Topic of the Week - Duck Housing

[Lou LaRue]

Yes, I can get power to their night time house. Thank you!

They are really getting independent. They want to be outside all the time. Nights drop into the 30-40's here and next week is suppose to be another freeze, but these ducks seem like they are strong little duckies and I have seen ducks in snow, so...I think they will be fine if I can get them a safe sleepy house.

I realized at about 15 days old that these ducklings were going to free range. They already do not like the brooder and the new one in the garage is huge. They like it outside. Period.

So my run requirements got a lot easier and I had to do a redesign last night, not much run, focus on night house.

I am going to try and move them outside on week 4, which will be this coming Monday.

Here is a video this morning. I gave in to the screaming and we went outside for a couple hours. They were beat after and came inside with no problem.

They are so cute ! Let us know how the house is coming along!

 

[Lou LaRue]

This may be in the wrong thread, but what does angel wing look like? My ducks are 5.5 weeks old and the new feather shafts on their wings look like they are rubbing raw spots where the down is under their wings. I let them bathe today in their little pool outside the run, so I hope that helps keep them clean.

 

[Ajducklover]

We have four muscovy ducks, one drake and three hens.

They have a purpose-built coop with the sides some 6 by 9 ft, and an inner height of 6 ft, so people can stand inside without trouble. The pop door is large in order for a tall drake to walk in and out easily, 20 inches tall and a foot wide. In order to keep drafts out, a large box is hung outside the pop door, with the opening to the side, so the ducks have to make a 90° turn to enter or exit. The opening has a closable hatch. A small plank with smaller wooden steps added to it acts as a gangplank connecting the opening with the ground.

There is one large nest there, two feet by 16 inches. The opening of the nest is deliberately kept small, some eight by eight inches, to discourage the drake from entering and disturbing the hens and ducklings. The nest sits on the outside of the coop, and its roof opens up with hinges, making egg collection and cleaning very easy.

There is also a large natural log, perhaps six inches thick, put up as a roost. It's about two feet from the floor and six feet wide, stretching from one wall to the next.

The walls and the nest are insulated.

There is one ventilation opening high up on each of the shorter walls, each opening a circle of about six inches in diameter, covered by hardware cloth to keep predators out.

The walls and ceiling are painted white, and the floor is covered in tiles. The tiles in turn are covered in wood shavings. Wood shavings are also used to cover the bottom of the
nest.

One of the long walls has one large triple-glass window, stretching from roof to ceiling.

The hens only use the coop three times a year, when they lay and sit on eggs in the nest. When the ducklings are one day old, they leave the coop never to turn back. The drake never ever uses the coop. They all prefer to sleep outside, even in sub-zero temperatures. Sigh.

Weird. Mine are in n out of coop all day. When dark comes they go into bed. Any sign of anything flying overhead they go inside.

 

[DocRain]

We moved into our homestead a year ago October and it's been a major work in progress. Next to my shed is a lean to and will be used as a house for my Pekins. I bought 4 ft black fence to divide off the Indian Runners and Cayugas. I'm building a 3 pond system with valves and filters that will go to the irrigation. The chickens are in the center and have a half of the cabin with the guinea fowl hanging out in the rafters! We have 1 turkey her name is Gladys and she and her 4 mates that are on order will have their own run. Her house will be made from an existing steel roof that was on the property. There is also another roof that broke into 2 parts which will be made into two duck houses. I bought a lovely bench to put in the bird area so I can sit with my birds!

 

[Nero70002]

Our hens literally fight to lay there (which means one should perhaps provide scovy hens with more that one nest box per three individuals). No training needed.

View attachment 1236886

View attachment 1236887

Those ducklings are adorable!

 

[african chickens]

so that was last spring during the winter we add tarps to the sides and we also added a slanted tarp from the barn down to the front of the cage maybe we should add a roof currently it houses 2 Indian runner ducks and 1 of the 2 jumbo Pekins shown above they do usually free range and arent locked in this small space all the time

 

[GreenAcres Homestead]

Ok I am at a loss here for we have a chicken coop for our chickens and guineas they go into every night but the ducks and our two geese have always slept under the trampoline, or just wherever they want during the night in our yard. We have always wished they would go into a coop at night to sleep so is it too late to change their behavior? As for laying eggs we have 4 female ducks and one male Peking duck. Only 3 of the females lay eggs. One usually goes into the chicken coop during the morning and lays under the little board that goes up to the nesting boxes. Then the other two lay where during the day and if I don't find them first the chickens get them most the time before me. So we would love to build them a small place of their own and hopefully get them to laying their eggs in one spot daily. We love duck eggs. We do plan on adding more ducks this spring to our little homestead too.

 

[my spoiled chickens]

Right now my ducks sleep in the chicken run at night(they refuse to go into any coop -_- they only went into the coop when we had pur hurrican)
They have a big inclosed dog crate that theh can go into if they want and they do sometimes. I want to give them their own space since we are adding 7 more(once they move out of our spare room lol) they free range all day with the chickens the run/coop would only be for at night.
The addition will be seprate from the run but just by hardwire cloth.
They are a great alarm system too so we try to keep them close to all tbe other birds.
Only thing i would say if your ducks free range keep their pool outside their run/coop. Have a water sourse for them in tbe coop/run but not a pool it makes it messy.
Put pool is right outside the coop so they stay pretty close to the house. They roam all around the house but you always know they wont go to far from the pool. And it makes it easier to clean the pool too.

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Did you try putting some mealworms or scratch in for them

 

[Farmerlaney]

Ducks are wet. Ducks are muddy. Ducks are messy and they create moist environment where ever they go. Water fowl is true to the name. I have 7 runner ducks and 1 pekin and what I call a p-runner. When designing your duck coops it's not a good idea to house them with chickens as chickens don't do wet very well. Use a flooring that can withstand ample moisture as it comes from just the ducks themselves the poop they generate and the water they drink. Ventilation is a must as they produce quite a bit of ammonia along with general moisture. Be prepared for them to modify the land and exploit all water..... A small puddle can become a large one. Drainage ditches can be changed and redirected. Flat paddle feet pat down the land they travel. I've had my ducks for a few years now and they created a wetland out of just wet land lol..... which makes them so precious to our world and disappearing wetlands. similar to beavers they are builders and designed to do so. By no means get ducks without educating yourself and being prepared to having them prior to getting them. If you consider having drakes with hens do pay attention to the duck to drake ratio 1 to 3 or more 2 to 6 or more. Breeding of hen (chickens) via a drake can be lethal to your hen (chicken) so it's good to have ducks with him if you desire a mixed species flock. Separate barns is best as the requirements of chickens versus water fowl is quite different in housing. If you don't have a pond or your neighbor has a pond they will go to it. It's instinct to go to water sources they will wander if there is water available nextdoor and not at home. Also keep in mind when draining your duck pools you can use a sub pump attached to a hose and use that filthy water they generate to water your gardens as it is diluted in the water and will not scorch plants. Ducks are great just take your time and educate yourself on the pros cons and requirements as they are much different than chickens