Need some feed back on our duck house...

[tndrhrt]

You all really inspire me!

This duck house was here when we moved in. We want to adopt 3 ducks in need of a home, but I am concerned about the cleanability of this house. They will also have a wire pen we will attach to the left short side of this that is 6 x 8.5 feet. Any ideas on how to make this easy to clean? I would guess food and water have to be inside this house.. . It looks great on the outside, but the inside??? There is styrofoam insulation behind the plywood, and it has electricity and a light.



Thanks!

 

[HollyDuckFarmer]

I say no food and especially not water inside that house, which by the way, I absolutely love love love. That is a very very nice looking duck house.

 

[tndrhrt]

They are going to be closed in the house at night. One of the ducks comes from a sanctuary so we have to meet some requirements. Please share your watering options. The owner let them drink from a 2ish gallon bucket, changed daily.

 

[tndrhrt]

My husband has covered the wire side with plywood. Not sure if I like this idea. How messy is it going to get?

 

[Miss Lydia]

My husband has covered the wire side with plywood. Not sure if I like this idea. How messy is it going to get?

My duck houses are completely closed in, I put cheap vinyl floor over the plywood floor and keep deep pine shaving inside. Not very messy at all, I just go in everyday and scoop out the poop on top and fluff the bedding with a pitch fork. If you keep food and water outside they won't make a mess with them inside. I took some scrap lumber and made a covered feed house so their feed would stay dry, And since you have Elec in there if you live where temps dip below freezing you might want to pick up a heated water buck TSC has them for 2 ducks a 2 gal would be all you need.

 

[Going Quackers]

Skip the food/water inside, i really dislike it in small buildings unless their ducklings, i bail now on that concept as soon as they grow out. My calls(so teeny little things, i call them pound cake ducks lol) were flooding their coop, so i removed it all, they are doing just fine, they have access during daylight hours. I have other breeds and birds doing the exact same, small buildings/coops are very hard to keep clean if water are added to the mix and the fact ducks must have it for food means a big issue.

I think about this logically, in the night wild ducks are not searching for food/water, they have hunkered down safely as possible to avoid preds, and resume eating/foraging etc during daylight hours.

As for the building it's actually really nice, i dislike wire floors though, so i would have removed it, not only do i not like birds on it i also worry drafts and lack of absorbancy for droppings, for my coops and small duck barn, i clean daily by picking out the droppings and stir the bedding this keeps the buildings and birds much cleaner, some may consider excessive but it works for me, i add new bedding as needed.

Does it have any venting? that is the only area of concern i have but there could be some on the other side, cannot tell.

 

[lizp]

So I'm getting ready to get my duck house this week! by reading this it tells me I should not put food and water in the duck house and just use it for a place for them to sleep and stay away from predator!! agree?!

 

[Miss Lydia]

So I'm getting ready to get my duck house this week! by reading this it tells me I should not put food and water in the duck house and just use it for a place for them to sleep and stay away from predator!! agree?!

Yep! you avoid a big mess by feeding them out side of the house. Put something over their feed though to keep it from getting wet. We added feeding stations with roofs to keep feed dry. Easy to make out of scrap lumber.

 

[tndrhrt]

It needs venting, have that in the plan. It's going in well, we will have them by 1:00! Thanks so much everyone.

 

[tndrhrt]

Great idea on the vinyl flooring. Can you post a pic of your covered feed house? Thanks!