triangle: duckling accommodations

in mid-october, 2017, a couple of weeks before the new ducklings arrived, i began work on an addition to the duck shed that would serve as transitional housing for the ducklings once they were out of the brooder and getting used to outdoor life before being integrated with the existing flock.

the addition is built on to the north wall of the main shed.

10/23/2017 framing completed

10/25/2017 with metal roof and 1/2'' hardware cloth covering walls

10/31/2017 corrugated metal walls and trim affixed

front of main shed and west wall of addition (unpainted section on the left)

being situated on the north side of the main shed limited the light inside the addition so i cut some windows in the shared wall to let the light coming through the main shed into the addition.

upper window allows light in from main shed, lower window allows the two flocks to see eachother

11/01/2017

not much roof overhang so i tacked up an old polycarbonate greenhouse door to help keep it warm and dry inside (i've put burlap up under the polycarbonate panels since the below picture was taken).

seems around this time i took a bit of a break on the construction, the ducklings had arrived on the 1st of november and i was pretty busy settling into a new schedule to accommodate their care. i got the door built by mid-november (the ducklings would have been 2 weeks old then).

11/14/2017 door framed and covered with 1/2'' hardware cloth

also 11/14/2017 door hung and corrugated metal on door front

slide bolt to keep door securely closed at night

once the shed addition was finished i started working to make the run around the shed more secure. it was already fenced but it was open to the sky so it didn't offer protection from predators that climb or fly. i got an idea for running steel cables across it in a wide grid to support a sort of a roof of chicken wire.

outer gate of duckling run

inside duckling run looking up at steel wire support grid

inside duckling run looking up at chicken wire attached to steel support cables

the ducklings were still spending nights in the house but i had them out with me during the day so they could supervise my work.

looking into duckling run from above with chicken wire mostly attached

with the first bunch of ducklings back in 2015 outdoor heat wasn't necessary when they left the brooder because it was summer. with this bunch going from 60 degree nights in an unheated brooder in the house to 30 degree nights outdoors i felt it would be good to set them up with a little supplemental heating until they finished growing feathers and got a chance to get acclimated. i started out building a hover but ended up building a box with a hole in its roof that allows a ceramic heat bulb with reflector to be lowered or raised through it.

12/11/2017 underside of hover

12/11/2017 upper side of hover

boxed hover in duckling shed

non-light emitting ceramic heat bulb with reflector powered by an extension cord running from the outside of the greenhouse

with the top of the run secured and supplemental heating in place i felt it would be safe and comfortable enough for the ducklings to move outdoors.

outdoor duckies safe from the hawk they've spotted high above, first night outside 12/23/2017

at this point i felt one more safety measure needed to be addressed. staal helped me dig-proof the perimeter of the run. we dug a trench around the outer perimeter, laid some chain link fencing into it, buried it and secured it to the bottom of the fence.

older ducks inspecting the trench and gleaning upturned earthworms

chainlink fencing in trench and partially buried

staal wove the chainlink and the bottom of the fence together with some steel cable (the same cable i used to support the chicken wire over the top of the run).