- Dec 22, 2009
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They're so cute
They're here! Welsh Harlequin, Golden 300 Hybrid, Black Swedish - Meet WO!
- Thread starter Wynette
- Start date
They are so cute, and my how they have grown. I bet they loved being outside.Hi, friends! Well, our four little quackers (well, okay, only 1 is quacking) had their first outing in our back yard today! Their coop and run is almost ready for them, they'll be going out this week, and they've not gotten a ton of time outside since we've been having horrendous weather this past week! But, between the storms, we took them out (haven't been able to mow lawn due to the rain) and I thought I'd share some pics.
Love that you can see the fuzz AND feathers coming in! They're looking (for them) a bit ratty at this point - I still think they're wicked cute, though!
Duckie butts! Tried (in vain) to get all 4 of them to turn away so I could get them all in a row, but alas...there's ALWAYS one in every crowd that doesn't want to follow the rules!
We were panicking, as they kept trying to eat the dried "whirlygigs" from the Silver Maple tree...I made sure they had plenty of grit along with their feed, but hope they didn't overdo it yesterday!
On the go!
Love this pic - Dolly, Molly, Cookie, Gabby:
- Thread starter
- #33
Oh Wynette!! All I can say is "TOO CUTE"!!!! Love the last pic!
They are so fat and squishy looking! I want to hug them!!!
- Thread starter
- #36
Okay, their pen is done! WOOT! We'll move them in after work tonight & they'll spend the night inside, then we'll open the pophole door for them tomorrow, though it's supposed to rain all day tomorrow so I'm not sure they'll go out, but we'll give them the opportunity to if they like.
This shed was a chicken coop, so it has gone from a shed to a coop to a duck...coop? What do you call a duck house?
Anyway, pics are really bad quality (taken w/my cell phone, which is old) but here's the new duck....place. I used porch paint and went 3' up from the floor, which was already linoleum from when it was a chicken coop. The porch paint is really thick, and I did 2 coats in most areas and an extra coat for the divider wall and the wall beside the feed station.
Okay, a bit difficult to visualize, but the shed is 8' x 8'. I partitioned off a 6' x 8' section when I had the chickens in there, and for the ducklings, I made that a bit smaller. You can see the access door hinge to the right. I love this set-up, because I can leave both of the BIG shed doors wide open on nice days, allowing for excellent ventilation. So the divider board is 3' high, and to the left is a 3.5 gallon bucket w/locking lid that I asked DH to make 2 large holes in it toward the top. My HOPE is that they'll stick their heads in for drinking water. This is a similar design to the waterer they are now using, but that one is much smaller. The cup hanging on the wire is grit. The block to the right will be the feeder that they are now using, but since they're not in their new abode yet, it'll move with them.
Here's the divider board - DH cut a hole with a hole saw toward the top; I looped a chain through it & fastened it to the chicken wire. I don't think it needs to be UBER secure, as it's mostly to hold in the pelleted bedding.
Here is the divider board from the inside - DH added a thin rubber strip to hold the pelleted bedding in - you can also see the hole in the 3.5 gallon bucket. I'll have to take the handle off the bucket, I think.
Here is the feed station - waterer (kind of hokey looking, but I honestly expect it to not work and that I'll need something else, so I didn't put a lot of thought into it). Raised up on bricks, and as they grow, I can put it higher if need be. Grit cup, then food will go on the cement block.
Here it is looking down from the top:
This area, at the opposite end from the feed station, will be the nest box area, eventually.
Here is the pophole door - the ramp outside is a pretty steep angle, I hope they will be able to use it. Also, it has rungs on it for the chickens - is that okay??
Here is the run - chicken wire all the way down, with hardware cloth over the top at the bottom of the pen, sunk into the ground. I tilled the soil yesterday, in hopes it would dry a bit before putting them in - we've had a ton of rain this past week! Oh, chicken wire over the top of the run, too, for airborne predators. The land slopes to the left, and then starts our garden. We thought this pen would be perfect for the ducks, as we can use the dirty water to feed the garden. See the pond to the left? It's a regular garden pond. DH is still deciding how he will install it. At first, he was going to bury it like a regular garden pond, but then I told him we'd have to pump out the water a minimum of once a week - we do have an electric pump that works great and is fast, BUT - we'd have to run an extension cord to it, and I just don't see DH doing that once a week (these ducks are supposed to be his).
OH, also - see where the pond is? We're going to fence that section in, and we'll put a small door in that I can open/close from the outside - they'll get to use the pond a few hours each day, but not all day long. That will hopefully save the run from becoming a muddy, mucky mess. So the fenced in pond section will be pretty much right where the pond is sitting now. And - we scored a free (one of my favorite words) truckoad of river rock from a CL ad - we'll put that around the pond after installing. The rock is beautiful - nice & rounded on the edges so as not to cut fragile flippers!
Okay, let me have it!!
What can I improve? Is there anything that absolutely must be changed before adding the ducklings? Any & all feedback appreciated & welcomed! Thanks for looking - I'm hoping to put them out in their new home tonight, unless something is identified by YOU that needs to be changed before doing so. Thanks!
This shed was a chicken coop, so it has gone from a shed to a coop to a duck...coop? What do you call a duck house?
Anyway, pics are really bad quality (taken w/my cell phone, which is old) but here's the new duck....place. I used porch paint and went 3' up from the floor, which was already linoleum from when it was a chicken coop. The porch paint is really thick, and I did 2 coats in most areas and an extra coat for the divider wall and the wall beside the feed station.
Okay, a bit difficult to visualize, but the shed is 8' x 8'. I partitioned off a 6' x 8' section when I had the chickens in there, and for the ducklings, I made that a bit smaller. You can see the access door hinge to the right. I love this set-up, because I can leave both of the BIG shed doors wide open on nice days, allowing for excellent ventilation. So the divider board is 3' high, and to the left is a 3.5 gallon bucket w/locking lid that I asked DH to make 2 large holes in it toward the top. My HOPE is that they'll stick their heads in for drinking water. This is a similar design to the waterer they are now using, but that one is much smaller. The cup hanging on the wire is grit. The block to the right will be the feeder that they are now using, but since they're not in their new abode yet, it'll move with them.
Here's the divider board - DH cut a hole with a hole saw toward the top; I looped a chain through it & fastened it to the chicken wire. I don't think it needs to be UBER secure, as it's mostly to hold in the pelleted bedding.
Here is the divider board from the inside - DH added a thin rubber strip to hold the pelleted bedding in - you can also see the hole in the 3.5 gallon bucket. I'll have to take the handle off the bucket, I think.
Here is the feed station - waterer (kind of hokey looking, but I honestly expect it to not work and that I'll need something else, so I didn't put a lot of thought into it). Raised up on bricks, and as they grow, I can put it higher if need be. Grit cup, then food will go on the cement block.
Here it is looking down from the top:
This area, at the opposite end from the feed station, will be the nest box area, eventually.
Here is the pophole door - the ramp outside is a pretty steep angle, I hope they will be able to use it. Also, it has rungs on it for the chickens - is that okay??
Here is the run - chicken wire all the way down, with hardware cloth over the top at the bottom of the pen, sunk into the ground. I tilled the soil yesterday, in hopes it would dry a bit before putting them in - we've had a ton of rain this past week! Oh, chicken wire over the top of the run, too, for airborne predators. The land slopes to the left, and then starts our garden. We thought this pen would be perfect for the ducks, as we can use the dirty water to feed the garden. See the pond to the left? It's a regular garden pond. DH is still deciding how he will install it. At first, he was going to bury it like a regular garden pond, but then I told him we'd have to pump out the water a minimum of once a week - we do have an electric pump that works great and is fast, BUT - we'd have to run an extension cord to it, and I just don't see DH doing that once a week (these ducks are supposed to be his).
OH, also - see where the pond is? We're going to fence that section in, and we'll put a small door in that I can open/close from the outside - they'll get to use the pond a few hours each day, but not all day long. That will hopefully save the run from becoming a muddy, mucky mess. So the fenced in pond section will be pretty much right where the pond is sitting now. And - we scored a free (one of my favorite words) truckoad of river rock from a CL ad - we'll put that around the pond after installing. The rock is beautiful - nice & rounded on the edges so as not to cut fragile flippers!
Okay, let me have it!!
What can I improve? Is there anything that absolutely must be changed before adding the ducklings? Any & all feedback appreciated & welcomed! Thanks for looking - I'm hoping to put them out in their new home tonight, unless something is identified by YOU that needs to be changed before doing so. Thanks!
I'm curious as to why you tilled up the ground in their run?
So, I was working on my reply, and lost it.
Hang on . . . .
Beautiful! It is obvious you have been paying attention to ducks! Bravo!
Indoors, the modified bucket looks good. I have my water bucket sitting in the bottom half of a large plastic dog crate. I keep sawdust pellets in it to absorb splash. So think about some kind of large, low-sided container.
Your ducks are beautiful, too!
The thing I would change before they go in is the ramp. My ducks would probably trip over the rungs. I would widen and lengthen it, too, as ducks charging out of the house in the morning would probably go splat, off the sides. This is based on how mine exit their house in the morning!
I covered the ramp with plastic poultry fence, tucked around and under so no sticky edges, and sprinkled it with sawdust. That way it is grippy and soft and absorbs some moisture. I reckon it will need replacement in a few years.
The fence looks good. Do a very thorough security check on the bottom, and just in case, make absolutely sure nothing can jig the pop door from outside and get into the house at night.
I put coated chain link fencing under the entire day pen, fastened between two 1"x6" boards around the edge so I did not have to dig, but have a way to prevent larger predators from digging under and in. An apron of stones or concrete pavers might be worth a try, especially if you can find them for free.
I will send this on, and add to it if I think of anything else.
Your setup looks great! Just think like a predator and poke around the house again. Look for gaps and openings, soft spots.
More thoughts. Have you closed up the house for a while, let the sun hit it, then gone in and done a sniff test? Ducks have a reputation for being sensitive to fumes. While you have it set up so that the outer doors can be open, if it is chilly but sunny and the doors are closed, has the paint dried enough not to gas off?
I like to think there are advantages to having a vivid imagination. I called a friend who is a wildlife management professional and asked him all about various predators' habits when I was building the duck housing.
Hang on . . . .
Beautiful! It is obvious you have been paying attention to ducks! Bravo!
Indoors, the modified bucket looks good. I have my water bucket sitting in the bottom half of a large plastic dog crate. I keep sawdust pellets in it to absorb splash. So think about some kind of large, low-sided container.
Your ducks are beautiful, too!
The thing I would change before they go in is the ramp. My ducks would probably trip over the rungs. I would widen and lengthen it, too, as ducks charging out of the house in the morning would probably go splat, off the sides. This is based on how mine exit their house in the morning!
I covered the ramp with plastic poultry fence, tucked around and under so no sticky edges, and sprinkled it with sawdust. That way it is grippy and soft and absorbs some moisture. I reckon it will need replacement in a few years.
The fence looks good. Do a very thorough security check on the bottom, and just in case, make absolutely sure nothing can jig the pop door from outside and get into the house at night.
I put coated chain link fencing under the entire day pen, fastened between two 1"x6" boards around the edge so I did not have to dig, but have a way to prevent larger predators from digging under and in. An apron of stones or concrete pavers might be worth a try, especially if you can find them for free.
I will send this on, and add to it if I think of anything else.
Your setup looks great! Just think like a predator and poke around the house again. Look for gaps and openings, soft spots.
More thoughts. Have you closed up the house for a while, let the sun hit it, then gone in and done a sniff test? Ducks have a reputation for being sensitive to fumes. While you have it set up so that the outer doors can be open, if it is chilly but sunny and the doors are closed, has the paint dried enough not to gas off?
I like to think there are advantages to having a vivid imagination. I called a friend who is a wildlife management professional and asked him all about various predators' habits when I was building the duck housing.
Last edited:
- Thread starter
- #39
wildpeas - the coop/run was used by chickens before converting for ducks, and I just didn't want the ducks to be walking on top of....chicken poo. Though it was all dried up by the time we did the conversion, it just sorta bugged me, so I tilled it. Also, it's quite wet in the run, and tilling the ground sort of fluffed it up and hopefully, will help it dry up a bit before we let the ducks out into the run.
Amiga, thanks so very much for your feedback! It's very much appreciated. Excellent idea on putting the water bucket in something else. I am visualizing one of those concrete mixer pans - maybe I can get DH to saw down the edge on one of those, leaving just enough of a lip to make it easy to enter, but still hold the shavings.
Thanks for the ramp feedback as well. We have plenty of scrap wood, I'm sure we have a 2x12 or a couple of 2x4's that we could attach to each other for a ramp, and then we'll not put the rungs on it. Hmmm...I wonder if I painted it and then sprinkled sand on it while wet if that would be a good idea? Thoughts? Or, maybe just attach some indoor/outdoor carpet - the kind from Home Depot or wherever that you can get by the foot?
I did read that you should leave it open for a couple of weeks due to the fumes. It's definitely not fume FREE, but it's not bad. The thing is, they are REALLY crowded in their brooder. I really do need to get them moved, asap. I could leave the big doors open during the day, even if it's lightly raining....also, there is a window in the coop, and I could leave the pophole door open during the day as well. Would those things help until it's 100% fume free? Leaving the two large shed doors open may allow rain to get inside, but it shouldn't be much, and I have no problems wiping up the rain since the floor is linoleum all the way to the door. Thoughts?
Amiga, thanks so very much for your feedback! It's very much appreciated. Excellent idea on putting the water bucket in something else. I am visualizing one of those concrete mixer pans - maybe I can get DH to saw down the edge on one of those, leaving just enough of a lip to make it easy to enter, but still hold the shavings.
Thanks for the ramp feedback as well. We have plenty of scrap wood, I'm sure we have a 2x12 or a couple of 2x4's that we could attach to each other for a ramp, and then we'll not put the rungs on it. Hmmm...I wonder if I painted it and then sprinkled sand on it while wet if that would be a good idea? Thoughts? Or, maybe just attach some indoor/outdoor carpet - the kind from Home Depot or wherever that you can get by the foot?
I did read that you should leave it open for a couple of weeks due to the fumes. It's definitely not fume FREE, but it's not bad. The thing is, they are REALLY crowded in their brooder. I really do need to get them moved, asap. I could leave the big doors open during the day, even if it's lightly raining....also, there is a window in the coop, and I could leave the pophole door open during the day as well. Would those things help until it's 100% fume free? Leaving the two large shed doors open may allow rain to get inside, but it shouldn't be much, and I have no problems wiping up the rain since the floor is linoleum all the way to the door. Thoughts?
I like everything I see, It looks great. I have to agree with Amiga though the ramp should be wider because the ducks will be wider as they fully mature and will have a difficult time walking down that ramp. As for smell I think if you keep everything as open as possible there shouldn't be much of a problem. Right now i am running one of those plug in air fresheners in my houses to see if it will keep down the flies. I wouldn't do this if i couldn't keep the doors and windows open. I am sure your ducks will love their new digs, and good idea about keeping the pool area separate from main area.
Now we wait for pics of the cuties enjoying their new space.
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