Thinking About Getting Ducks, Looking For Advice Please!

[WalkerNom]

​

Finished the platform today (for the second time lol). Excuse the messy floor.

 

[QuackSpeak]

That looks pretty good! I like the ducky ramp

Just figured out that the temp in the brooder is 5* higher than it should be

. We have the heat lamp clamped to a piece of wood, and now I'm wishing that we had made the wood longer...

And I need to find a carton to make their waterer out of. But other than that, I'm good!

 

[Ducklover3449]

Hey all! I found a 72" x 48" metal cage online for around $60. It is metal and has a waterproof cover. Is this big enough for two 3 year old Saxony ducks to sleep at night? I give them free range when I am out there with them, but when I'm not, I put them in their enclosure due to predators. Let me know if I should get this for my 2 ducks. the height is 24 in

or, should I get this 86" L x 40" W metal cage for $70. It is also metal, and has a waterproof cover. please let me know which is the better buy, or if i should get them at all. I will secure both enclosures with zip ties, ropes...etc. the height is 40 in

 

[QuackSpeak]

Both would fit two ducks, I'd think

 

[WalkerNom]

@Ducklover3449 - While I am new to ducks, I'm not sure I can give the most sound advice. You might want to get a few more opinions. However, here's what I would do in your shoes.

I'd figure out how many square feet each pen is. The first is 24 sq. ft. the second is roughly 23.76 sq. ft. (please check my math, I'm not the best at it!) So, really they are pretty much the same size. Then, I'd look at height. The first pen is 24 in. tall and the second is 40 in. tall, but according to wikipedia, Saxony ducks average at about 20 in. tall. That means that both pens are tall enough for your ducks. Therefore, if I had to choose one of those pens, I'd choose the first one since it's plenty big enough and cheaper too!

But honestly, I'd go on ebay and order an xpen for dogs. They are pretty much the same as far as looks and I've found 16 sq. ft. ones for as low as $25. That means that you can buy two for about $50 (which is still less than both of those cages) and end up with 32 sq. ft. You can also choose different heights and panel sizes (but that would also change the square feet!). I'd cover the top with my own wire and get my own tarp and, bam, you just made a bigger and better pen!

Also, I'd look into building a solid house for the ducks to be locked into at night. That will give them extra protection from the weather and it will make sure predators can't harass them through the wire.

 

[QuackSpeak]

@Ducklover3449 , though both designs may fit your ducks, predators like raccoons can potentially damage your ducks through the wire.

 

[Ducklover3449]

@Ducklover3449 - While I am new to ducks, I'm not sure I can give the most sound advice. You might want to get a few more opinions. However, here's what I would do in your shoes.

I'd figure out how many square feet each pen is. The first is 24 sq. ft. the second is roughly 23.76 sq. ft. (please check my math, I'm not the best at it!) So, really they are pretty much the same size. Then, I'd look at height. The first pen is 24 in. tall and the second is 40 in. tall, but according to wikipedia, Saxony ducks average at about 20 in. tall. That means that both pens are tall enough for your ducks. Therefore, if I had to choose one of those pens, I'd choose the first one since it's plenty big enough and cheaper too!

But honestly, I'd go on ebay and order an xpen for dogs. They are pretty much the same as far as looks and I've found 16 sq. ft. ones for as low as $25. That means that you can buy two for about $50 (which is still less than both of those cages) and end up with 32 sq. ft. You can also choose different heights and panel sizes (but that would also change the square feet!). I'd cover the top with my own wire and get my own tarp and, bam, you just made a bigger and better pen!

Also, I'd look into building a solid house for the ducks to be locked into at night. That will give them extra protection from the weather and it will make sure predators can't harass them through the wire.

Thank you so much! I'll have to see if I can find some good xpens for my duckies

 

[WalkerNom]

Guyyyyyyyyyyys! Guess what!

All the way across the country and healthy!

 

[Krazyquilts]

[COLOR=333333]Hey all! I found a 72" x 48" metal cage online for around $60. It is metal and has a waterproof cover. Is this big enough for two  3 year old Saxony ducks to sleep at night? I give them free range when I am out there with them, but when I'm not, I put them in their enclosure due to predators. Let me know if I should get this for my 2 ducks. the height is 24 in

[/COLOR]



[COLOR=333333]or, should I get this [COLOR=111111]86" L x 40" W  metal cage for $70. It is also metal, and has a waterproof cover. please let me know which is the better buy, or if i should get them at all. I will secure both enclosures with zip ties, ropes...etc. the height is 40 in[/COLOR][/COLOR]

[COLOR=333333]

 [/COLOR]

I agree with @QuackSpeak about predators being able to reach in. If you got either one of those designs, you'd probably want to add a hardware cloth bottom so nothing can underneath and hardware cloth sides.

 

[Krazyquilts]

Guyyyyyyyyyyys! Guess what!

All the way across the country and healthy!

So cute!!! So glad they are all healthy! What kinds are they?