The Good Shepherd Posted June 2, 2011 Report Share Posted June 2, 2011 Hi everybody I really need advise I now have 6 baby ducklings . They have been living in a plastic box in my bathroom with a heatlamp on them and of course a waterer and a feeder and woodshavings for a floor. They are about 2-3 weeks old by now. I will need to move them fairly soon I would think I have no idea what a duckhouse looks like Can somebody please tell me how to build one and what to put in it Pictures would also be good Just call me "clueless" Help Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Billadeau Posted June 2, 2011 Report Share Posted June 2, 2011 Ducks are messy. We wanted a house to be easy to clean. The one I made at our previous place had doors allowing one side to open for cleaning, the floor was had vinyl flooring and the walls had melamine panels. I don't have photos. For house design ideas I started with designs of ones you can buy. I used hardware cloth over windows which also could be closed in the winter. I built an attached run which was secured from predators. We provided water (required when feeding ducks) using a hose fed dog water bowl. We were going to be gone for a long time we would place a stock tank in the run. Mark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juliepoudrier Posted June 2, 2011 Report Share Posted June 2, 2011 Claudia, Building a space for your ducks is really limited only by your imagination--and by how you intend to manage them (caged all the time, free-range some of the time, etc.). The basics are that ducklings will need protection from predators and shade. They will also need some sort of house where they can get out of the weather. If the house/pen doesn't have a roof/top, then they will be vulnerable to predation by hawks and the like. Other predators can dig under. If you want to keep snakes out, you'll need to use rat wire/hardware cloth with openings less than 1/4" (I think). Of course that sort of wire is stiff and more difficult to work with. If they are to be penned all of the time, you want to make it large enough so you can fit a kiddy pool or some other larger source of water they can play in. (Ducks can be very messy, though, so if they are confined to a smaller area most or all of the time, be prepared for it to turn mucky.) If you're just considering a house that you can lock them up in at night for safety, then you could so something as simple as modifying a dog crate. If you have a pond where you want them to stay during the day, you can also build a floating house where you can confine them at night to protect them from predators. Anyway, straw is fine for bedding, or even pine shavings, but the phenolic compounds in cedar shavings can cause problems, so avoid cedar. Duck poop is watery, so be prepared to change bedding on a regular basis. If you can give more details on how you plan to keep the ducks, then we can probably give you better ideas on housing. (For example, I have a hen who hatched out 12 chicks. I used step-in fence posts with chicken wire attached with zip ties to make a pen. Covered it with a tarp and left the dog crate she hatched them out in for their housing at night. I can move the pen as they sully or complety scratch up a particular area. It's cheap and not perfect, and the chicks can squeeze under the wire sometimes, but it works for what I need and it's just temporary until they're big enough to free range and join the rest of the flock. If they were to be penned all the time, I would have to come up with something sturdier.) I have used chain-link dog kennels to house poultry as well (advantage is that you can move them fairly easily), with a plastic dog house--ease of cleaning--for their housing. I still try to provide some sort of roof for shade and some protection from the weather. Of course chicks and ducklings can get out of chain link, and snakes can get in. To avoid escapees, I lined the bottom of the kennel with rat wire (hardware cloth), attached with zip ties. There are of course more elegant solutions you could come up with! J. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Good Shepherd Posted June 2, 2011 Author Report Share Posted June 2, 2011 Thank you for the replies First off I am down in Albuquerque, right now the temps are in the 90's and 60's. The ducks will be penned since I do have Barncats and Roadrunners and loose dogs (Darn people) I was thinking of using chainlinked panels (lined with Hardwarecloth) and a chainlinked roof for safety. I would also put chickenwire on the bottom to avoid digging in the pen. As far as a duck house a doghouse would work ? I would want to make sure that the run is big enough to hold a kiddiepool or would an actual low livestock waterer be better? I am not to worried about the winter which tend to be okay (Unless Pam Wolf comes ), because I can set up an x-pen in my haybarn My main worry is that the ducks get killed by cats or dogs or whatever else is out there that will eat thm Oh in case anyone is wondering why I have ducks - it was Pam's and Liz's idea when they were down here. According to Pam duckeggs are good eating for the dogs and of course if I ever get the hang of herding I can start working ducks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Billadeau Posted June 2, 2011 Report Share Posted June 2, 2011 I used poultry wire to secure the ground from diggers and the wire had rusted away faster than I expected; I'd go with heavy gauge wire for the ground. BTW It was 95-102 with high humidity Mon-Wed this week here (normal is 80). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Good Shepherd Posted June 2, 2011 Author Report Share Posted June 2, 2011 Hi Mark, thats good to know thanks Our temp today should be in the low to mid 90's As far as humid thats a laugh We are in the midst of a 100 year draught We have not had ANY snow or rain in Albuquerque since Febuary Ask Pam, she was down here 2 weeks ago We are in for a bad summer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juliepoudrier Posted June 2, 2011 Report Share Posted June 2, 2011 I think a chain link dog run would work fine; maybe cover half of the roof with something that will provide shade? As long as the pen is secure, you won't necessarily need a house you can close at night--my ducks (adults) actually had use of a large fenced dog run and a couple of dog houses. For ducklings, I think I'd close them in something at night, like a dog crate or similar. Or you could get a wooden doghouse and just make a wire door for it. If you put them in something like that at night, they will eventually learn to put themselves up at night. Nice of Pam and Liz--they don't have to deal with the mess, lol! (Honestly, I like ducks a lot and their eggs are especially good for baking, but when someone offered to buy mine I was happy to let them go. I had planned to build them a night house down by my creek and just let them free range during the day, but that's not an issue now... J. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Good Shepherd Posted June 2, 2011 Author Report Share Posted June 2, 2011 I think I will go with the dogrun, but I will put hardwarecloth up at least 3 feet high and put mesh on the ground to avoid digging. I do have a plastic doghouse that I could make a door for It coming together. Now, since you are the duck experts when do you put the little critters outside? As far as Pam and Liz, my evil mind is already working Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pam Wolf Posted June 2, 2011 Report Share Posted June 2, 2011 Hey, I too have ducks and we now have lots of mud-you wouldn't know what that is out your way as it is too dry! Pete dropped by on his way to buy some sheep (will be back tonight) and got stuck in the mud but we got him out easily-darn desert people don't know how to deal with mud I just use a dog house for mine. The LGD's aren't using the doghouse, so the ducks are. When they are bigger, they can stay in your barn easily. the round pen is already set up isn't it? Just need water for them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Good Shepherd Posted June 2, 2011 Author Report Share Posted June 2, 2011 Hey, I too have ducks and we now have lots of mud-you wouldn't know what that is out your way as it is too dry! Pete dropped by on his way to buy some sheep (will be back tonight) and got stuck in the mud but we got him out easily-darn desert people don't know how to deal with mud Hey I can play in the mud with the best we just don't have any at this time I was wondering about him, hopefully he has enough pasture down there I just use a dog house for mine. The LGD's aren't using the doghouse, so the ducks are. When they are bigger, they can stay in your barn easily. the round pen is already set up isn't it? Just need water for them. Thats why you get paid the big bucks, I never thought about the roundpen Oh, how did the cattle finals go? And is Liz taking the tornados with her? [/quote] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Good Shepherd Posted June 2, 2011 Author Report Share Posted June 2, 2011 Pam, I forgot to tell you,(the dry heat is messing with my brain) Chris has new nicknames for Vibe and Elsie: Pancho and Leftie yes, I know, its the dry heat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liz P Posted June 3, 2011 Report Share Posted June 3, 2011 You will need to trim the feathers from those ducks or they will fly away as soon as they are able. A dog run with hardware cloth will work. Dog houses are fine. I use a kiddie pool once they are big enough to get into it, but those can be harder to empty and clean than a stock tank. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Good Shepherd Posted June 3, 2011 Author Report Share Posted June 3, 2011 Okay Today being Chrises B-Day( ) and him being off work, I have instructed him and our neighbor Sig to build a duckhouse It will be interesting when I get home Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pam Wolf Posted June 4, 2011 Report Share Posted June 4, 2011 Happy B'day to Chris!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Billadeau Posted June 5, 2011 Report Share Posted June 5, 2011 You will need to trim the feathers from those ducks or they will fly away as soon as they are able. A dog run with hardware cloth will work. That depends upon the breed of duck; some breeds are flightless. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liz P Posted June 5, 2011 Report Share Posted June 5, 2011 That depends upon the breed of duck; some breeds are flightless. I was there when she got them and I know what kind they are. They will need to be trimmed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juliepoudrier Posted June 5, 2011 Report Share Posted June 5, 2011 Interestingly enough I just bought 11 pullets, all of whom had had both wings clipped. I mentioned to a friend that I wish they hadn't been as they wouldn't be able to fly up to the perches in the coop at night. All but one of them is perfectly capable of flying to perches that are at least 4 feet off the ground. So wing clipping doesn't guarantee no flying. As for birds for working dogs, I think the ability to fly is a good thing within reason. A dog that is too pushy will have birds flying.... J. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MyTDogs Posted June 5, 2011 Report Share Posted June 5, 2011 I always thought you only clipped one wing to make them unable to fly?? Cindy in FL (still thinking of ducks or chickens or....) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juliepoudrier Posted June 5, 2011 Report Share Posted June 5, 2011 Cindy, That's what I always thought too. Perhaps clipping both (quite short actually) let them retain some ability, although that seems counterproductive. At any rate, I think one needs to also balance safety with convenience. If the ducks are eventually to be kept in an open area like a round pen, it would make sense to leave them able to move quickly in case of predators. And like I said, I prefer that the dog have some consequences for being wrong, and a flying duck would be just that. That said, I had guineas who were perfectly capable of flying to the roof tops of buildings and yet they would get on the wrong side of a fence and somehow never figure out they could just fly over. I'd go out and really push them with a dog trying to get them to fly over and they'd just run all the harder. Odd birds.... J. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Good Shepherd Posted June 6, 2011 Author Report Share Posted June 6, 2011 update: Its now Monday Morning, I am sitting at work, the ducks are still in my bathroom This is my question: How many adjustments can 2 middle-aged men make to a 4'x4' foot duckhouse? ? As far as the wingclipping I will ask someone who knows what the are doing to actually do the "dirty deed" - Pam and Liz I am thinking of Ellen since she has ducks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juliepoudrier Posted June 6, 2011 Report Share Posted June 6, 2011 They need to be fully feathered before you clip wings, so from the sounds of it you have time.... J. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Good Shepherd Posted June 6, 2011 Author Report Share Posted June 6, 2011 I still can not believe I have ducks I was always saying ducks are evil and have beady little eyes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pam Wolf Posted June 7, 2011 Report Share Posted June 7, 2011 you say the same about me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Good Shepherd Posted June 7, 2011 Author Report Share Posted June 7, 2011 you say the same about me No Pam actually you just have beady little eyes and like to torture people Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Good Shepherd Posted June 9, 2011 Author Report Share Posted June 9, 2011 I am happy to report the ducks are in my little barn in their "Duckhouse" Now Hubby and the neighbor need to build me an outside duckrun where I can put the duckhouse in Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.