Topic of the Week - Duck Housing

[quackingdom]

How I wish! Hawks are my biggest problem. But I have had coyote walk right up on us & then the fox incident. I wish mine could free range

So sorry you have problems! Maybe guard geese/dogs would help? I don't know exactly effective geese are, but some people use them as guards.

I've only losses to two types of predators. We have cougars, jaguars, coyotes, foxes, ocelots, and many types of birds of prey, but none of those have ever been a problem.

Our worst predator is...of all things...plain old fire ants. They killed two ducklings.

The second worst would be crocodiles. Lost one duck to a crocodile three years ago, and not long after had another attack in which the duck (our main drake Captain) escaped with only a minor wound on his belly and leg that healed within two weeks. (Crazy, I know. We couldn't believe he escaped so easily.) Since then, most of the ducks have stayed away from the pond...until this year. It's mostly been the young ones, who didn't witness the other crocodile attack, and they've only been in our new pond, which the crocodiles don't seem to really like. We have no real way of keeping the ducks out, so I just have to hope they'll be okay. I have noticed that they never venture into the middle of the pond unless the geese are around (and the geese are way too big for our little four-foot crocodiles to eat).

The last time there was a crocodile in there, which was several months ago, several ducks walked on the bank of the pond just a few feet from the crocodile. The crocodile saw them, but did nothing.

My ducks must be predator repellent. Reading over what I just wrote, it sounds totally preposterous.

 

[PirateGirl]

Ok, the duck house is pretty much done! Now I have to get motivation to build the fence. As shown previously one roof panel opens for people access, and now one wall folds open to become a duck ramp/door. The top triangles will have fencing over them, but remain open for ventilation. All wood was salvaged, only purchased screws and hinges for the house.

 

[Patrick McKee]

Ok, the duck house is pretty much done! Now I have to get motivation to build the fence. As shown previously one roof panel opens for people access, and now one wall folds open to become a duck ramp/door. The top triangles will have fencing over them, but remain open for ventilation. All wood was salvaged, only purchased screws and hinges for the house.

That is awesome. Way to get it done.

Here you are doing it and I am looking at my 2 week old ducklings and thinking I might want to stop filming their cuteness and start building! But, I am getting forgetful,

But they are still kind of cute and it is really funny now that they have been outside and they all realize that there is a "TOP" to the wall of their current home and that "BEYOND" is way cooler.

Well, thanks for the cool pictures of your duck A Frame! I love it!

 

[Miss Lydia]

Any recent pics of your growing babies @Patrick McKee?

 

[mominoz]

Hotwire (dog or horse low impedence charger) 6" off bottom and top if you don't have an impregnable roof. ducks put off a lot of moisture.... ventilation is important, heat only as babies... I use rubber mats (over the pond rock I orginally had) in a carport that fenced (overfenced) and then I have a 4 ft fence around the day yards and hotwired.) Mine go out in 3 pastures with geese in daytime that has a field/hog fence around our property... No losses in 9 years.... but years ago before hotwire I lost chickens and geese to raccoons... near the suburbs... here I have forest and farms so every imaginable predator... Ducks/geese don't need the 'housing' chickens do. Mine prefer to lay outside any house, on the ground, usually next top a pool in their night yards (I lock up every night and sometimes keep them in these yards if it is going to rain heavily as they dig up the the yard during rain too much... Mine prefer upturned rubber maid bins. or some used window awnings I got free as nests or cover and ignore the 12 X 20 roofed carport, except the runners, they like a little more shelter... (oh, and dogs and coyotes can move those blocks or dig in front of them, as do 'wood rats'... they like them for roofing of their tunnels...)

 

[PirateGirl]

That is awesome. Way to get it done.

Here you are doing it and I am looking at my 2 week old ducklings and thinking I might want to stop filming their cuteness and start building! But, I am getting forgetful,

But they are still kind of cute and it is really funny now that they have been outside and they all realize that there is a "TOP" to the wall of their current home and that "BEYOND" is way cooler.

Well, thanks for the cool pictures of your duck A Frame! I love it!

Go get started! Everything is taking longer than I think it will! It went that way with the chicken coop too. You still have time, so you can work for an hour and quit if you feel like it or get frustrated or need to run to the hardware store again. Once you start construction hopefully it will be less overwhelming and a bit more exciting. When I run out of daylight I lie in bed envisioning the next steps. Haha, I may be going a bit crazy.

 

[Lou LaRue]

Getting closer to being finished. The yard area just needs trim work to cover the seams of the hardware cloth. And some paint on the ramp for weather proofing.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Getting closer to being finished. The yard area just needs trim work to cover the seams of the hardware cloth. And some paint on the ramp for weather proofing.

Is the coop and run sitting heavy on the blocks? so nothing can dig them out?

I have to say you all did a great job on your building and use of hardware cloth. Your ducklings are adroable

 

[Lou LaRue]

Thank you. Yes, the yard area beams are weighted down. And we lock them in the house portion at night for more security. We have a little more work to do making everything flush around the ground borders.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Are they all females?