Chicken Yard Project: Duck House

I’ve shown you our new compost bin and the new grazing beds. The last subgoal on the chicken yard project list was a duck house.

We have two Muscovy ducks, and to be honest, the chickens and the ducks don’t exactly get along. They constantly squabble over food and egg laying spots. One of our ducks has a (dud) nest in the chicken house and she chases all the chickens out! So Dan decided it was time to make the ducks their own home.

It will include a house and a small “pond” made of a small stock tank.

Dan fitted the duck tank with a hose bib, so it can be drained and the water used for the compost and grazing beds.

It will be filled with rain water from the milking room catchment tanks.

The duck house was made from scraps.

Once the house was done, Dan tried to coax the ducks with feed to take a look. But they’ve ignored it!

They’ve been broody, however, (on unfertilized eggs), and have been are pretty much fixated on that task. They’re coming out of it now, so Dan filled the tank with water in hopes they’d notice. Ducks are amazing at finding fresh water.

Mrs. #2 Duck checked it out several days later but didn’t stay long. The next afternoon we heard splashing in the pond.

Both ducks took a swim and a bath! They haven’t been interested in their new house, but they usually roost outdoors at night when they aren’t broody. Maybe next egg laying season they’ll like the spot.

That completes the chicken yard project list. Chickens and ducks seem happy with the improvements, and that makes us happy too.