I am currently working on an above ground (raised) duck pen that will sit adjacent to the chicken house. I had originally considered building an on-the-ground duck aviary with a pond. Unfortunately, my ducks are just too messy with water. If kept on the ground, my ducks will quickly turn the area around their waterer or small pond into a muddy mess. They will even put dirt and mud in their bills and then mix it in with their drinking water. This results in foul water in no time. As such, I finally decided on an above ground design for reasons of cleanliness and functionality. The duck pen is 4 feet wide by 8 feet long. The pen is 6 feet tall, and the floor of the pen sits 3 foot above the ground so that the ducks are at eye level. The pen also includes a 3ft by 4ft duck house for shelter and a 30 gallon plastic mortar tub that will function as a pond. The floor of the house will be lined with several inches of wood shavings for bedding and warmth. Feed will be offered in the covered duck house in a galvanized feeder, whereas drinking water will be kept outside the house. The plastic tub is sunk into the floor of the pen so that the lip of the tub sits flush with the floor. The tub has a drain at the bottom for ease of cleaning. Because the pen is above ground, no dirt ever comes into contact with water in the pen. This will help keep the water clean and thus offers a major advantage over the on-the-ground aviary design. The duck pen will house my white call ducks and (hopefully) a few black east indies. Ill post updated photos during the construction process
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