.
Thanks for your input!

 

[Bills vs Beaks]

I thought I asked where you lived but I see I didn't

Anyway...living in Texas is good, so that the pond isn't gonna freeze. Also nice the HOA is helping you out
.
They will most definitely poop in there
The rope idea is ok, I'm just wondering how to secure the ropes...long poles in the ground I guess? With concrete on the bottoms? Does it get windy there?
A chain might be good so the rope wont break when it gets older.

Have you guys/girls drawn up a sketch of the proposed houseboat? Could we see it?

 

[Miss Lydia]

Maybe reading through some of these threads will help.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/newsearch?search=Floating+duck+houses

 

[GiseleN]

Here's the house and platform. The platform has space underneath, so we're trying to figure out floatation. Big PVC pipes and caps are surprisingly expensive! The two part foam that the boat store sells is $100. The cheapest option may be the 3/4" sheets of insulation foam. I need to read around a little more to find the best option.
We also have a pond manager, so the kids are going to try to talk to him about attaching it securely.