Don't want a chicken coop, I want a duck coop...

I have 3 ducks in the pine garden shed to the left. Their pen is raccoon, hawk and coyote proof and they are able to come in and out during the day. They only free range when I am outside working. The coop on the right is where I raise the 100+ wild babies that we get into the wildlife centre.
My coops are insulated for the winter.

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Maybe someday, when I have enough land for it...I dream of the day when I can move from my semi-suburban/slightly rural home and have a large "ZOO" all to myself. I just need to remind myself how lucky I am, not until last year was I able to get the non-traditional pets I now have...and when I move next, I will be lucky if I am able to keep them.
>>>military family<<< At least I can look forward to my "retirement" plans. lol

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Us too. But we intend to stay here. DH is retirement eligible and will do another 4-5 years. So if he doesn't get a 1 year extension, he may Geo for a year. So I wasn't too concerned about adding the ducks.
Good luck and happy planning for a zoo at retirement.

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The Dutch door is for me, and there is a sliding door for the ducks that leads to their veranda - a porch covered in half inch hardware cloth. At the south end of that porch is another me-sized door. So I can reach into their house, and walk into their porch. At night, I run two strands of electric fence tape around the whole business. We have many types of predators in the area. I also lock the doors at night, and when I go offsite, which is not often (I like that!).

The ducks are very happy to go in. They sometimes let themselves in at night, if I don't get out there soon enough to suit them. They have a 10'x16' run attached to the veranda now, and that has coated chain link underneath, and 2"x3" coated wire fence across the top and sides. 2' of 1" coated chicken wire runs around the lower part of the side fence, as well to prevent things grabbing them through the larger fence.

We let them run, supervised, in one of two gardens, and the wooded back yard. I could not keep the duck house warm enough last winter, so they sleep in a basement pen in the walkout basement. It's working fine. Once nights are warm enough, they'll spend the night outside again. Meanwhile, I may be able to come up with a safe way to keep their house warmer. But the basement thing is not a hardship.

I go with the pen with doghouses inside, straw on the floor (it's concrete), but I have seen someone use a shed with turned over buckets in it. As long as they have something comfy to lay on, they seem happy. They like to be outside, but they get used to indoor structures if they were raised with them.

Darklingstorm said:

I've looked and looked and all I can find is chicken coops. Anyone know where I can get some ideas for a duck coop?
I only have 2 ducks but I don't want them in with the chickens (way too messy).

Are their coops basically a chicken coop? are there any special considerations that need to made to a chicken coop to make it a duck coop?

I was thinking of just making a coop that sits very close to the ground with 1 nest box and place for food & water (for winter months). They will be free ranging with the chickens during the day and have a kiddie pool to play in. The nest box will be 2 foot square and the entire coop will be 4 x 6 feet (making it out of wood pallets that are 3 x 4)

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cdnley said:

Wow! That duck house is amazing Amiga! I am going to copy that idea! My husband is a design engineer and I sent him those house pictures. He will have to incorporate a light for heat in there somewhere as our winters get really cold (-30 C). I see your house is up on bricks. There is just the one exit/entrance? Would you see a benefit of having 2 entrances? Do the ducks happily go in there?

We have a large pond and I will allow the flock to be free during the day...its just at night having them come in so I can shut them into the house. I guess getting them on a feeding routine where I feed them in the evening in their house would be the best method. Otherwise I will have to shut the house and have them be free close to the shoreline so they could swim on the pond to escape predators.

Leyan

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I have a large pond. I would love to let them be free during the day.. I know they would love it! But I am worried about predators. We have lots and I don’t think they would survive. I don’t know if I could get them to come back to put them up at night if I did. How do you get them to come in at night? I have only had mine a few months. I may have to stick with a kiddie pool.