Housing and pool questions for young ducks

[pecangrove]

I have a small kiddie pool I am planning on using for the ducks once I put them outside. But will it be large/deep enough? I have (what the general consensus here says to be) a Welsh Harlequin duck and a Khaki Campbell drake. We *may* get one more (either another WH or a Mallard), but if so that would be the max.
My idea is to either have their pen portable so I can move it every few days to fresh ground and just refill the pool then, or to have a permanent pen and add a drain line to bottom of the kiddie pool. The portable pen will need to be a little smaller so I can move it easily, so I wonder which would be better? I am looking at about a 8 or 9x5 pen if fixed, or a 6x3 if portable. It will basically be a large framed wire rectangle with a plastic dog house for a coop. Cheap, easy, and happy for the ducks.
Which way do you think would be best?
Oh, and they are 3 weeks old now and we have a raised bitty pen outside that I am hoping to move them into this week as they are outgrowing their brooder quickly. The weather here is going to be highs around 76 and lows around 50. Will they need a heat lamp at night along with the extra bedding they will have, or do you think they are old enough to be ok?
Thanks in advance!

 

[ducklover87]

Kiddie pools are fine for ducks. Unless you have a bad back dumping the kiddie pool really isn't that bad (im only 21 so it might be harder for people older than me). Or you could just turn the hose on for bout 20 to 30 mins and it'll be mostly clean. The bigger the pen the less concentrated the poop is but if you can't make it big then portable is probably better. Is it a dog house that can be shut at night? If not then covering the top of the pen would be great to help keep out predators. Since they are still 3 weeks I'd say bring them in at night. If your going to do the heat lamp thing figure out how warm it would be under the light. If the thermometer says about 80 then that wouldn't be a problem.

 

[ducklover87]

Oops double post.

 

[Going Quackers]

Kiddy pools are fine, i'm evil i just step down on the side of one of mine lol I also use some old sandbox bottoms, little tykes turtle sandbox is an excellent one!

As for the outside, you need to ensure your 100% predator proof and that you know your inside temp of where there being housed. Thermometers are your BFF, i keep them in all my coops/barns right down to my horses.. i want to know where i stand, it's a judgment for windows open, heat lamps for young and so forth.

My 4wkers are in the duck barn and hatched mid Mar obviously, they have mama but they soon outgrow the ability of her to cover them, i still use a 175watt but then my winters drag 50 would feel like Florida to us right now.

Cannot really help with portable pens, as i don't do that here.

 

[pecangrove]

We are tearing apart part of a raised flower bed today, and will be building the pen inside of it. It has great rich dirt, so I think they'll have fun digging through it to find bugs. LOL
I will have their dog house in the back corner, the pool towards the side/center buried, and some bricks around the area for hard/dry areas to walk on.
I have a big hydrangea bush still planted there, and am thinking of leaving it for them to have to rest under or whatever. Will that be ok?
ETA:
Oh, and their will be a small mesh over the top to keep out any predators from above, too.
Am wondering if they need a separate waterer or if the pool will fill all their water needs?