mini-ducks and housing

[mominoz]

Anybody have mini-ducks?And how do you house them?
I am trying to decide what kind of house to build them. A raised coup with a pool on wire , with a small wooden house attached to get off the wire.
Or a pen on the ground with a pea gravel base, with a small house-- I
I have an aviary I am fininshing up ( 12 x20) for a night house for my geese and runners, that will have a divider and has two gate doors.I could put the minis in a section of this or they could have their own hutches or pen in the day yard attached to the aviary. But they won't be able to free range with the geese and runners in my fenced yard,as we have too many predators and the hawks would get them.

I Can't decide!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[TennesseeTruly]

I'm having the same dilemma. I'm not exactly sure what to do about housing for my call ducks. I've seen breeding pens but thats not what I'm looking for.

I'm searching the internet for suggestions.

Laurie

 

[Anny]

I've heard alot of people complaining that they build their ducks a nice fancy coop, and they don't use it.

 

[Katy]

I just use dog houses for my call ducks and they very rarely go in them....even in the dead of winter in a blizzard. They'd rather be outside.

 

[Bird Brain]

mini ducks?...I want one. I could get some bantee chickens to go with it!

I didnt know there was such a thing

 

[Katy]

Yep, there are bantam ducks....here's a picture of my favorite little hen...

 

[Bird Brain]

I WANT ONE! How cute

 

[TennesseeTruly]

There's a woman in Greeneville, TN that sells both ducklings and eggs. Sweet woman. Thats where I got mine from. I have 2 white call ducklings and 5 chocolate call duck eggs in my incubator. Next I'm going to get some pastels, butterscotch, and snowys.

I don't want to do anything too fancy. hmmmm I'll have to think about it.

Laurie

 

[mominoz]

I don't think mine will look like that , those are call ducks. I just got 2 mini-silkies , and 3 Silver appleyards-- MINI's from Holderreads-- I have seen a picture and the mini-silver Appleyards are like a 1/3 to 2/3 the size of the larger ducks. They seem more proportioned like normal size ducks-- not the same head/beak type....?Holderreads website has a few pics.
They will need to be really protected here, we live in rural, forest and hayfields.
I will have a 2X4" wire 4 ft. day yard with hotwire for the geese and Runners, surrounding the Aviary.I have 4 geese and 6 runners right now. And 5 mini's.
Either way I will have to put wire under the mini's-either on the ground or in a hutch. People have said, they aren't as happy on wire in hutches---but I was going to give them a built in pool, one of those square concrete type pans, (found a sturdier one at TS by Tuff Stuff.) and a platform with 3 sides and a 1/2 front to put a nest in and to rest off the wire.
Or thinking about giving them their own shorter aviary. Could attach it to the side of the bigger one -.
I was thinking that rats or snakes could be a problem-- but if they are near the geese, wouldn't that be a deterrent? On the other had I jsut cut down some risky pine trees and we now have a large brush pile of fallen pines , not to far from their aviary (they have been falling in the storms- )
I' vebeen searching the net too and can't find much....Thought about giving the aviary over to the ducks-- and building the geese a night pen, but I wanted something I could leave everyone in if I had a sitter come take care of them. So I wasn't doing "Cinderella" and fretting about being home by dark......

 

[Mrs. Turbo]

here is what a silver appleyard call duck looks like, they are smaller than the mini appleyards.

this is one of our double off the ground wire pens....it has a big concrete mixing tub sunk in it from Lowes and a house on the back.

this was my mandarin duck pen and now I have 4 buff call ducks in it. It has a roof and hardware cloth sides so they don't have to be locked up a night....it also has a big tub sunk in the ground with a pipe attached to the bottom and it drains out into the field.....we had to dig a big trench, too much work.