Nesting area seperate from Coop?

[Bleenie]

We are trying to plan out the new area for the ducks & chicken coop. We were tossing around the idea of having a row of nesting boxes for the ducks, completely seperate from their house. Has anyone done this before? how has it worked out?

It sounds like a good idea but I am not sure how the ducks will take to it.

 

[duckyfromoz]

Not exactly what you mean.... But I have some nesting boxes outside for them as well as in the pens where they are locked at night. Its mainly just because they are let out at different times of the morning- Dependant on the day- my work hours, weekday- weekend etc- . Eggs laid before they are let out are in the nesting boxes and most eggs laid after are in a box outside- on a rare occasion I find one on the ground near one of the swimming pools, but having them out there certainly works for me. Sometimes they will build a nest around the back in a small shelter as well- and its there that I will let them sit if they go broody- where they are out of the way from the others.

 

[kuntrygirl]

I just did a search and I found this thread. I have been thinking about a nesting box area that is separate from coops and roosts. I am thinking about something that may have about 10 nesting boxes that will double as a single space for brooding as well. I will begin drawing my diagrams tonight.

Bleenie, did you begin construction on your nesting boxes for your ducks?

 

[Bleenie]

We are still discussing it all, what we were considering was having an enclosed "house" with seperate nests inside for layign and brooding and then a 3 sided shed building for their general use, like feeding and resting... since the little boogers usually sleep outside anyway. We were talking about having a long nesting house but it would be short with a hinged roof for easy access to check on girls and collect eggs.

I am being indecisive as far as how/if i want to seperate everyone though so that's why it's taking so long, lol.

ETA: I would also need about 8-10 boxes in each house too, depending on how they're seperated

 

[kuntrygirl]

Quote:
That is exactly what I had in mind; a long nesting box house (in addition to the already in use chicken house with nesting boxes). I am losing my mind with all of these ducks laying eggs anywhere and everywhere. I have a duck right now that has laid eggs in a location on the property and has stepped on an egg and now the ants are eating it up. And the egg was scheduled to hatch THIS WEEK!

So, that is a duckling that is LOST!

I'm sick and tired and sick and tired of this. I am wanting to have built maybe 15 nesting box/brooder boxes in different sizes for chickens, ducks and turkeys. It is crazy over at my place. I am fed up with everything.

It will be elevated a few inches off of the ground. It will have a secret door in the back of the nest of eggs for checking on the eggs and cleaning the egg. It will be in a enclosure/run so that they can be protected at night. I have to draw and play with the idea tonight. I will try to post my diagram when I'm done.

 

[Bleenie]

Here's the idea we were discussing originally: It was a quick sketch.

I have these nest boxes in use right now, they love them and great hatch rates in them... plus the eggs never roll out unless the girls knock the bad ones out. I have never had one of the girls go broody in a place where people or animals walk frequesntly but there is a couple nests under their current house so i have to crawl under there and grab the eggs when they get to free range because they'd rather go lay there then climb into the house to do it.

 

[kuntrygirl]

Thanks for sharing your diagram. I will work on mine tonight and try to post for you to see. I'm just coming in from moving ANOTHER dog house inside a chain link dog kennel. Did I say that I am sick and tired of this???

 

[PatS]

Quote:
Kuntrygirl, that is the nighttime shelter I was planning for my ducks -- and it sounds like you're not at all happy with it. OOPS! So a dog house and a couple of covered nesting areas in a 10x10 doggy kennel isn't sufficient? I figured if a duck went broody I could put a little 4x4 "exercise fence" around the nest box inside the kennel then she'd be safe from being bothered by the other ducks and by owls and such.

 

[kuntrygirl]

Quote:
Kuntrygirl, that is the nighttime shelter I was planning for my ducks -- and it sounds like you're not at all happy with it. OOPS! So a dog house and a couple of covered nesting areas in a 10x10 doggy kennel isn't sufficient? I figured if a duck went broody I could put a little 4x4 "exercise fence" around the nest box inside the kennel then she'd be safe from being bothered by the other ducks and by owls and such.

Oh no, don't get me wrong. I think that is great. I guess I didn't explain my problems. My animals are on about 1 acre of property and I purposely placed about 7 dog houses in different locations so that they can go in there to lay eggs. If I hadn't placed the dog houses there, the ducks would lay in an open space where anything could get them. Your description is great. That is an awesome idea. Yes, it would definitely work!!!!

My problems that I am sick of is that all of the dog houses are not together in a central location and I have to pull and drag and tug on them about 50 feet to get them into the chain link dog kennel. I definitely would want all of them to be in a dog kennel as you described. I would need something this is at least 30 feet long to fit all of the dog houses or large nesting boxes in. It would be kinda like a nesting box/brooder box community. I would want to have a total of at least 15 dog houses or nesting boxes. The dog houses would be for the ducks and the turkeys and the nesting boxes would be for the chickens. I already have some brooder boxes but I need more. The turkey and duck nesting boxes will be about 18 x 18 and the chicken nesting boxes would be 12 x 12 or larger so that I can put food and water in it. The nesting boxes/brooders will look like this nesting box below with a few modifications. It will probably be a little wider, with a little step up ladder going in to the entrance so that they can step on it to get in and to get out. I will keep the food and water inside the box so that they chicken or turkey won't have to come out to eat. The ducks will probably want to come out to dip their beaks in the water. When the come out of their box, they will go into an area to walk around or poop or do whatever and then can go back in. I will have privacy walls so that they can't see who is on the side of them. This way, no one will get all worked up or fussy about anything. Well, that's what I'm hoping for.

I think your idea is great and it will definitely work.

 

[duckking]

We set up a separate nesting house, but they lay so early (we let them out at 7AM) that the eggs are all covered over in a corner of the duck house by that time. They go into the the nesting house, but never lay in it. I have, however found an egg a couple of times in the chicken's nest boxes which are 3 feet off the ground!