Duck coop/run

[flapysduck]

Hi! First post yay! I hope to get ducks in the near future so I have some questions I would love to be answered! (please note I live in a neighborhood and have a forest behind my backyard)



-would welsh harlequin (hens), runner ducks (hens) and call ducks (hens possibly one drake) live together?



-is it wrong to clip call ducks? I love flight but I am really paranoid and if I were to let them out to do supervised free range would they fly away at all (my neighbors aren’t that close but definitely not far and I don’t want to risk them flying into their yard)


-can I own them without a fenced in backyard? My backyard is pretty big maybe not an acre but definitely big. I plan on fencing in the area where the ducks will free range but will that make them more vulnerable to predators (foxes and hawks are in my area with a very rare coyote sighting)


-most important question: coop and run. I plan on free ranging them for about 1-2 hours a day but will be open to possibly free ranging them for a little longer but I would probably net in the area they would free ranging and the top and fence it in with the dog outside kennel fences. Anyways, would the bee jeweled xl coop be good for them? The run is about 20 ft long and 12 feet wide and the coop is about 8 feet. Not sure if that’s big enough but If it isn’t I would either extend it or use those big dog outside kennels and attach them all together and then attach hardware cloth to them? And for the coop it would be a shed.



Thank you for reading this!


Edit: I was thinking, maybe I’ll get a coop with a medium sized run but during the day let them free range in the area I give them with the dog outside kennel as fences and netting on top

 

[SilverBirds]

Keeping mallard derived breeds and calls is doable, but I'm not sure if it's recommended. I suppose it's a similar debate to keeping standard sized chickens and bantams together. Some say not to keep them together because the bigger hens could potentially bully and hurt the smaller hens. I personally have not had any issues keeping bantams and standards chickens together, so I don't think I'd be opposed to keeping bantam and regular duck breeds together. Unless a regular or large sized drake is involved, then I would heavily advise against it.

There is no problem clipping their wings. Ducks do not need to fly to be happy. As long as they are able to swim and forage, they will be all good.

Yes, you can own ducks without a fenced in yard as long as you have somewhere to lock them up when needed and you aren't at risk of annoying neighbors. My ducks used to happily free range on 10 acres with no fences. They got locked up in the coop at night, during bad weather, or when there were heavy predator threats.

That coop looks great and plenty big enough depending on how many ducks you plan to get. I'd say you could have around 15-20 depending on how much space per duck you give them. A general rule of thumb is 6sqft in the coop and 10sqft in the run, but seeing how messy ducks are, I'd give them about 15sqft per duck in the run.

 

[CoriM]

Everyone's duck situation is truly unique and what's most important is to determine what you need to do in your situation to keep your ducks safe and happy. I live on acreage surrounded by woods. We have many predators - coyotes, bobcats, mink, hawks, owls, eagles, etc. I keep my girls in a run with a tiny pond and enclosed sleeping quarters, let them free range twice a day under my supervision, and also have a portable tractor I move around the yard so they get plenty of grass time so they get exercise and the chance to forage for bugs, which they are quite passionate about. I know I have the luxury of a huge yard, but I'm attaching photos to show you what has worked well for my flock of ten.

 

[flapysduck]

thank you! I think for my coop I am going to go with the bee jewels xl coop and let them free range for 1-2 hours