Duckworth
Songster
My house is 4x4' and the run is 8x8'. The house now has a big tarp over the roof and the 4x4' corner formed by the house attaching to the run now has a pallet on piers that holds all of my straw bales for the bedding and is also under the tarp. The duck house was build first and put on piers, then, the run was constructed to attach to it with the run floor four inches lower than the duck house floor so water could not run into the duck house from the run. The corner of the run with the side door is the lowest point. The floor is slanted slightly to cause water to run to that corner. The side door has no sill at the bottom so water and bedding can run or be raked out that door for easy cleanup. If I'm going to fork out the straw, I use the main door. If I'm hosing out the run, I put a rake through the side door to prop it open a few inches and hose out the run, letting the water drain out the door.
The duck house also has a slight slant in the floor toward the back door so that if any excess moisture gets in somehow, it will run out instead of pooling.
We have cold, hard winters here, to the floor and walls of the house are all insulated with pink foam insulatio, though the upper walls are quite open for ventilation. In winter, I keep adding straw to the house, leaving what's there to compost in place. I also keep straw in the run and add to it. In summer, I clean the straw out of the run, putting it on my garden as soon as the straw thaws enough for me to get it out, then go with the bare floor and hose it out every time I go out there. It is easy to do when I'm topping off or changing their water buckets. Their pool is now a smaller size and is in the corner by the side door so I can dump it straight out the door. Their house has straw all year round.
In winter, I put tarps over the windward side of the run and house.
The duck house also has a slight slant in the floor toward the back door so that if any excess moisture gets in somehow, it will run out instead of pooling.
We have cold, hard winters here, to the floor and walls of the house are all insulated with pink foam insulatio, though the upper walls are quite open for ventilation. In winter, I keep adding straw to the house, leaving what's there to compost in place. I also keep straw in the run and add to it. In summer, I clean the straw out of the run, putting it on my garden as soon as the straw thaws enough for me to get it out, then go with the bare floor and hose it out every time I go out there. It is easy to do when I'm topping off or changing their water buckets. Their pool is now a smaller size and is in the corner by the side door so I can dump it straight out the door. Their house has straw all year round.
In winter, I put tarps over the windward side of the run and house.
