Topic of the Week - Duck Hens 101

[Table4Six]

How tall/high off the ground?
Yes I guessed that it would not be all fun and clover...

I house 18 ducks in a 10x10 coop that is set on top of concrete blocks that go two feet down into the ground. No predator is digging under my coop and getting my birds. Although, hardware cloth works just as well.

 

[Table4Six]

I’m getting blue Swedish

Blue Swedish are a great choice. Very friendly birds.

 

[Ravynscroft]

It sounds like you have a very well established flock.
I used to only have females, but now I have two grey mallard drakes with my two snowy mallard hens and my one grey crested mallard hen. And just a few days ago I rescued a malnourished jumbo pekin drake from a retention pond by a Lowes parking lot and introduced my other group of 17 females. The intro went well and he is now a very happy guy with all his ladies. I named him Theodore.

Thank you, I think I do too...

Sounds like you have the same! A couple drakes with a couple/few females can work out, see it all the time... but I bet your new Pekin is very, very happy, lol!

 

[Ravynscroft]

I’m getting blue Swedish

For their needs, 3 feet high is just fine... anything taller than that is dependent on what you want and are comfortable with... if you aren't going to spend a lot of time walking around in their run, go with less... if you want to walk easily around, go higher for your height...

 

[chickens really]

I house 18 ducks in a 10x10 coop that is set on top of concrete blocks that go two feet down into the ground. No predator is digging under my coop and getting my birds. Although, hardware cloth works just as well.

Coop is 10x10 Im sure the run is way bigger...

 

[Ravynscroft]

I’m getting blue Swedish

For medium sized ducks they need at least 2.5 to 6 sq ft of space each in their nighttime housing, for 3 of them that's at least 3'×3' to 4'×5'... for their run, they need at least 10 to 25 sq ft of space each and for 3 that is at least 6'×5' to 9'×9'...

Bigger is always better, but those are minimums... hope that helps...

 

[Table4Six]

Thank you, I think I do too...

Sounds like you have the same! A couple drakes with a couple/few females can work out, see it all the time... but I bet your new Pekin is very, very happy, lol!

Yup, he's a very happy boy and has settled right in. And I'm not ashamed of admitting that I have already fallen deeply in love with him and I can't believe anyone would dump such a sweet friendly duck.

 

[Table4Six]

Coop is 10x10 Im sure the run is way bigger...

It is.
They have two acres to graze in and a small lake to bathe, swim, and play in. They're happy duckies.

 

[guineachick1]

I need some help here with my ducks ---PLEASE- don't know what is up with them, they had been going in the run/coup every night on their own- but now they sleep in the middle of the yard in a group, afraid that they are going to be some critters meal. Both my husband and I have attempted to get them in but they make a sharp turn in the opposite direction and book! I have checked out the run and the house-nothing is different. It's getting colder here. the only thing different is that I don't fill up their baby pool every day because it is too much work to haul the water. I have 14 of them-any duck whisperer's out there?

 

[iluvsedward]

I need some help here with my ducks ---PLEASE- don't know what is up with them, they had been going in the run/coup every night on their own- but now they sleep in the middle of the yard in a group, afraid that they are going to be some critters meal. Both my husband and I have attempted to get them in but they make a sharp turn in the opposite direction and book! I have checked out the run and the house-nothing is different. It's getting colder here. the only thing different is that I don't fill up their baby pool every day because it is too much work to haul the water. I have 14 of them-any duck whisperer's out there?

I got my ducks into a routine of going in their house by waiting til it was dark and then using my phone flashlight to provide lighting over the entrance to the house. then I would herd them in that direction and eventually (and with much patience on my part) they would go inside since they could see where they were going and it was the only place they could see.