nest boxes for ducks???

[hoppy]

I just got my very first pair of ducks and they are adult call ducks( or they hatched this yr but they are not babies)
what kind of nest box do they need and do they only breed in certain times of the yr. I have them inside for the winter where I have a drain in the floor so they can have a little pond etc. I can build something or I have kitty litter buckets that I use with my silkies. any suggestions??
thanks

 

[70%cocoa]

Welcome to ducks! I hope you love having them.

Duck don't need a fancy nest box, but they often like something that feels a bit enclosed. They like to feel secure when they lay. So, something like an old cardboard box, upside down, with one side cut out, or an old lawnmower catcher, or even a large plastic pot or bucket on its side (with the side laying on the ground cut out). Ducks like to make deep nests so add lots of nesting material. They often like to bury their eggs in the nesting material too.

Generally, peak breeding time is springtime. That's when they start to get really frisky.

 

[Going Quackers]

Yes, i would agree spring and early summer are the main times, my two hatches occurred in May and June of this year, i did have a few try to set again in Aug but i nipped that lol.

I haven't found nestboxes to be required, generally they seem to find their own 'special spot' that said offering quiet secluded options won't go amiss.

 

[sherrik9]

I've only had calls for one breeding season, but last year they went from January to June. First hatch from broody was Feb last was July.

 

[wildpeas]

I waited to see where my ducks wanted to lay eggs in their house and then put their nesting area there. The house is 5x10 with a waterer at one end. They lay their eggs at the end opposite the waterer and sleep on the side with the waterer. I simply put a 2x6 the length of the short side about 18 inches or so from the wall on end and filled the space with soft shavings and orchard grass hay. They alternate between the two corners and never lay in the middle. They dig a deep round nest and sometimes shove the eggs deep in the shavings. They are laying sometime during the night because when I let them out at dawn the eggs are cold.

My ducks are full sized if that matters. I dont know anything about Call ducks except that they are very pretty.