Floating duck house

[monica_youngblood]

We have 4 ducklings purchased from tractor supply about 3 weeks ago and a 3 acre pond. Currently they are in a 10' by 20' dog pen half in the pond half on the land using a doghouse for a shelter . We would like to teach them to use a floating duck house to help keep them away from land predators. The small floating in background of the picture is of no interest to them. Any suggestions?

Thank you.

(Our background is chickens, these ducklings are our first attempt. We have predators in the area, other than flying hawks, osprey and he like we are thinking a floating duck house would be safest route.)

 

[nchls school]

I neat idea! Does the water freeze over during winter? I'd make it on pontoons so it could be brought to land or water easily and have a chain/rope to pull it to land when the need arose. Keeping the ducklings in it while on land during the transition period would make it easier for you, then gradually move it into the pond. It would need some kind of skirting/landing to make it easy for the ducks to get in and out of the water and into the duck house.

 

[416bigbore]

What cute little babies you have !

 

[416bigbore]

May be this will help, looks cool !

https://www.goodshomedesign.com/how-to-build-a-floating-duck-house/

 

[monica_youngblood]

I neat idea! Does the water freeze over during winter? I'd make it on pontoons so it could be brought to land or water easily and have a chain/rope to pull it to land when the need arose. Keeping the ducklings in it while on land during the transition period would make it easier for you, then gradually move it into the pond. It would need some kind of skirting/landing to make it easy for the ducks to get in and out of the water and into the duck house.

Oh...it doesn't get cold here at all. Maybe 2 or 3 days even dip below freezing at their coldest points.

We were thinking a small platform with a doghouse style home. I'm just concerned they won't go into it. Maybe we can go ahead and build it like you said and let them get used to it instead of current set up.

 

[LapisLazuli]

I would like to try a floating duck house some day.

 

[black_cat]

I don't know how practical a floating duck house would be from a maintenance standpoint. You'd have to bring it in every few days to clean. You would either need an automatic door that won't be affected by splashing, or you would need to haul it in every night and every morning to open and close it up. That is to make sure that swimming land predators and water predators couldn't get into the duck house. You would also need to fence basically the entire pond. I think that having a thing that starts on land and extends into the water would be much more practical.

 

[monica_youngblood]

May be this will help, looks cool !

https://www.goodshomedesign.com/how-to-build-a-floating-duck-house/

YES!! That is what we have in mind. Now to just train them to go in one. They don't use the shelter we have for them now. ‍

 

[416bigbore]

YES!! That is what we have in mind. Now to just train them to go in one. They don't use the shelter we have for them now. ‍

They are young yet and new things take a little time for them to get used to it and feel safe.

 

[Isaac 0]

Hello, and welcome to BYC!

You are not the first person to come up with this idea, and sadly, I've yet to see one single case where it's actually worked. Most people tend to say the ducks never use it. Plain and simple, however good it may look, its impractical, and also effective at keeping predators at bay, as a raccoon will gladly swim a little bit to feast on a few ducks.