Inside of Duck Houses

[Bailey1204]

We are getting 3-5 female mallard ducks this coming spring and we know what we need and everything but don't know how to set up the inside of our duck house or the outside duck run. We are fixing up the old chicken coop not done yet. Just post how you set up the inside of your house maybe the outside if you want. Pictures are good just make sure they show all of it. Basically what I'm asking is what is the best, cleanest, economical way to set up the inside. How to make lean to's outside or where to putt kiddy pool. Any advise you can give me to help me set up our duck house/yard.
Thanks!

 

[Amiga]

Welcome!

Nothing special. Enough space (in case they get snowed in or for other reasons need to spend more than just overnight in the shelter), a place for water to keep bedding dry, and secure enough to keep predators out. Shade, a swim pan, drainage so it does not become a swamp.

The above is the veranda - one way to keep water splash out of the bedding. It is a porch attached to the duck shelter, with sawdust over the half inch metal hardware cloth that sits on the soil.

Below is a photo of the Day Pen - 16'x10' attached to the veranda.


From inside


Below is a view of the shelter, veranda and day pen.

These days, the ducks have a shelter in the walkout basement - temperatures are much more moderate. Not too hot in summer, not too cold in winter. I found that my runners prefer to make nests in corners, so I have attached a 2'x2' plywood at 90˚ to one of the studs. Voilá! Two corners.

This is the water station. The bottom of a large plastic dog crate. The bottom has a few inches of pelleted sawdust, to catch splash.

Closeup of the water station

Just another photo of the shelter and veranda. Note the Dutch door for ease of access for me.