Need Duck house info

[Dace]

I would like to build a small duck house and I could use some direction.

We had mallards as a kid and they bedded down in an old hollowed out stump. We simply cleaned out the straw occasionally. But here I will need to worry about predators.

I am leaning towards Khaki Cambells for their friendly, quiet nature and egg production. I will likely get a trio. I am open to other options though if anyone has feed back on other breeds. They will be strictly egg producing pets so personality is important.

I am so excited! I ADORE ducks!

 

[Wifezilla]

I like my khaki's, but I got them as adults, so they are not exactly "people ducks". If raised from ducklings and handled often, they should be great pets. My buff duck is used to more people contact and she is a real character...but she is still not a "petting duck".

As for housing, I have a duck hutch inside a fenced pen. The hutch was just made out of scrap lumber and has a duck-sized entrance on one side and a hinged roof (for egg collection and cleaning). The floor of both the pen and hutch is dirt covered in deep litter (pine shavings).

When I first got the ducks, I kept them in the pen 24/7. They could come in and out of the hutch at will. After a couple of weeks, I started opening the pen during the day to let them out in the yard. At night, they went back in to the pen on their own. This has worked really well.

Sometimes if it is nice out though, they DON'T go back in to to the pen without a little herding...LOL

 

[johnElarue]

I built an A frame duck 'Ark' it was fairly simple to make.

Did the same at first kept em in 24/7 but now they're out most of the day.

I hear KK's are the way to go. I've got mallard/domestic crosses very skittish, but still only 7mos. old

 

[Wifezilla]

Khaki's and runners are your egg producing masters, but my runner is afraid of her own shadow, so yeah...khaki's for a good personality AND good egg production.

 

[Quail_Antwerp]

We built what we call the duck shed out of used lumber...and recycled tin for the roof. All of the materials we used were free and recycled LOL

The lumber was actually board fencing and we cut down small locust trees for corner posts instead of putting in 4x4's.

I can try to get pics of the duck shed for you tomorrow. It's pretty good sized. I put fresh straw in it today for the ducks and OMIGOODNESS did they ever have a discussion about it! They went right in, snuggled into it, and you could hear them chattering about it all the way up to the house!

I have a mixed duck flock, all young ducks and none have laid yet. I have a male black runner, a female tufted chocolate runner, a male pekin, a female blue swedish, 2 female rouens, 2 male rouens, 1 female khaki campbell and one male mallard. Had a female mallard but we lost her in the last cold snap.

 

[Dace]

Quail, I would love to see pics.

I am anxious to get this project underway

 

[Quail_Antwerp]

Quail, I would love to see pics.

I am anxious to get this project underway

YIKES! With the excitement of getting my new turkeys today, I forgot to take pics!! Let me browse through my stash of older pics, see what I have!

Here ya go!

The duck shed is the in the middle with the blue tin roof! I think it took us 2 days to build? No door on it either.

 

[Dace]

Quail...thanks for posting the pic
It looks as though the duck house is raised off the ground..is it?

I have read that ducks do not like to be cooped...any feedback on that? Mine would surely get eaten if left free here. I would like a nice big run and a secure house for them. Can you give me any idea of how much space is needed per bird?

 

[Quail_Antwerp]

Quail...thanks for posting the pic
It looks as though the duck house is raised off the ground..is it?

I have read that ducks do not like to be cooped...any feedback on that? Mine would surely get eaten if left free here. I would like a nice big run and a secure house for them. Can you give me any idea of how much space is needed per bird?

No, it's not raised off the ground. Tell you what, I'll take my camera outside right now and get better pics of it for you.

As for space, no clue! My ducks are only in their fenced space at night. I let them out every morning. I only have 10 ducks right now, but I'll measure everything and give your the measurements so you can see how much space ours have?

ETA: Not sure on the not liking being cooped? Maybe I have weird ducks, or maybe it's just because we trained them from a young age, but mine give us no problems with being in their shed and run aread. Course, their swimming hole is IN their run, so it's desirable to them to be in there LOL And they love it when I put fresh straw in the duck shed. They go in there and have entire conversations about the new bedding!!!

 

[Dace]

Thanks Quail...you are a doll