How to keep local ducks out of my chicken coop

[Titirangichook1]

Hi there
So it's breeding season here and the local mother ducks keep leading their babies up to my coop. The ducklings somehow get in to the coop and can't get out, the mother's attack my chickens when they get too close to the ducklings then they eat all their food..

What can hens do that ducks can't? I need to construct a door to the coop that only my hens can use. Anyone help?

Thanks,
Amy

 

[thomasboyle]

Welcome to BYC! Do you have a picture of your coop, showing the door etc and how the ducks get in?

My coop opens only to a fence in run, so there is no way anything can get into the coop unless they first get into the run.

Can you setup a short fence designed to keep the ducks out? Since the mother has babies with her, she won't go anywhere she can walk to, so her babies can follow her. Something like a small plastic picket fence with small gaps between the pickets should work.

 

[Titirangichook1]

My ladies are free range on my property, i just shut them away at night. The neighborhood ducks just walk through the front gate! If i shut the coop up the chooks are safe but it's designed so they free range, not enough space to be in there all the time. When the ladies are out for the day i can't leave a gravity feeder out for them or even a gravity water! The ducks set up camp there and bully my chooks away. I now have to only feed them at night when it's shut up and replace their water 3 or more times a day because the ducks drink it all.

I just need some sort of entrance to the coop where i can have food and water for them all day and the ducks can't get to it. Big ask I know!