I will be getting call duck babies in May/June and I want them to have a place of their own. I have a large coop, but there are chickens, turkey and 2 muscovies in it and I'm concerned about the littler guys getting hurt. So...what is the best kind of enclosure for these little beauties? My husband can build anything so I want to be sure it has everything they need: safety, nesting area, etc. Any good ideas and advice?
we use off the ground pens and on the ground pens. http://www.faithvalleywaterfowl.com/housing.html like the ones on this website, we also use on the ground runs and build little houses with a door and latch for them to be locked up at night. Nothing fancy, just secure.
During breeding season I also use the off the ground wire pens. They have their nest, waterbowl for swimming, foodbowl, and I also put a board in the corner, so they dont have to stay on the wire. After breeding season, I combine them all in a large dog kennel pen.
My husband built a simple duck house for me..It has a treated floor and sits on runners. Approx. 3ft x 4ft by 4 ft tall. Slanted roof that is hinged so you can lift up to clean inside. A simple drop door on the higher front side. And 2 small vents on each side covered with wire. I have been using mine for a few years now and other than painting it, looks good.... Be sure to use all treated wood.. I also purchased a wooden doghouse off Craigslist for my call ducks.. Much cheaper than building them. Just modify the door and all for your ducks....
Mine are housed in a large runs with pea gravel on the ground. They have a small house (like a dog house) and a "pond" (plastic tub). The runs are completed fenced - top also since they can fly. They are kept penned all the time for their safety.
Thank you for the replies, these give me great ideas. I held my first call duck today, now it will be harder than ever to wait for mine to arrive. Thanks again!!!!
i would strongly advise you keep the call ducks in a separate enclosure than the hens if you have a lot of hens dont let them free range with the call ducks ive got 7 call ducks and 10 hens a few months ago they were all out free ranging together and the hens nearly killed the smallest duck i caught them in the middle of the attack and stopped them from pecking the duck to death, it took 4 days under a heat lamp to recover. i have a 10ft x 10ft pen for the ducks and a 20ft x 10ft pen for the hens and i NEVER let them free range together now unless im with them to keep an eye on things, 99% of the time the hens are ok but if a duck wanders off on its own then sometimes that 1% of unreliable chicken madness kicks in! heres some pics of my set up
Nice looking set ups some of you have. I may have been mistaken about a couple of things. I have worried about how warm a house would be if it were above ground, exposed to drafts, maybe not a problem in a warmer climate but what about in really cold winters? Also do you have any trouble getting the ducks to walk in the house, presumably you have to get them to go up ramps?
For the winter our Call Ducks have an off the ground pen that is roofed and solid wood on three sides. It is 1/4 in. hardware cloth to the south and in the middle underneath. Both ends have wooden nest boxes. They tend to sleep in the center section that is open to the south rather than in their boxes. The winters here are very cold.
