This is my coop and run. I have both my ducks and chickens together. The coop is 6x8 and the whole run is 8x25. Admittedly, I went a little overboard with the whole thing.
Here's some key things about it.
>The coop is big enough for 12 birds and the run for 20 based on the minimum recommendations. However, my limit is 10 birds, per city code. I went this big so that they have plenty of room on the days when they can't free range (like during blizzards).
>I like the extra space provided by having a raised coop. However, it I had more room I'd have it level with the ground. The ducks can go up the ramp but they don't like to. Plus it's a bit of a pain for me to get in.
>The coop bottom is hardware cloth stretched across composite deck boards. There is a roof line vent, two soofet vents, and 4 under eave vents total. All this is to keep the coop ventilated even when I need to close the windows.
>I like having the pea gravel around the in-ground stock tank to help with the splashing water.. You can see the tank on the left end of the run.
>I like the roof for two reasons. One is it lets me use the deep litter method in the run. Since this picture I actually expanded the deep litter to the other side of the door. Two is that it helps keep out the snow in winter.
>In retrospect, I wish I had covered the whole thing. I though it would be nice for the ducks to have a spot where they could stand in the rain. But really it just makes for move shoveling in the winter.
>The entire run is enclosed in hardware cloth. It's good for keeping out all the predators I have to worry about, including raccoons.
>Those tall grasses you can see on the other side of the stock tank didn't last. I won't bother with adding more plants in the future.
>You can hardly see it but there is a blue bucket hanging next to the feeder under the coop. This is a nipple waterer that they use while eating. It helps keep the mess down. A deeper bucket is on the pea gravel for them to dunk their heads. You can't see it in the picture.
You don't have to get this elaborate. You just need to make sure you have enough space and it is predator proof. Figure on them spending more time outside than inside of a coop. Design the coop to be well ventilated. You'll want to plan for the weather you deal with and have a plan for keeping the splashing water under control. I did a lot of research on keeping ducks so I had a good idea of the problems I'd face. I think planning for those is what really matters.
Here's some key things about it.
>The coop is big enough for 12 birds and the run for 20 based on the minimum recommendations. However, my limit is 10 birds, per city code. I went this big so that they have plenty of room on the days when they can't free range (like during blizzards).
>I like the extra space provided by having a raised coop. However, it I had more room I'd have it level with the ground. The ducks can go up the ramp but they don't like to. Plus it's a bit of a pain for me to get in.
>The coop bottom is hardware cloth stretched across composite deck boards. There is a roof line vent, two soofet vents, and 4 under eave vents total. All this is to keep the coop ventilated even when I need to close the windows.
>I like having the pea gravel around the in-ground stock tank to help with the splashing water.. You can see the tank on the left end of the run.
>I like the roof for two reasons. One is it lets me use the deep litter method in the run. Since this picture I actually expanded the deep litter to the other side of the door. Two is that it helps keep out the snow in winter.
>In retrospect, I wish I had covered the whole thing. I though it would be nice for the ducks to have a spot where they could stand in the rain. But really it just makes for move shoveling in the winter.
>The entire run is enclosed in hardware cloth. It's good for keeping out all the predators I have to worry about, including raccoons.
>Those tall grasses you can see on the other side of the stock tank didn't last. I won't bother with adding more plants in the future.
>You can hardly see it but there is a blue bucket hanging next to the feeder under the coop. This is a nipple waterer that they use while eating. It helps keep the mess down. A deeper bucket is on the pea gravel for them to dunk their heads. You can't see it in the picture.
You don't have to get this elaborate. You just need to make sure you have enough space and it is predator proof. Figure on them spending more time outside than inside of a coop. Design the coop to be well ventilated. You'll want to plan for the weather you deal with and have a plan for keeping the splashing water under control. I did a lot of research on keeping ducks so I had a good idea of the problems I'd face. I think planning for those is what really matters.
