Designing and Building a Duck Pen

[cjhubbs]

Hi Everyone,
I will be getting some Pekin ducks next week from my uncle.I am trying to design build a pen for the ducks and am thinking of building a 4X5 pen with two nesting areas in the back (each ground level and 1X2 ft). I also have been reading that domesticated ducks for the most part don't fly. I also was planning on fencing in around 20X10 feet with T posts and woven wire. I also am thinking of putting a strand of hot wire on the top of the woven wire to deter predators. Does this sounds like it would be large enough to house 4 Pekin hens and a drake and if this sounds like a good ratio of hens vs drakes? I am going to try and draw out some plans of what I am thinking of building and will post them later. After looking around I have noticed ths at some people house their ducks in pens that are completely off of the ground and I was wondering what the advantages of this would be vs housing them on the groudf? Thanks for all the help and sorry for all the newbie questions

.

 

[cosbackyard]

Just a few thoughts...

1. That amount of space is plenty big for five ducks.
2. Advantages of keeping the housing off the ground - Less bending over for you, less likely for rats and the like to get in.
3. Most ducks don't fly but it depends on the breed.
4. Lots to consider for construction, some things include:

• Have lots of ventilation, more than you think. It should be high enough that the birds aren't subjected to drafts at their level.
• Put windows in for light (helps with laying)
• No openings larger than 1/2 inch to keep predators out
• Use heavy-duty wire, such as hardware cloth, over any openings and possibly for the whole run

 

[Red-tailed Hawk]

I'm also planning out a duck enclosure with a house for closing them in at night. How high off the ground would it need to be to keep out rats/mice/ect.? Also, I've read in Storey's Guide to Ducks that Muscovy ducks eat mice. Do you know if other ducks do as well? As to the duck house, Storey's Guide to ducks states, "Since ducks are short, there is no need to have the walls of the duck house be more than three feet high at the lowest point, except for your convenience in gathering eggs and cleaning out old litter. By having the nests attached along outside and outfitted with a hinged top, eggs can be gathered without entering the shed. Three solid walls and a wire front are recommended except in regions with severe winters, where it is better to have a closed front. Good ventilation is essential, however, even in cold climates, because ducks will fare poorly if they are forced to stay in stuffy, damp quarters. Dirt, sand, wood, or cement floors can be satisfactory in duck buildings. To keep predators from burrowing into the buildings with dirt or sand floors, it may be necessary to place wire, wooden, or cement barrier around the outside perimeter of the structure." I've read in a couple places that cement blocks placed around the perimeter of the fenced area helps deter burrowing of predators and recently checked the local Menards (a store like home depot or lowes) on their block pricing. It ranged from fifty cents to a dollar per block, so the price isn't too bad. I've also read that raccoons can tear through cicken wire and ducks sometimes get their bills snagged in it. Raccons are my biggest worry around here since I am almost certain we have them and they are poultry farmers worst nightmare. They have no problems climbing fences and will reach through wire netting with 1 inch wide openings, grab dozing or panicing birds and kill them through the fence. "The only sure way to keep ducks safe from these nocturnal hunters is to lock the waterfowl every night in a building or covered pen (one that has solid walls for at least the bottom 30 inches or a tightly fenced yard that is protected by properly installed electrical netting and fencing.) I think this site actually has a forum dedicated just to predators and dealing with them. That being said, if you have a dog and have a fenced yard in the suburbs, you might be fine. My family kept ducks for 11 years without an enclosure in our backyard without any problems. We had a chainlink fence 4 feet high and only a handful of times locked the ducks in a litttle duck house they hated (probably because it was really too small). They would nest under our massive pine trees at night. The thing that finally got them was when my sister got a dog with more of a prey drive. She bumped off all our ducks once my family lab mix died, so you have to be sure your dog won't eat your ducks itself. Hope something in this is helpful to ya!

 

[Red-tailed Hawk]

Oh, Story's Guide to Raising ducks also says that the ideal duck yard has a minimum of 10-25 square feet of ground space per duck, natural or artificial shade, a slope that provides good drainage. I just found that it's best to have the floor 4-8 inches above ground level to keep water from accumulating in it. The ducks' night time house should be 2.5-6 square feet of floor space per bird if it's just for nighttime. If it's for keeping the ducks in for prolonged bad weather then 6-8 feet of floor space per bird should be provided. That's for medium and large breeds. Bantams require half the space of larger ducks.

 

[Red-tailed Hawk]

Oh! and someone once posted on this site that vermiculite makes a good insulation. Don't use the spray kind of insulation unless you've got another layer of wood between that and the ducks. My childhood ducks ate it off the duckhouse my dad made them. Thank goodness they didn't get sick from it as far as we know, but there's no garantee anyone else's ducks would be so lucky. I do know from making my raised garden that vermiculite is very light too. Not that that really means a ton since you probably aren't going to be moving the duck house around unless you are going chicken tractor style which it sounds like you aren't.