Need help with housing for 5 Pekin Ducks!!

[Ducks_4_me]

6 hours? Lol...I wish...I started mine last fall and I am getting closer. Still need trim and paint...and the nest doors...then I am sure I will fi d something else

 

[debrasage]

I think you need to decide if you will leave them out all the time or if you want to be able to round them up and lock them up in their house at night. This will likely impact not only the location of your duck house but also possibly the style of it. They really just need a safe spot to lay their eggs (if you have any girls) and to shelter from bad weather. It needs to feel safer than say the bushes by the pond. I don't know how close the pond is to your house, but I suspect they will want to hang out near the pond all the time and placing the house near there would be ideal. Also consider if you want/need electricity near your duck house for any reason. Ducks sleep on the ground, so any structure with soft bedding on the floor will work. I'd say the duck door probably needs to be at least 2 ft. tall for the Pekins to comfortably navigate. My ducks go in their house for shade on occasion, to lay their eggs, and if it's really windy, but it could be 10:00 at night and 10 degrees F and snowing and they will be sleeping on the ground outside in their run.

I would love for them to just free roam but I want to do whatever is safe for them! What I've read is they need a house for some protection but if I don't have to lock them in at night I won't.

 

[Miss Lydia]

View attachment 1354592 View attachment 1354593 View attachment 1354594 6 hours? Lol...I wish...I started mine last fall and I am getting closer. Still need trim and paint...and the nest doors...then I am sure I will fi d something else

Ventilation is very important.

Awesome house

 

[Miss Lydia]

I would love for them to just free roam but I want to do whatever is safe for them! What I've read is they need a house for some protection but if I don't have to lock them in at night I won't.

Please don't let your ducks stay out 24//7 they will not last long predators would love you for it though.

 

[Ducks_4_me]

If you have 0 predators, then I guess you can leave them out....I thought I was good...but a raccoon got in my temporary because I didn't close the top. Luckily my dog intervened before anything happened and I trapped it and moved it. The next day I had to close the top

 

[Ducks_4_me]

Ventilation is very important.

Awesome house

The roof is vented at the top and also all around the edges. I think that will be good...hope so anyways

 

[Ducks_4_me]

The roof is vented at the top and also all around the edges. I think that will be good...hope so anyways

They also have the opening under where their ramp comes in

 

[Miss Lydia]

This is for those who raise chickens but applies to all of us who raise poultry

good info https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...-there-and-cut-more-holes-in-your-coop.47774/

 

[debrasage]

We ended up purchasing the below coop - technically chicken coop but I read that they work too...

 

[debrasage]

If you have 0 predators, then I guess you can leave them out....I thought I was good...but a raccoon got in my temporary because I didn't close the top. Luckily my dog intervened before anything happened and I trapped it and moved it. The next day I had to close the top

I definitely won't say we don't have predators so I think it may be best to make sure they have a closed up place to go!