Duck coop/run plans

[SunQueen]

Hello, I am hoping to get ducks in the fall or next spring (depending on when I get the space built haha) and just want some second thoughts on my current plans.

I am planning on getting three female ducks. I am planning on a 4'x6' enclosed coop attached to a covered 6'x16' run + I have a fenced in back yard they can be let out in sometimes. (probably several hours each day it will jut depend)
I was planning on putting a 150g stock tank in the run on a gravel pad. So basically in the 6x16 run a 6'x6' section would be gravel to help contain some of the water splashing. The rest of the run would be grass at least initially.
Please excuse my rough top down sketch, I am still working on a more detailed design lol




I do have a few questions;
I am guessing grass wont last long in the run right? are woodchips ok in there for their feet as the grass gets dug up or is there something better
does the overall size seem ok for them? Like I said they can free roam some but probably not all day everyday

any other advice or input would be great!

 

[Purelychicks]

Hello, I am hoping to get ducks in the fall or next spring (depending on when I get the space built haha) and just want some second thoughts on my current plans.

I am planning on getting three female ducks. I am planning on a 4'x6' enclosed coop attached to a covered 6'x16' run + I have a fenced in back yard they can be let out in sometimes. (probably several hours each day it will jut depend)
I was planning on putting a 150g stock tank in the run on a gravel pad. So basically in the 6x16 run a 6'x6' section would be gravel to help contain some of the water splashing. The rest of the run would be grass at least initially.
Please excuse my rough top down sketch, I am still working on a more detailed design lol

View attachment 3427157


I do have a few questions;
I am guessing grass wont last long in the run right? are woodchips ok in there for their feet as the grass gets dug up or is there something better
does the overall size seem ok for them? Like I said they can free roam some but probably not all day everyday

any other advice or input would be great!

I only had ducks for a short time but they loved grass.. but the grass soon turned into mud.. and then they loved the mud.. and getting dirty.. .. and getting their water dirty.

 

[Saraguay]

Hello, I am hoping to get ducks in the fall or next spring (depending on when I get the space built haha) and just want some second thoughts on my current plans.

I am planning on getting three female ducks. I am planning on a 4'x6' enclosed coop attached to a covered 6'x16' run + I have a fenced in back yard they can be let out in sometimes. (probably several hours each day it will jut depend)
I was planning on putting a 150g stock tank in the run on a gravel pad. So basically in the 6x16 run a 6'x6' section would be gravel to help contain some of the water splashing. The rest of the run would be grass at least initially.
Please excuse my rough top down sketch, I am still working on a more detailed design lol

View attachment 3427157


I do have a few questions;
I am guessing grass wont last long in the run right? are woodchips ok in there for their feet as the grass gets dug up or is there something better
does the overall size seem ok for them? Like I said they can free roam some but probably not all day everyday

any other advice or input would be great!

What a fantastic size run for them! I used a small stock tank but put in my own drain/tap to use for fertilized water for my garden. That sounds great but did not work for long. They clogged it and then broke it with their shenanigans. I may try it one more time, but I ended up using a baby pool that I could step on one side to lighten and then dump over to clean. Much easier, though less classy looking. I used straw with my first flock but we have a shortage, so then I used pine shavings from the feed stores. It wasn't too expensive, broke down as deep litter method quicker, and was a lot easier on my back. Under THAT, I used rubber stall or commercial kitchen mats. That helped with preventing bumble foot and keeping things clean and safe. Under THAT I had a wide perimeter of hardware cloth to prevent digging predators. With both of my flocks, raccoons eventually came and got a couple during daylight hours out in my yard; but I am very thorough with covering the run with chicken wire or hog wire. Rats became a giant issue in there, so this time I am putting fine hardware cloth over a 'room' in the run for their water and food. The rats are too smart for the 5 (yep!) style traps I have out, so keeping them away from food and water is key for me. Another rat prevention that you will see on this site or YouTube is an auto feeder made of wide PVC. I made one with a long chute and caps on both ends. Every morning I changed drinking water (or thawed it) and took the cap off the bottom and went to work. Ducks don't need a heat lamp, but I used one and my gals started egg production in Nov/Dec and never stopped except to molt, if I recall.

I know some people swear by sand or pea gravel. I would do sand if I were better about washing out, but deep litter method worked great. I may just do shavings in the coop and the stall mats in the run in the end, this time. I'm moving it to a concrete pad, so I definitely want to pad the flooring for them.

Now you got me thinking of putting off my pressing home chores to get my duck enclosure ready and get me more Cayugas.

My old coop was a very large metal storage shed that I drilled ventilation in, but that has outlived its usefulness (again...rats! And now also a large bumble bee hive). This time I'll either build from scraps or buy a much smaller storage shed. The run walls are a 5x10 dog kennel by Retriever. SO easy to put together and so sturdy that it was worth the money. Just won't keep out the rodents. Not that you're asking about all that, but just to give context, somewhat out of order.

Your run sounds lovely. Good luck.

 

[CoriM]

I started with 6 ducks, now have 10, and I will tell you - go as big as you can. More space is better and you may love your ducks and want to add more. Attached are photos of my run and coop which is 8x10 inside and 14 x 10 outside. The original version was only 4x10 inside and this summer we just doubled that size and it is awesome to have that space - for the ducks, for storing wood shavings, and if I ever need to fence off some ducks, each group will have enough room. I have tried sand, pea gravel, straw, and pine shavings. I've settled on pea gravel around the pond in their run, and pine shavings on the other end and in their coop. It's easy to clean up every day - pick out the poopy wet areas and add extra shavings. I hose down the pea gravel. I have no issues with smell and feel that the ducks are able to rest in clean soft areas. Making sure there are no sharp edges to cut their feet on are a priority, as their feet are tender and very prone to bumblefoot. You will save yourself a lot of trouble if you consider that from the start. Also, their main enjoyments in life are swimming and foraging on grass, so consider that and how you will allow that in a way the are protected. I let mine out in the yard a couple times a day to free-range, then they go into the portable tractor for a few hours where they are on grass.

 

[Saraguay]

What a fantastic size run for them! I used a small stock tank but put in my own drain/tap to use for fertilized water for my garden. That sounds great but did not work for long. They clogged it and then broke it with their shenanigans. I may try it one more time, but I ended up using a baby pool that I could step on one side to lighten and then dump over to clean. Much easier, though less classy looking. I used straw with my first flock but we have a shortage, so then I used pine shavings from the feed stores. It wasn't too expensive, broke down as deep litter method quicker, and was a lot easier on my back. Under THAT, I used rubber stall or commercial kitchen mats. That helped with preventing bumble foot and keeping things clean and safe. Under THAT I had a wide perimeter of hardware cloth to prevent digging predators. With both of my flocks, raccoons eventually came and got a couple during daylight hours out in my yard; but I am very thorough with covering the run with chicken wire or hog wire. Rats became a giant issue in there, so this time I am putting fine hardware cloth over a 'room' in the run for their water and food. The rats are too smart for the 5 (yep!) style traps I have out, so keeping them away from food and water is key for me. Another rat prevention that you will see on this site or YouTube is an auto feeder made of wide PVC. I made one with a long chute and caps on both ends. Every morning I changed drinking water (or thawed it) and took the cap off the bottom and went to work. Ducks don't need a heat lamp, but I used one and my gals started egg production in Nov/Dec and never stopped except to molt, if I recall.

I know some people swear by sand or pea gravel. I would do sand if I were better about washing out, but deep litter method worked great. I may just do shavings in the coop and the stall mats in the run in the end, this time. I'm moving it to a concrete pad, so I definitely want to pad the flooring for them.
Correction> current run 5 +x 15+.

 

[CoriM]

I know raccoons can get through chicken wire in a gruesome way - hardware cloth keeps them out, and rats as well!