I'm thinking of getting ducks...

[abidaby]

Hi there, I'm new here and just thought I would get your opinions before doing anything. So i have a shed/summer house (that's what it was called when we brought the house!) and I was wondering if with a bit of work it would be suitable to keep ducks in? I want to make use of the shed and I also love the idea of having ducks as pets as well as having some yummy eggs!! Do you think this will be big enough, if I make it fox proof? I know it needs a lot of clearing up in there as its been unused for years. I was planning on letting them have run of the garden when I'm there with them but the rest of the time they would just be in there. Would the concrete slabs be too hard for their feet even with sand or another substrate on top of it?
Thank you in advance,
Abi

 

[abidaby]

The size is
16 ft long by 10ft wide

 

[BabyandCotton]

Looks great but a little predator proofing. I'm actually really jealous of that setup!! Your yard could sustain 4-6 ducks. (Look into muscovys, they are super quiet, lay a lot of huge eggs, and are super super sweet.)

 

[Speak2Erin]

Great set up for ducks.Muscovies can fly, but they are quiet. Pekin females are loud but don't fly. Those are my only experience with ducks. Mine roam the backyard all day and I coop them at night.

Editing to add: I would let them personally was the grass area. I'd worry about them walking on concrete all the time. And they poop so much! You'd always be hosing it down.

 

[Nikosbirds]

I LOVE my ducks! We got Indian Runners and they are great, but Noisy. If you have neighbors close by, I agree with the last post, Muscovys are a good bet. Also 4-6 is a good number, and that is a great setup.

 

[Nikosbirds]

Agree. You could maybe use some rubber bar mats, topped with straw.

 

[BabyandCotton]

Use mats then sand then some soft cedar bedding or something similar.
Muscovys are very quiet, but yes, you need to trim their wings. But they are soo sweet.

 

[abidaby]

Thank you all so much!! Yay so glad you think that it will be ok for ducks . What sort of rubber matting would you put down and also what sort of sand? How often would the sand need changing?

 

[MandBducks]

You can buy rubber stall mats from any feed store. I use all purpose sand from a home improvement store (only 2 dollars a bag).

 

[abidaby]

Thank you! I live in England but I'm sure there's somewhere online or something that I could get it from. So would you rubber Matt the whole lot and then sand and then wood chips and then scattered hay? How often would you say they need cleaning out?
I was planning on letting them run round the garden when I'm there so they will have grass areas then. The shed is right down the bottom of the garden with no neighbours at the bottom so I'm not too worried about a bit of noise but I will look into muscovys