Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat
Poultry and Pets => The Hen House => Topic started by: daveinmanc on October 26, 2007, 12:21
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my other half has dropped a few hints about keeping 2 ducks. . . i'm doing some in the background research without her knowledge and i've got a fairly good idea in my head what i think i'll build.
seen a number of houses that people on the site have made so i'm going to go for something along the lines of this - and please tell me if anything i'm thinking of is unsuitable or unnecessary . . . .
the 'house' would be 18 inch to 2 foot off the ground with an access ramp, the main part of the house would be 4 to 5 foot wide and around 3 to 4 foot tall? with a nesting box, (coming off the back) with 18'' space for each bird, divided in the middle? and a hinged lid for cleaning access. and a pirch? now should this be a 'shelf' or just a 'beam' (length of baton?)to balance on?
the main 'front' would also have a large hinged door for cleaning too.
the run, around 4 foot tall, 8 foot long ??? was thinking i could hinge the complete top so it opens to allow you to walk in and clean without stooping.
the gardens pretty big and room isn't a problem so if you think i need to increase any dimensions let me know. also thinking of burying some of the mesh into the ground where the frame will meet the ground to stop any roaming foxes trying to dig down? prevention being better than a cure and all that . . . . .
any and all ideas appreciated ! thank you :wink: :wink:
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a slatted floor for ducks is a bonus .make the gaps a 1/4 inch /makes for great washing down :wink:
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t & g with 1/4 inch gaps be ok?
is this cos they tend to erm plop a lot lol
thought they might need some bedding/straw on the floor for warmth??
i could actually hinge the bottom to drop down if this is practical??
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with a nesting box, (coming off the back) with 18'' space for each bird, divided in the middle? and a hinged lid for cleaning access.
I know zip about ducks, but I did think they won't use a nest box :?
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won't they need a small area for laying eggs?? i thought thats why the nesting boxes were always separate from the main area of the house? i just kind of presumed that they did this to keep the hens/ducks apart so they could sit and lay without the threat of another bird seeing the eggs?? maybe i'm way off the mark . . . . lol
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We've quite a few duck keepers on here that will put you straight, but I though they dropped them wherever they fancied :evil:
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Ducks just lay straight onto the floor wherever they fancy. For this reason a good thickness of straw or shavings is essential. If you have a number of ducks they will tend to lay in one place and then cover them with the bending but not always.
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mine layed in cardboard bed pans :wink: :lol:
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so the inside of the 'house' could just be a straightforward 'box' with a breather at the top and a door for cleaning access then ? simple as that?
don't mind doing the work on it at all but if i'm overcomplicating it for no good reason . . . . . . . .
would they need a pirch then or is that more a chickeny thing :lol:
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Chooky I think, <<calls>> Bodger :wink:
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no perch :wink:
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Thought you were out cleaning your wet wellies Munty :lol:
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newspaper comes in useful , rubbish reading tho :wink:
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Its as simple as posssible for ducks. The books say that you should have as wide a door as possible but that could because they were short of something to say.
They want as gentle a sloping ramp as possible as they are prone to foot and leg damage. Make it as easy as you can for yourself to get in there and clean.
Some strips of wood across the ramp will help to stop them slipping.
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thanks for all the replies :D
think i will take another look and make it simpler, that should make it easier to clean too, already seen some good designs and saved a few pics to go off so i may well just start building next week if i have time :)
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My ducks just use the floor of my chicken coop. They don't perch. i pit plenty of straw down for them and they are quite happy. I don't have a pond yet either so they are happy at the mo with a childs plastic paddling pool. My friend has ducks and they wont go in a house at all.
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hi, think big dog kennel-ish and you cant go far wrong with a slight ramp. lots of straw. no fancy stuff, off the floor for warmth in the winter.
yes they poo lots
they will lay anywhere they like, but tend to early so some people dont let the ducks out as early as chooks so you dont have a daily egg hunt.
you must have two or more, a single duck is a sad lonely duck.
they must have water, a paddling pool is ok, but you will need to clean it at least every other day as they will make it filthy very quick. and it must be clean and deep enough that they can get their heads right in to clean their eyes or they will suffer with very sore eyes.
they dont go to bed as early as chooks and will eat flying bugs after dark. this is a good part of their diet so dont take it away from them by shutting them up at dusk.
i have two and they are great, will happily climb on your lap for a cuddle and are so soft. they chatter away to each other like old ladies all day long.
good luck
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thanks for that happy :D
so is 18 inch to 2 foot a bit high then? should i think more of about a foot to lessen the angle the ramp will be at, i know i could just make it longer at the higher size but if thats a bit much to start off with??
seen a few pics here and there that appear to be not far off ground level but they seem a bit too close to the ground for the winter and frosts for my liking. . . . . .
:o
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the shorer t the step the steeper the angle ,,,,,2fy is fine if the huts a foot off the ground .id stick with it :wink:
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well i just got back from B n Q with some batons to start making the frame up so i'm just wondering now whether to go for a foot, two foot or inbetween cos i can just make it to suit whatever's best for the birds really . . . . dont want it too high so it takes em 10 minutes to get up there lol
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it dont matter how long it takes mate so long as they can get up it :wink:
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lol hmmm i suppose not . . . . .
in your opinion though if you were making one from scratch now, how high off the ground for the base of the house would you think is correct?
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you can buy duck houses that are 8/10 ft high off the ground with a ramp.
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oh my god lol :shock:
talk about high rise lol
see, now, i'm kinda thinkin that two foots not so bad after all . . . . . lol
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so then happy . . . . . in your opinion . . . . if i start two foot off the ground, , then i make the house 4 foot high, by 5 foot wide and say two feet deep, is that plenty of space to house two ducks quite happily???? :D
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unless you have a reason for being so far off the ground, 6-12 inches is plenty, 12 will mean you can get under it to spray jeyes etc.
heres a picture of the one my dad built me recently for my chooks and ducks.
(http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/aa171/happy-valley/coopa.jpg)
easy to get in and clean its about 5ft square and a little taller so i dont bang my head.
its simple off the ground and plenty of room for 10 chooks and two ducks.
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thats brilliant thank you :D
think my dimensions will be ok then, not planning on housing more than two for the time being but you know how these things have a habit of getting erm . . . . carried away lol
going to make it all in sections that can just be screwed together when i'm done for easy transporting so i might just throw a few pics in as i'm going along . . . . thanks again for the tips :D
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make sure you do, we like pics :lol:
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just remember DO NOT FEEDD ANY MEDICATED PRODUCTS TO YOUR DUCKS , and dont feed em commercial stuff ,its made for fattening ducks for the tabe e
dont feed to much protien or they ducks will get angel wings ,this is where the wing points up .20% 22 % fer ducklings then 16 fer others after 6 weeks , crushed sweetcorn is a must for them its got the right levels of protien in it and they go mad for it .. warning if you feed your fish coy pellets they will charge the fish to get them :lol: :lol:
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no worries there muntjac, these are gonna be purely 'au naturel' ducks lol
started on the frame and i'll post a couple of pics in a short while when i've had a shower . . . thanks for the tips . . . . :D
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few pics of the frame i started earlier . . . . . . . .
as i said in an earlier post . . . . take no notice of the state of the extension, its a 'work in progress' lol :D
(http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h183/purpled_01/Photo-0072.jpg)
(http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h183/purpled_01/Photo-0070.jpg)
(http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h183/purpled_01/Photo-0069.jpg)
last pics a bit small . . . . that was before i adjusted the image size on my phone lol . . . . . . .
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your gonn have to nail it down somehow matey that may blow about if its a real windy time ,thestuff your using is a very light wood pine i think :wink:
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not when i've finished with it lol . . . . . my diy skills are pretty good if a dont mind sayin so meself . . . . am not bad really . . . . gotta fill it out yet with tongue an groove of course which will strengthen it then it'll be fastened with some L shaped brackets for extra security.
lid n roof will follow with some felt to finish the roof off of course . . . . . doors etc . . . blah blah . . . am thinkin it'll be a small work of art by the time am finished but the pics will be the proof of the puddin' eh . . . . :D
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right am off to me pit . . . . . . catch you all real soon . . . . . .
thanks for all the tips people :D
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I have 13 ducks big old birds Aylesbury's and Saxony's. I would advise the shavings option as its easier and I personally find them more absorbant. (I get dust extracted ones you use for horses). They lay anywhere mine normally choose a corner and lay there so nest boxes not needed and the deep sawdust protects them and keeps them cleaner I find.
A big must is water inside for night in a bucket they can't knock over mine get through a full bucket every night. I have a crate that I sit the bucket in to stop them spilling it, maybe you could make a similar item for yours.
Enjoy, you can't be sad with a duck they are to lovely
:lol: x
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thanks for that slowef, i'll bear what you said about the water in mind . . . think i'll try to build something into the base inside to take a bucket or basin so they have plenty of water. thats a lot they go through in a night ! then again you do have a few there lol
just picked up some really good wire for the run for nothing! much better than the regular chicken wire thats around. going to do a bit more this week on the house so i'll post some more progress pics as i go along !
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p.s. I gave my ducklings Chappie (dog food) mixed with a little water they loved it. Its good for them apparently and they certainly thried on it. It does make for slightly smellier poo's but in for a penny :oops: :oops:
Oh I agree about the feed, avoid cocidistats I use Smallholder Duck and Goose Feed its additive free
http://www.smallholderfeed.co.uk/poultry/10.htm
xx
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Hi there, just a thought - we made our broody house from scratch and used T&G - only thing we would do different is use a smaller thickness - ie only 12mm - we used 19mm thinking solid is good only to find a * to move :? !!! Good luck and keep us posted!
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thanks for that slowef, that links great and there's some near to where my girlfriend lives :D
foxy i've started with 12mm anyway cos i thought that should be more than enough, yours must be bomb proof lol :shock:
with my thoughts turning to cleaning . . . . what do you think to the idea of me making the bottom hinged like a door so it drops open to the floor so when you come to muck it out you can just wash it down with a hose too and rake the muck away???
was gonna make a full size hinged door on the back to just swing open so you can get in from the back but the bottom dropping down is starting to appeal to me ? ? ? :?
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had another brainwave to go with the above one . . . . lol :shock:
what if . . . i cut out a circular hole in the base to take a 2.5 ltr small bucket and sink it in the floor for water when they're inside??? easy access and all that, any obvious minus points to this that i might not be thinking of???
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they may also fall in .just use a drinker from ebay :wink:
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ooops sorry two brainwaves :shock:
how about . . . . yer know them solar lights that go in your garden . . . . would there be any benefit to building some of them into the roof??? just a thought after reading peoples posts about chickens needing more light in the winter to stay laying, or thats how i took it - i know i'm talking about ducks here not chickens so would ducks benefit from it do you think??
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ducks no.. chickens maybe :)
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what about my idea to have the base open to the floor munty??
thats gotta be easier for cleaning surely? i could also do it in lats with gaps as you mentioned so it drains better if its washed down? :D
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for ducks i do that ,and i dont use straw on the floor at all the eggs are layed in a box with straw in and thats all . you need to have drinkers for all birds mate.rubbish will get into a bucket in the floor im thinking .also chicks would drown :( you dont need to over complicate things honestly the more basic the better for you and the birds .food water shelter and protection from pain and suffering is all that you need to comply with ,let the birds do what birds do without fannying around with artificial lighting etc ,i promise the birds will be happier and a dam site healthier ,dont forget POWS are subjected to light depravation torture and take my word for it ,it aint nice what the leaving a light on longer when a bird should be naturally sleeping is the opposite side of the same thing .... :wink:
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am reading ya loud n clear lol :D
cheers for that i'll get some more wood in a bit and do a bit today before i'm off to hers . . . . . . . . cheers munty
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your welcome matey :wink: