how tall to make a duck house?

[watchdogps]

How tall should a duck house be for runner ducks?

 

[TLWR]

I'd go for 30" at least. Ideally at least 36" tall.

 

[duckyfromoz]

Depends what kind of house you are building- will you need to get in there to clean it?? Or is it just a small shelter that can be hosed or raked out?? If you are planning on something with a larger floor space- it may pay to make it high enough so that you are not bent and cramped over when it comes to cleaning.

 

[watchdogps]

Quote:
I'm thinking duck tractor for the winter. i dont really want to house them in with my chickens over winter. Or maybe just a duck house in the run off the coop (its big). So, just for the ducks. Hubby will probably make it like a slant roof dog house with a lift up top

 

[Amiga]

When I decided to make the ducks' house 4' high, it was because runners stand two feet tall or more, and for winter, I wanted to have a foot to a foot and a half of bedding underneath them for insulation.

To clean and access the house, I have a Dutch door in the side. Most of the time I open the top and reach in (occasionally use a small rake or long handled duster to reach corners - and I can get in the house if needed), but if I need to do a wholesale removal of bedding I can open both top and bottom and rake out what's in there.

For the way I manage the ducks, I think I made the right decision. I also made the house large enough to accommodate more ducks than I thought I would have

- good thing I did.

 

[watchdogps]

I guess that's the other question - how big? I dont plan on confining them, just letting them have access to it

 

[Amiga]

Storey's Guide recommends for medium to large ducks, 2.5 to 4 sf per duck, or if they'll be confined for days during the depth of winter, 6 to 8 sf per duck. Smaller breeds need about half of that.

So at a minimum for runners I reckoned 2 sf each. That gives me enough summertime space for 15 ducks, as their house is about 30 sf and that does not include the veranda - a porch attached to the house, which is also about 30 sf. For winter if I did not get them out as much as possible (which is what I do), I would only have room for about 8 runners.

In your case, 2 sf would probably work. I know someone who keeps her runners in tighter quarters than that, but we have different approaches. I have read a number of reports that the more closely animals are packed together long term, the more behavioral and health problems crop up.

By the way, the house and veranda are their Little Fort Knox - nighttime shelter. For daytime, unsupervised, they have another 160 sf of pen, and when I'm nearby they have about another 250 to 300 sf of garden to run around in, then there are the daily walks that range over half an acre or so - supervised.

 

[ChickInDelight]

I am in the process of building this - 42" tall - then 8 sides each 4 feet wide. 4 of the roof panels open for cleaning. Sand floor. Automatic waterer. So far, so good. The walls are free pallets covered with wood. IN_PROGRESS building.

Have fun with it!