HELP

[cazoo]

Hi, this is my first post.

My inlaws gave my daughter six ducklings for Easter. Three Pekins and three Mallards. I knew nothing of this until I walked out and my daughter and my wife (who talked her parents in to buying the ducks) where playing with them. Please understand, I have no problems with animals, but I know nothing about ducks. I have spent several hours over the 2.5 weeks reading about them.

We have two dogs, two cats, two horses and a pony. We have also had in the past a bearded dragon, fire belly toads and fish. None of which have prepared me for ducks.

First of all, it is blowing me away how quickly they grow. We have been keeping them in a large dog kennel in our garage for safety. We have hawks nesting on our property; plus racoons, foxes, coyotes and other assorted critters.

I am thinking about building a 8' tall; 30' X 40' aviary. It will be totally enclosed with chicken wire. The wire will extend 2-foot below the ground to keep anything from digging beneath and getting in. The top will also be covered with chicked wire to keep out the hawks. I plan a 11' x 11' X 3' pond. The sides of the pond will be slope on a 45 degree angle to allow easy access. I am still trying to deside between circulation and airation for the pumping system.

A nieghbor is giving us a duck house that was made for 12 ducks. It is insulated, and has heat for the winter and a fan for the summer.

Now, am I on the right track? And what type of vegetation should I put into the aviary?

I am not exactly happy to have the ducks, but my daughter and wife love them. I do think they are very cute, and they do crack me up. One of our dogs is already herding them, and that's pretty cool too. I do sincerely believe whatever animals live with us deserve to have a habitat that meets their needs. I am trying to do that.

Any suggestions would be welcomed and appreciated.

Thanks,

cazoo

 

[maplesky7]

wow! you sound like you will provide them with an amazing home.

and you'll need a stronger barrier than just chicken wire to keep predators out.

welcome to byc.

me,
g

 

[cazoo]

Thanks on the welcome. Nice to be here.

What if I use chicken wire and welded wire on the bottom four feet and the two feet underground? Would that provide enough of a barrier?

Thanks,

cazoo

 

[Wifezilla]

I built my pen out of old restaurant racks, so I can't help on that front. With the amount of predators in your area, I would think hardware cloth.

Good score on the duck house.

I am the one who talked hubby in to getting our ducks. At first he thought I was nuts. Then he got a taste of duck eggs and thought they might not be so bad after all. Tonight I found him sitting on the lawn chair in the back yard watching our 2 youngest ducks play by his feet...LOLOL

 

[Dances with Ducks]

HI

I think it's nice that you are being such a good sport about these ducks.
So the problem is that racoons can climb anywhere on the structure and tear open chicken wire, so you will need a lot of hardware cloth for something that size. Maybe you could incorporate electric fencing.

 

[headred]

I brought my ducks home without telling my sweet husband and he is also the one that now sits outside and laughs at them. He is also the first concerned about them being cold, etc. You will grow to like them without meaning to, trust me! I have decided they are the best inexpensive therapy that exists. I totally forget the world when I am watching them. See my website for an 8 week history of my ducks. Scroll to the beginning and you can see our adventure. Enjoy the ride and good luck!

 

[cazoo]

Thanks for the tips. I will check out hardware cloth. That would eliminate the need for doubling the welded wire and chicken wire. I never thought about the racoons coming in from the top; only the hawks.....

As far as being a good sport goes, we refer to our home as the zoo, thus the last part of my user name. Our dogs are rescues. I have trained them for agility, and built them their own course at our home. The cats are rescues. The youngest was suppost to be a "barn cat" when I agreed, but she has never seen the barn. She was brought straight into the house. One of our horses is 40 years old, but was my daughters first lesson horse, and needed a home. We also had a rescued horse from the track. We nursed him and now he is living a happy life as a hunter jumper, and being spoiled by a teenaged girl who loves him very much. The other horse and pony my daughter rides competitively, and are spoiled rotten, as all of our pets are. The only one of these guys I push to get was the youngest dog, who is the one who herds the ducks. So, Iguess I am just used to it by now. Besides I want my "girls" (wife and daughter) to be happy. Not to mention, the duck are very enteraining.

Anyway, does anyone have any suggestions on vegetation inside the aviary, and any thoughts of the pumping/filtering system for the pond. By the way, I live in northern central Kentucky, and the plants would need to be able ot survive here.

Thanks again

cazoo

 

[Wifezilla]

For a pump filter, I am using a modified skippy filter. My pond thread is here....

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=146829&p=1

As for plants inside the pen, well, do you want stuff they can munch on or stuff that they wont eat for scenery?

 

[mom2chicksandpups]

Don't you hate it when the grandparents do this? I had to have this conversation with my parents because they would buy pets for my daughter without consulting with me first. They were totally offended and didn't understand this. I had to explain that it's left up to me to feed and care for them, so they should at least ask me first.

Good luck with the new ducks! I'm glad you are trying to take care of them!

 

[cazoo]

Wifezilla,

Thanks for the link. I have just skimmed, but it looks like it has a lot of great information! I will read it in detail tonight!

Thanks again!

cazoo