Modifying Chicken Coop to Keep Ducks

[Nutcase]

Hi, I am giving away my 4 chickens sometime soon and I want to replace them with a few ducks. What do I need to change in my coop to suit chickens?

Coop:

Roosts
Heavy wooden frame - built into the ground
Good ventilation - chicken wire on 3 sides, solid wall on 4th side
Dirt floor (currently bedded with hay to suit chickens)
Run fenced with chicken wire
Lots of shade from native bushes
Nest box

Is this suitable for ducks (eg Khaki Campbells)? There is enough room for a kiddie pool so I'll probably put one in. Any thoughts appreciated!

 

[Incukahlan]

It sounds like that will work just fine. Ducks in a Chicken set up usually work well, you just have to take into account the extra moisture/mess that the ducks will create in comparison to the chickens. Definitely want to stay away from bedding/litter that does not do well with moisture. Sand would be your best bet, It dries out quicker(drains moisture excellently) and does well with moisture(ducks). It's also easy to clean, cheap, and lasts a long time. It keeps down the smell and won't get mucky like grass/wood based things. Here is a link to explain why it's so wonderful to use, (especially with ducks).

http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2012/09/chicken-coop-bedding-sand-litter.html

Besides that the only other thing you might want to consider is larger nesting boxes because ducks are usually larger, although ducks tend to just make their own nests. You could provide straw inside a nesting area, and sand everywhere else. With that said, I'm sure your ducks will do just fine. I currently have 1 baby Khaki Cambell that is only 4 weeks old, with some other babies. They are so much fun! I just put them out in the coop with everyone else today! Good luck and hope everything works out well. : )

 

[Nutcase]

Thanks for your reply! My current nesting box is actually an old clothes-dryer it stopped working so we put in the chook yard and they love it! There are a couple of plants in the run which I may clear away, so I can put the pool/tub as far as away as possible from the coop. I will be getting rid of all the hay, it minimises the smell with chickens but when it comes to ducks I think it'd be ultra-stinky!

 

[ducklover87]

Hi, I am giving away my 4 chickens sometime soon and I want to replace them with a few ducks. What do I need to change in my coop to suit chickens?

Coop:

Roosts
Heavy wooden frame - built into the ground
Good ventilation - chicken wire on 3 sides, solid wall on 4th side
Dirt floor (currently bedded with hay to suit chickens)
Run fenced with chicken wire
Lots of shade from native bushes
Nest box

Is this suitable for ducks (eg Khaki Campbells)? There is enough room for a kiddie pool so I'll probably put one in. Any thoughts appreciated!

First I'd like to say congrats on getting ducks they are ball of fun. Khaki's are a great breed. Here's a link to other peoples duck houses https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/55358/duck-houses. Just to help give you some ideas. If you are getting KC then you don't need roosts or nest boxes but can keep them if you want. Chances are they won't use them though. As long as there isn't a ramp they should be good. Or at least a ramp with a big angle. Also I'd add something for grip if you have a ramp leading to there house. Do you have raccoons? If so I'd replace the chicken wire with 1/4" hardwire mesh otherwise a raccoon will mostly likely get ahold of them and kill them. I find pine shavings work great with ducks but its up to you what you use and what's readily available and cost efficient for you. Ducks poop is a lot wetter than chickens so that's why I suggest shavings as they are super absorbent. But again totally up to you. Will they have excess to the run at all times? Or will they be shut in for the night?

 

[Incukahlan]

Clothes Dryer! That's genius, lol. The straw is a giant mess with ducks. Never works in my experience very well at all. Gets too wet, too fast and then just stays mucky. Definitely check into the sand for bedding. It's a miracle worker. I never imagined a clean coop with ducks until I found out about sand. I'm sure the clothes dryer will be fine for the ducks, and as long as their pond isn't near the nesting area it should stay dry if you put shavings or straw in there for them to nest in.

 

[Nutcase]

Yes, I will look into the sand. Right now the coop floor is fine dirt and I'm not exactly sure about the drainage. We don't get much rain so it's been a while since I saw it in action. We may move sometime soon so maybe it would be wiser to invest in sand for the new coop at a future location.

 

[Incukahlan]

That makes sense, especially if you are unsure of how long you will be there. Just make sure to keep the pool/pond at one end of the run, at the farthest end away from the coop so that they can't get everything wet. Let us know how it goes!

 

[Nutcase]

That makes sense, especially if you are unsure of how long you will be there. Just make sure to keep the pool/pond at one end of the run, at the farthest end away from the coop so that they can't get everything wet. Let us know how it goes!

Will do! Now to decide between Pekins and Khaki Campbells...

 

[Incukahlan]

Oohh. Do both. Lol. I have a Swedish, 3 Rouens, a White Crested, a Cayuga, 2 Buffs, 1 Pekin, and 1 Khaki Cambell. We've had other Pekins, Magpies, Buffs, and Blue Crested in the past. My favorite are the Pekins and Buffs. They are so super friendly. My Khaki seems to be one of the more skittish breeds. But I got her for the eggs knowing she may be not so personable. I had done some research on the friendlier calmer breeds and she was at the bottom of the list. I got the other ones to balance out the personalities versus the egg laying. But that's just my experience. She's still little, so maybe the Khaki will warm up as she gets older. My Pekins and Buffs love people to death though. To the point where(with wings clipped) they would fly across the yard to get to me, seeing me come out of the house. Lol. Lots of laughs always with ducks around.

 

[Nutcase]

Wow sounds like you're busy! Thanks for the Khaki info, though I'm partial to them because I love the brown colouring... Any disadvantages to keeping Pekins that you can think of?