Runner duck housing

[NellaBean]

If I have a 4x4 coop (3 feet tall), how many runner ducks will fit? Is it the same as chickens? 4sq ft per chicken/duck? Could I go with 3 girls and a boy or squeeze in 4 girls and a boy?

Not sure on pen size, they may end up free ranging in the yard (1/2 acre) with all the chickens once they are old enough. Otherwise their pen will be large.

 

[Amiga]

I used 3 square feet per duck for my calculation. I think I got it from Storey's Guide. That was a minimum, by the way. If they are free-ranging, I think the recommendation was for 10 square feet per duck for their outdoor run area.

 

[NellaBean]

So then I could fit a total of 5 ducks? Are they like chickens where you should only keep 1 drake to multiple hens?

 

[Amiga]

That sounds about right. The wiggle room is that runners are a fairly small breed, only about 4 pounds apiece fully grown, so one or two more might fit comfortably. But behavior problems can show up with crowding, so I would err on the side of caution.

Yes, as far as the male to female ratio goes, one drake to a minimum of three duck hens is recommended. I ordered all females, and so far, at only eleven weeks old, no one has stepped forward and announced himself a drake. There are a couple of maybes, though.