Moving Day is nigh

[Maddog_photog]

Hey y’all!
I’m getting ready to move my duckies outside full time. I’m working hard everyday building a predator proof top for the pen. I’m using a dog house with a dog playpen fencing. The top I am constructing is a wood frame with 1/4” hardware cloth. I’m planning on laying down a flat piece of wood about 18” wide at the base to prevent tunneling from predators.
As I prep to move the ducks outside, is there anything else I need think about or consider to keep my ducks safe? I’m thinking when the basic structure is finished, I can keep the ducks outside during the day, and bring them into the brooder at night?

 

[Isaac 0]

Is that how big their pen will be, and will they be in that all day? How tall?

 

[Maddog_photog]

Is that how big their pen will be, and will they be in that all day? How tall?

2ft tall. I’ll keep em in it when I’m at work (currently 18 hours a week) but id like to have them out while I’m at home and can supervise.

 

[TomCahalan]

That looks like it will be difficult to clean. Making your coop easy to clean is the second most important thing, right after making it predator proof.

Why would you bring them in at night? Just make your coop stronger.

 

[Maddog_photog]

That looks like it will be difficult to clean. Making your coop easy to clean is the second most important thing, right after making it predator proof.

Why would you bring them in at night? Just make your coop stronger.

1) ive never heard making it EASY to clean was a priority - how do I accomplish that?
2) I’m planning to bring them in at night only until I can strengthen the pen to a condition where I feel comfortable leaving them outside overnight.
Thank you for the feedback! This is all new to me!

 

[TomCahalan]

As you know, ducks poop a lot. You want to be able to clean out their soiled bedding frequently. You also want a simple floor plan, so that you can just rake towards the entrance(s) and out.

Ideally, you would have a coop tall enough to walk into. How are you going to rake out a coop that is 2' tall. Crawl around? Take off the roof every time?

I'm not saying that your coop won't work, but just be mindful of the challenges that it creates.