general info about a house/run

Jellyhead · « **Reply #15 on:** October 26, 2007, 16:25 »

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.

babe · « **Reply #16 on:** October 26, 2007, 17:29 »

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

daveinmanc · « **Reply #17 on:** October 26, 2007, 20:32 »

thanks for that happy

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

muntjac · « **Reply #18 on:** October 26, 2007, 20:36 »

the shorer t the step the steeper the angle ,,,,,2fy is fine if the huts a foot off the ground .id stick with it

daveinmanc · « **Reply #19 on:** October 26, 2007, 20:41 »

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

muntjac · « **Reply #20 on:** October 26, 2007, 20:44 »

it dont matter how long it takes mate so long as they can get up it

daveinmanc · « **Reply #21 on:** October 26, 2007, 20:46 »

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?

babe · « **Reply #22 on:** October 26, 2007, 20:48 »

you can buy duck houses that are 8/10 ft high off the ground with a ramp.

daveinmanc · « **Reply #23 on:** October 26, 2007, 20:49 »

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

daveinmanc · « **Reply #24 on:** October 26, 2007, 20:52 »

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?

babe · « **Reply #25 on:** October 26, 2007, 21:00 »

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.

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.

daveinmanc · « **Reply #26 on:** October 26, 2007, 21:04 »

thats brilliant thank you

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

babe · « **Reply #27 on:** October 26, 2007, 21:06 »

make sure you do, we like pics

muntjac · « **Reply #28 on:** October 26, 2007, 21:08 »

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

daveinmanc · « **Reply #29 on:** October 26, 2007, 23:46 »

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 . . . .

General Information! Started by New Hampshire lover on The Hen House	2 Replies 1869 Views	April 21, 2008, 22:00 by richyrich7
General Advice Started by New Hampshire lover on The Hen House	3 Replies 2127 Views	April 08, 2008, 21:05 by henpecked
general enquirey Started by Bilbo67 on The Hen House	7 Replies 2193 Views	June 14, 2010, 20:40 by jhub
poultry first aid/general health kit? Started by chuckmum on The Hen House	3 Replies 1173 Views	March 17, 2010, 22:46 by dizzylizzie