I woke up to winter- now I need housing for the ducks

[Mom 2em All]

I need to make them a shelter- and need to hear from all my snow-and-below freezing buddies: What type of housing do I need?
I have -assuming the three mallards are going to migrate, they have been flying longer and farther away each day, returning at night- eight ducks. We get lots of snow, freezing rain, wind, below freezing temperatures for months and months (hate winter

).

I have a chicken coop- that is for them, the ducks dont go in there. However, the area that I will be putting the duck shelter will be beside my coop where my house makes an "L" shape. they will be in the inside corner of the "L" ...does that make sense? I was thinking of a basic long dog-house type shape with an opening on one end for the ducks to enter. HOWEVER, sometimes we get a ton of snow overnight so, if I dont make it raised, the opening would be blocked by snow until I could shovel...and I leave for work in the dark, return in the dark during the winter months- if I make it raised, how can I teach them to go in there? How big should the duck house be?

I have muscovy and runners- again, assuming the wild mallards will not be here during the winter.

Thank you in advance for ideas.

 

[sonew123]

MIne winter in teh garage with the rest of my chickens. I keep a huge pan 3 x4 with 2 inch raised edges under the waterer. I have a heat lamp above the watereer to prevent freezing-it's just enough to blow their noses and catch almost all water they splatter everywhere. It gets messy but it gets cleaned out too so the winters here get 20 below or worse and they have been fine-this year they get their own little pen to prevent the rest of the chickens from having to take th frozen floor abuse from my ding bats!

 

[keeperofthehearth]

My duck house is raised and has a ramp/door. Scovies, at least, have no trouble using it. The door is hinged fm the bottom and drops down to make the ramp. The ramp was a bit slick so I stapled some bumpy rubber type shelf liner to it and just replace it once a year. Works great.

I think the shape of your duck shelter should be O.K. but be sure to make it tall enough to allow the Scovies to "roost" on something during those long winter days. They will love you for it.

 

[Amiga]

This will be our first winter, here in southern New England. Here is what I have built for eleven runners.

We have a double-walled plywood shelter. 4'x8', 4' tall at one end, 5' tall at the other. The walls are filled (except for the top few inches due to settling) with vermiculite and perlite - those don't mold. I use a variation of the deep litter method, building up bedding (shavings and sawdust with a little straw on top). Right now it is about six inches deep. I will keep building it up to be at least a foot deep. The area in front of their door will just need to be sloped a bit for head room. The shavings do that very well.

The house is raised about six or eight inches off the ground. There is a side Dutch door that I use for cleaning and egg collecting, and the ducks have a sliding door to a "veranda," with a little ramp. The veranda is an area fenced with half inch hardware cloth top, bottom and sides. It is 4'x8' and has a sloped polycarbonate corrugated roof. This is their night area. It is attached to a day pen, that also is fenced top and sides with 2"x3" coated wire, with coated chain link underneath. I can cover their day pen with row cover or tarps. Then I don't have to shovel.

I will probably stack something around the base of the house in the coldest part of winter, but need to deal with the electric fence that is pretty close to the house (we have a long list of predators). Sandbags may work pretty well. Hmmmm.

There is no reason for you to go this far with building, but the idea of having an area just outside their night shelter that slopes and can support a tarp might give them some room to move around even during snow season, without you needing to shovel except to get out to them.

Thanks for your topic - it reminds me that I need to get going on some winter modifications.

 

[KansasKid]

Before they fly off for the winter might i suggest clipping there wings, it really is quit simple and you'll get to enjoy them at least until they molt and get there flight feathers back in the summer.

 

[keyt1969]

Quote:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=394261

This is our converted garage if you didn't see it on the Michigan section.

I have all 5 ducks (as of yesterday the babies started sleeping in there) and the chickens in there at night. The cayugas go up the ramp just fine. All we did was put them through the ramp once and they've done it themselves since. They go in and out every once in a while during the day too.
The other coop is more than big enough for 4 of them. It's approximately 4x5.

 

[Mom 2em All]

Quote:
OH NO! I sure dont want to do that- I rehabbed them with the intention that they one day, would be free as they were born to be. If they choose to stay around, thats fine too- but not because I made them.
The others, though-

Yep, I have clipped their wings. Poor domesticated dorks- they would never survive on their own...they would wait for their feed to magically appear every day until they starved to death..

 

[preciouspanda]

I have some 7 week old runners that I need to move outside with my other runners we have put plywood all around a chicken coop to protect them from the cold at night and it’s been in the 20’s here lately at night. There are 4 other ducks that sleeps in bottom of coop just lil bit older during the day when I put the other ducks outside with them they really don’t have anything to do with each other any suggestions

 

[Miss Lydia]

Does your run have bedding in it? If you have plywood all around the chicken coop and a roof of some sort over top so rain and ice/snow can’t get inside that maybe sufficient for them. Also you want to be sure it’s predator proof. What exactly is your question? Is it are your 7 week old old enough to be with your older Runners?

 

[preciouspanda]

Does your run have bedding in it? If you have plywood all around the chicken coop and a roof of some sort over top so rain and ice/snow can’t get inside that maybe sufficient for them. Also you want to be sure it’s predator proof. What exactly is your question? Is it are your 7 week old old enough to be with your older Runners?

I have been putting good amount of straw in the bottom for them to sleep and be off the cold ground refreshing Wednesday and Sunday and unless predator can eat threw or use tools nothing can move the plywood I got it attached to the coop all the way corner to corner