The Puddleduck Duck House and Keeping Ducks

The ducks that live on the FSF pond are a particular favourite of mine. From the Cayuga / Cherry Valley crosses that hatched out last year, to our old Saxony mallard, there is something about their mocking quacks and waddling shuffles, that I find most endearing.

Recently we have had a lot of calls from people looking to add a few ducks to their back garden flock. They are however very different from chickens and have a few differing requirements to keep them happy and quacking away.

Puddleduck Duck House

Ducks if confined to a small area will quickly make mud. A lot of mud. However, equally they will wander far and wide given half a chance.  Ducks do not also necessarily need a large pond to keep them happy, breeds like Runner Ducks only require a large washing up bowl size of water in which to dunk themselves. Here are a few pros and cons to keeping ducks

Pros

• Ducks have great character and are very amusing to watch.
• Most breads only require a small amount of water to be happy.
• Certain breeds of duck are prolific egg layers, laying right through the winter months.
• Ducks tend not to suffer red mite. There feathers are too thick and oiled to attract the chicken pest.
• Excellent destroyer of garden pests like slugs and bugs.
• They will lay eggs anywhere.

Cons

• Ducks are messy. If kept in an area of your garden they will turn it to mud.
• Ducks require plenty of fresh water for cleaning and bathing. You have to regularly change this water to avoid disease. 
• Certain breeds of ducks can be very noisy, i.e Call Ducks. 
• They will lay eggs anywhere.

FSF Ducks

One of the most popular Duck Houses, that we make here in the Flyte so Fancy workshop, is the Puddleduck Duck House. Made from our high quality Scandinavian Redwood timber they are durable enough to stand up to a ducks messy life style, while looking charming and natural within a garden or by a pond.

The Puddleduck Duck House is ideal for people looking to add one or two waterfowl to the family. It suits Call Ducks and Ornamental Ducks or Mallards, whilst the large Puddleduck Duck House will house two Aylesbury-size ducks or two Indian Runners.  With a large entrance door on the front, the access ramp also doubles up as a predator proof door once shut. The hinged roof of the Puddleduck also allows access right into the house, making cleaning incredibly easy.

Flyte so Fancy Duck Lodge

Being messier than the average chicken, you will want to make sure you put down a thicker layer of bedding for ducks, remember they do not perch like a chicken would. The Puddleduck Duck House also comes with ventilation grills in the back. Not minding if they track mud in with them, as well as other mess, a duck house requires good solid ventilation.

Like chickens, you should never keep just one duck and certain breeds are good layers, providing a good quantity of eggs all year around. Ducks require water for cleaning themselves, especially for dunking their heads so they can wash their eyes and there are specific feeds for waterfowl available (although ours here at Flyte so Fancy are quite happy to eat Layers Pellets with the hens).

Keeping a few ducks can be a great addition to a flock and they have such wonderful laid back characters, that you will quickly become a favourite, just like the FSF ducks are to me.

If you have any questions about duck housing or the things you'll need for keeping ducks, please leave a comment below or call us on 01300 345229 to talk to a member of the FSF team.


Thanks for Reading
James