Housing ducks (Pics)

[mangus580]

So now you guys have me worried about my ramp. We just got 'Quackers' last Saturday, and she doesnt seem to go into the upper level of the coop on her own. This concerns me, as the food and water is up there.

I do plan to build a duck specific house before winter.... but for right now, she lives in with the chickens....

 

[gryeyes]

Ducks do NOT navigate ramps well. They prefer steps.

Also, ducks should have their own water and feeders, as they really muck it up. They bill the food, carry it to the water, dabble in the water, etc. and this makes for mucky chicken waterers. Ducks have to have water deep enough in which to submerge their bills past the nares (nostrils). So they should have their waterer and feeder downstairs. This will also solve the problem of the feed being "upstairs" - that's good for the chickens.

Ducks do not need pools or ponds, but they really really like 'em. They can be happy with just a kitchen dish pan with high sides full of water.

I love ducks too - I have seven in with my chickens, but I have multiple coops. Actually, the ducks don't settle down in one place at night, they kind of pick different spots to nestle down together on the ground. (Because they do not roost like chickens.)

 

[mangus580]

Thanks Linda - that may explain why she wont use the short ramp I made for her pool either.... She circles the pool stuffing her beak in, but wont go up the ramp.

I will have to figure out how to do the food/water for her. The design of my coop doesnt lend itself to putting food/water in the lower section (at least not with their 'run fence' I added this past weekend)

 

[Going Quackers]

Quote:
Certainly could be the reason. Ducks are rather clumsy and ramp climbing is certainly not a strong point. I also agree with the others she'll need her own water source ducks muck it up really quickly. For our pool i have 3 cinder blocks.. two on the ouside, one on the inside(actually IN the pool) for my four to navigate.. of coarse at this point my hens just tend to use there ever increasing flying ability to get about

 

[CelticOaksFarm]

Quote:
You will need a separate house for the quail, never house quail or peafowl with chickens. This can pass disease onto the exotic fowl such as blackhead which can be deadly to the quail, but not to the chickens in the least.

 

[Sooz]

If you have a duck and drake it wont be long before you have too many ducks.(Stating the obvious.) If water is an issue stick to hens, ducks are very messy.

 

[Le Mitzer]

yeah thats what im hearing; that duck super messy..... and i already have a golden retriver who is messy enough

 

[Miss Lydia]

Quote:
If thats your messy retriever in your Avatar it sure is a cutie though. I have ducks and believe me if we didn't have a spring along with our well I wouldn't be able to have them. I am forever washing off the poop and filling water buckets. and of course their swimming tub. But they are worth it, it does take alot of water though. One year we were in a drought and our spring stopped running, I couldn't give them water to swim in, I felt terrible, but they just waddled along like everything was fine. They say land ducks don't need to swim, but of course we want them to have all the creature comforts!