Housing ducks and geese, step by step

1. What the house needs

Ducks and geese don't need a hen house with perches: they sleep on the floor, huddled together in deep bedding.

1. Enough floor — 0.3–0.5 m² per duck, 0.8–1 m² per goose (3–5 and 9–11 sq ft). For 6 ducks a floor of 2 × 1.5 m is enough, for 4 geese 2 × 2 m.
2. No perches — Ducks and geese have flat feet and sleep on the floor. They can't grip a perch.
3. Air under the eaves — Ducks breathe out a lot of moisture. The walls are solid up to 1 m, with no draught at bird height, and the air vents are high up, under the eaves.
4. Door, lock, mesh — Door 40–50 cm (16–20 in) for ducks, 60–70 cm for geese, with a low sill. A bolt an animal can't open (raccoons open simple latches), mesh holes up to 13–19 mm.

Why: The commonest problem isn't cold or predators but water in the wrong place: wet bedding, mould and bad feet. So the house must be dry, with plenty of air and a secure lock.

• An old shed or hen house often makes a good house: take out the perches, put the nests on the floor, widen the door.
• A mink or weasel gets through a 3–4 cm (1½ in) hole, so every opening goes under mesh.

2. Building

A duck house is a simple build, but the floor has to stay dry.

1. Base and floor — A base of gravel or stone, the floor 10–20 cm above ground.
2. Frame and roof — A frame of 5 × 5 or 5 × 8 cm timber (2 × 2 or 2 × 3 in), walls of boards or OSB. A sloping roof with a 30 cm overhang, air vents under the eaves.
3. Nests on the floor — One nest per 3–4 ducks, a box 40 × 40 × 40 cm (16 in), open at the front, with a 10 cm lip. Put them in the darkest corner.
4. Ramp and habit — A ramp no steeper than 20–25°, with slats every 10–15 cm. Give a handful of grain inside in the evening: within a week the ducks go in on their own at dusk.

Why: An inside height of 1.2–1.5 m is fine for the birds, but cleaning is easier at 1.8 m (6 ft), so you can stand up. Ducks are poor climbers, so it's best when the floor is just one step above the ground.

• Ducks panic easily in the dark and trample each other; a dim night light reduces panic.
• The feeder goes inside only if you keep the birds shut in for a long time; otherwise outside, under a roof.

3. Floor and bedding · Locked

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4. Water for drinking and dipping · Locked

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5. Run and grazing · Locked

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6. Fence and night · Locked

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