[Buffy the eggs layer]

Hi All,

  I am hoping to hatch some ducks next spring (probably campbels) and wanted some idea about coop and run requrements. Im thinking of putting them in a spare hen house which sits on the floor and has a large pop hole. I can remove the perches and empty the nest boxes but do they require antrhing else in the coop? What feed and feeders will they need? and how high will the run need to be?

Buffy

[lazybee]

They really need water. Enough to have a good wash and clean in. They will make a mess too. The more space they have the less impact. Mine have quite a large area so not too bad.

[janeislay]

Are you planning on keeping domestic ducks or captive wild waterfowl ?

Although all domestics can "cope" with just a bath, it really is far more satisfactory for them to have at least a small pond.

[Buffy the eggs layer]

I plan to keep domestic ducks in the coop and run above and understand they need sufficient water to bathe. I know a number of members use the plastic shell shaped sand pits as mini ponds as they are easy to empty and clean out. I think the run would need to be made taller? Would this be sufficient? Anything else I need to do?


Buffy

[OhLaLa]

No. It looks way too small to me. I would not use it for ducks. Too low AND too small.

They really need to range a lot more than that little run would allow.

The plastic type shell paddling pool (not the air filled type, although some use them I would not recommend), is fine for them to dunk their heads in and have a splash around. Be careful though with ducklings, they can get in but not get out - read up a bit if you already haven't, or ask here - lots of nice folks on this site that are happy to help.

[Hermit]

Looks too small to me too even for a couple of ducks. They need space and land to root up and dabble in. A water area to bathe and really get into for a good dunk and swash in. It will be all right for ducklings till they can be let out into a large run.The only ducks I have in a run are five runners and their run is the size of a tennis court. Ducks to me are like geese , they need to be free range. Consider them as mini pigs as they do the same damage to a garden

[Pony-n-trap]

I hatched out 6 Campbells (white ones) in May, they are now full grown, 3 are laying and HUGE!  They were living in a recycled wendy house til last night when we moved them to their des res, mainly because I saw a fox too close for comfort and this snow i didnt want the risk. 

I hatched them in the house, kept them in a plastic box at first with a large tub of water, they had a 'bath' when I mucked them out, then turned the box on its end, put a larger tub of water in and they had a compost bag tray to waddle on, surrounded by a fireguard and piece of wire mesh (good job we had a spare room that wasnt decorated or carpeted!)

At 6 weeks they went out into the chicken garden but as that also had 6 orphan lambs in it, they were netted off with the chickens in half of it. Now all chooks and ducks have the whole place, a garden pond to swim and splash in and yes, they have made a mess! 

But, I love em!  They cant half make a noise though!

[Frieslandfilly]

Ducks are REALLY MESSY, they create a layer of wet and poo very quickly, so make sure that you can move your run easily, and I would move it every couple of days, they are great though I love them. We have them in a large fenced off area with a dug out pond and they have no grass left, lucky its frozen at the minute cos when it rains it is like a mud bath and very slippery to boot!!

[Buffy the eggs layer]

Thanks for the advice,

  if I gave them the run of the orchard which is about 4 tennis courts could I still use the coop as a duck house or is this also unsuitable? I was hoping for 4 campbells, how much space would they need in their duck house? Also, if I sink a large plastic pond liner into the ground, would it be a more suitable water source for them or would they just make it smelly and horrible in no time?

Giving them the space and resources that they need is not a problem, I just need to understand what it is they need to be happy and healthy. The only birds I have kept up to now are chickens so I want to ensure that the ducks get same level of care and husbandry as my chickens do.

I think a book on duck keeping would be a good Idea.

Buffy

[doganjo]

A permanent pond is no use unless you can easily empty it and refill - or it has an ongoing flow through.  It will get gunged up with their poo, food from their beaks when they wash them, and mud from dibbing.  Mine are in an old dog kennel at night filled with straw, with a Great Dane sized cage attached so they can come and go all night if they please, but are safe from any marauders.  There are now five of them, Ma, Pa, and 3 youngsters I hatched 7 weeks ago.  They have a run about half the size of a tennis court, which they are elt out inot every morning, and to be honest I don't find they make as much mess of the grass as the hens have - at least they still have grass whereas the hens just have mud - both were installed around the same time.

[OhLaLa]

House: I can't really make out the hen house at the rear but one of the most important factors is ventilation. If it's tiny and the pop hole is closed at night it may restrict the air flow. Also if the pop is too small it will obviously cause access problems - can't quite make out dimensions in pic.

Water: If you sink a liner into the ground you will have problem keeping it clean - it will need emptying and refilling EVERY day! Also, again, you have a problem with the ducks getting in and out. Don't make the common error of thinking "it's a duck, it will swim". It won't.

Ranging: If they freerange you just have to be careful of foxes etc. Mr Renard loves a lunchtime ducky snack as much as a ducky supper. Mine free range but I have to be very careful. They are always shut away again if I go out (but I'm lucky in that they have enormous indoor quarters).

Glad you are asking, hope we can be a bit of help to you.
 

[Hermit]

I would say the hut looks great for four ducks. I agree ducks can swim but cant get in and out of man made things easily, they can drown through exhaustion trying!!! I have found  a full grown duck dead in a horse water bucket I put a flag stone in the babies pond to help them get out. Keep forgetting you get Reynard a visiting as we dont have foxes up here. We get otters which love a duck and are our equivelent to a fox so we lock our ducks up against otters! How cute are otters? as cute as a fox!
I agree with the ventilation , ducks generate heat and are quite warm to hold. Keep asking questions , thats what we are here for.

[Sylvia]

I use a paint tray for my tiny ducklings. This way they can get to water and can walk up the slope onto dry land.
Next I use a dustbin lid with slabs aroud it and a slab inside to help them get out. By the time they've outgrown this I use a rigid plastic paddling pool/sand pit, again with slabs around it and enough height inside to help them out. I empty and re-fill the pool every day( a bit of a job now that the hoses are frozen up) but it only takes ten minutes and I do a bit of weeding or something whilst it's filling.

[OhLaLa]

My duckies also use a 'shell' type paddling pool with large pieces of granite inside and outside to help them get in/out. The paint tray is good idea, never thought of that, nice bobbly surface underfoot to help their little feet keep a grip. The dustbin lid idea I could adapt too......

See, you learn something new all the time.

Thanks for sharing those tips Sylvia 

[Buffy the eggs layer]

Thanks for the replies,


      If you click on the image that I attached so it gets bigger you will see one of my hens in it which gives you an idea of the size ( its about 4 x 3.5 feet with a 1.5 x1.5 pop hole). There are 3 horizontal chanels in the front and in the back for ventilation but more could be drilled if needed. On the sites that I had googled for advice ( NFU, Allotments, poultry keeper etc ) there was an illustration of a very similar run but I was concerned that it wouldnt be high enough for them. The other sites that I looked at also said that ducks dont like mud and that it you have sandy soil that drains well ( which I do ) then they dont make a mess and also that they could live in a stable ( which I have a few of).

It's all a bit confusing really but they sound like they are a lot more demanding, messy and destructive than hens so I think that I will stick with my lovelly little blue croads for now untill I have a little more inro.

Buffy