McDuck's money bin

[ioldanach]

I'm the proud new owner of three 9 week old Pekin ducks that my boss's kids could no longer keep in his yard due to space issues. My wife has decided that the pen shall be named Duckburg and therefore their house should look like McDuck's money bin.

So while I repurposed the old doghouse that the dog never liked using anyways, temporarily, I need some guidance on this.

This year I have 3 ducks. Next year I hope to add maybe 4 or 5 Swedish ducks to the pen, so I want to size the duck house for 8 ducks. The ducks live in an enclosed pen and the house won't be locked up, so they'll be able to come and go as they please. I live in NY, USDA Zone 5a, and it gets plenty snowy in the winter.

All that said...

How much headroom do they need?
How big a door do they need to get in and out?
How much ventilation should I create?
How many square feet should I make the interior?

If I make the interior 4x4 then that's only 16 square feet, or 2 square feet per duck. Would that be enough, or do I need to push it up to 5x5', which would be roughly 3 square feet per duck?

Thanks!

 

[gamebirdsonly]

 

[Eroc1_1]

Quote:
Headroom: They would probably do well in a 4ft tall structure.
Door size: I made the door on my house around 20" tall and 14" wide, in retrospect I would make the door 24"-28" tall.
Ventilation: A good amount. I have around 300 square inches of ventilation for my 4'x4' house.
Interior Sq/Ft: Figure AT LEAST 3-4 sq/ft per bird inside...this maybe adequate if they free range all day and locked up at night.
As a side note I have 8 in a 4' x 7' enclosure at night only and I would probably add more sq/ft per bird in hind sight.....although I didn't 'plan' on adding the last 2.

 

[ioldanach]

Thanks, that's helpful. Maybe a 6'x6' square then, that's workable. Though its a bit big, it'll occupy quite a bit of the pen's space.

I guess I just need to make the pen even bigger!

 

[ioldanach]

And should I hang the feeder inside, or leave it outside?

 

[Eroc1_1]

Quote:
If you take a look at my BYC page (then go to Duck-House) I have an enclosed porch that has the water and food on it - that way water can drain away and not make a TERRIBLE STINKY mess.
I wouldn't recommend water inside the housing structure....food might be ok but let them walk to the water in a well drained area. If you have more than 3-4 sq/ft per bird inside a house, it definitely won't hurt them!

 

[ioldanach]

I'm not supplying water at all, the pen goes down into the pond for a few feet. I just need to get a pond aerator to keep that part of it ice-free in the winter.

 

[Eroc1_1]

Quote:
Good enough!

 

[ioldanach]

Here's what I have so far. A 50' roll of welded wire and some t-posts is a good start.

 

[Eroc1_1]

Looks nice! I like the idea of welded wire going into the pond and secured by T posts. I will say that some people with tell you that if they are diving in the water they might get caught in the wire and drown - just wanted to give you fair warning....