/ Register

  1. If this is your first time on BYC, we suggest you start with one of these three options:
    Raising Chickens Chicken Coops Join BYC
    If you're already a member of our community, click here to login & click here to learn what's new!

Help!!! All duck ppl......

Discussion in 'Ducks' started by cjeanean, Apr 21, 2008.

Most Liked Posts
  1. Apr 21, 2008 #1
    cjeanean

    cjeanean Can't Decide

    2,644
    4
    201
    Mar 5, 2008
    Missouri
    Didn't see anything in the FAQ, so I'm wondering how much space ducks need inside a pen. Also, I don't know if I have hawks here, but I'm wondering if I need to close the top of the pen. I have three ducks, their pen is 10X20, I have a 142 gal tank in there for them to swim in, also a large plastic doghouse. Should I make it bigger, or is that enough room??? If I get any more ducks they will be to eat, nothing more, so the max I'll have is these three. Should I close the top off???? Any other suggestions??? Thanks!!!

    Christina
     
  3. Apr 21, 2008 #2
    greyfields

    greyfields Overrun With Chickens

    4,889
    16
    261
    Mar 15, 2007
    Washington State
    Only mallards tend to fly out of runs. So until you actually have a problem, I wouldn't worry about the top.

    10x20 will work. But, it will be entirely mud very quickly. If at all possible, find places they can explore during the day then back to bed in the run at night. Otherwise, it will be a quagmire pretty quickly.

    The tank is plenty big (I provide 10 gallon tanks for my waterfowl to drink and bathe). Just be extremely careful at first. Are you getting adult ducks? Ducklings can drown very easily prior to being fully feathered. I wouldn't consider having a tank that large available to them until at a minimum 8 weeks old.
     
  5. Apr 21, 2008 #3
    cjeanean

    cjeanean Can't Decide

    2,644
    4
    201
    Mar 5, 2008
    Missouri
    they are about 9 wks right now....they've been in the bathtub for an hour or so today, because they make a big mess in their box and I haven't had their pen ready.....thanks for the info....so the top should be okay??? I have a pekin, an ancona, and a khaki campbell....I'm worried about predators, not about them flying away.....I'm also burying their fence a good 6 inches or more to prevent the fox I saw last week from eating my ducks....should that be enough??? Or should I put metal stakes in the ground too???
     
  7. Apr 21, 2008 #4
    Rare Feathers Farm

    Rare Feathers Farm Overrun With Chickens

    13,104
    30
    323
    Apr 1, 2008
    Pleasant Valley, (Okanogan) WA
    My Coop
    Quote:What kind of ducks are they? My Muscovies need a lot of room or the drake will kill other, younger males. In addition, they are very good flyers & tree (roosting ducks). So they either need a covered run or their wings clipped. [​IMG]
     
  9. Apr 21, 2008 #5
    cjeanean

    cjeanean Can't Decide

    2,644
    4
    201
    Mar 5, 2008
    Missouri
    Quote:I don't know what their genders are, but like I said their pen is 10x20....I only have three, and if I want any more it will just be for meat, I'm not raising any more water pigs [​IMG] as pets or for eggs.. (unless I find I can make a fortune off of them LOL!!!)
     
  11. Apr 22, 2008 #6
    Frosty

    Frosty Chillin' With My Peeps

    2,921
    24
    213
    Mar 30, 2008
    ND
    I really would cover the top. After having a great horned owl decapitate a duck, and a racoon climb into a pen and rip all of my ducks apart... I highly recommend it!
     
  13. Apr 22, 2008 #7
    cjeanean

    cjeanean Can't Decide

    2,644
    4
    201
    Mar 5, 2008
    Missouri
    I was wondering about things climbing in....do you thing burying the fence 6+ inches is good enough??? I have a lot of tree roots in the area where their pen is, and I couldn't dig any further down.....
     

BackYard Chickens is proudly sponsored by