Diy Duck - Step By Step Instructions With Photos, Drawings And Video

2024 Author: Bailey Albertson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 12:53

Do-it-yourself construction and arrangement of a duck shed

Before you have ducklings, you need to determine their number, which is directly related to the area of their placement. Many do not pay attention to this nuance, thinking that the walls and roof are sufficient conditions for keeping the bird. We will tell you about the principles of building a duck house with your own hands, since creating comfortable conditions for birds, in the future, will reward you with good health of pets, the number of eggs laid and the number of chicks.

Content

• 1 General structure of the ducklings. Views

• 2 Preparation for building a house: general information

  • 2.1 Project drawings. Size designation
  • 2.2 The choice of material for the future design and the calculation of its amount
  • 2.3 Required tools

• 3 Step-by-step instructions for building a duck house with your own hands

  • 3.1 How to make perches
  • 3.2 Insulation of the duck shed
  • 3.3 Interior arrangement and equipment of the house for ducks
• 4 Video: a barn for ducklings

The general structure of the ducklings. Views

The construction of the duck house looks like a chicken house. It, like other buildings for birds, provides for manholes with ramps, large windows in the structure, as well as a walking area.

Roofed walking area and raised floors keep birds safe

Ducks have their own physiological characteristics, habits and preferences. Therefore, the conditions of their keeping are different from other birds. Since ducks are waterfowl, they love to spend a lot of time in reservoirs. The ideal option for the construction of a duckhouse would be its location in the immediate vicinity of a pond or river. However, this does not mean that birds will be comfortable living in a place with constant humidity. Despite their love for water, they still need a dry place to sleep. Therefore, as such, they often use small fruit boxes or construct special nests from wood. A distinctive feature of this bird house is that there are no high perch perches. The nests are placed directly on the floor.

The place for walking ducks must be equipped with a sunny side - this will create the most comfortable conditions for their habitation. We must not forget about the canopy, under which the ducks will hide from the rain and heat.

If there is no natural reservoir nearby, then it is equipped right inside the aviary. To do this, use an old bath, dug into the ground, or make a small pond.

Depending on the purpose and materials of manufacture, duck houses differ in types:

1. Capital shed for ducks made of bricks or foam blocks. To erect a structure of this type, laying the foundation is required.
2. Timber structure with timber floor covering the walking area. This building can be erected without a foundation or on a light foundation.
3. Summer option. This type is a structure made of wood, plastic, aluminum or other lightweight materials. Such a structure is assembled for breeding birds for the period of the warm months of the year. Most often it looks like a canopy with a large enclosure. The walking area is made of a chain-link mesh.
4. A summer cottage or portable version is a relatively small structure that is easy to move to a convenient place.

Preparing to build a house: general information

Even such a simple outbuilding requires preparation and planning. If this structure will be erected without a capital foundation, then it is necessary to choose the right place for its construction.

It is better to build a duck shed on a hill. If this is neglected, rainwater will accumulate under the structure, leading to dampness and mold in the room. This will create unfavorable conditions for the life of birds, which can make them sick and even die. To create a suitable surface on the site, you need to make a small hill on which the ducklings will be located in the future. For this, broken brick or coarse gravel is suitable.

Project drawings. Size designation

Before choosing the dimensions of the future building and drawing up drawings, you need to know that you need to allocate an area of 1 m ² for 2-3 ducks. Considering these parameters, all further calculations will be favorable for the construction of a duckhouse, which will provide comfort to the birds.

The most popular material for making a duck shed is wood. If you are building a capital structure, then a frame structure is needed. A convenient option for a shed for keeping ducks would be a structure with a vestibule and an attached area for walking birds.

For keeping from 10 to 15 ducks, 3.5 to 4 m2 ^of area in the barn is enough. In this case, the walking area should be at least 7–7.5 m ². The vestibule available in the drawing is optional, but its presence will make it convenient to store garden tools and bird feed.

The length of the duck shed is 300 cm, the width is 200 cm. The dimensions of the vestibule depend on the amount of material available, the availability of free space on the site and the wishes of the owner. In the presented drawing, its dimensions are 180x175 cm.

Top view of the ducklings

The structure of the barn and the vestibule will be placed under a single roof. A pitched roof is most suitable for this type of construction; accordingly, its height at the top point will be 270 cm, and at the bottom - 170 cm. The duck shed will be equipped with doors and windows.

Side view

It should be noted that the windows in the duckhouse should open both outward and into the room. This is necessary to ventilate the barn without disturbing the birds.

For more comfort in the care and feeding of ducks, the fenced walking area must be equipped with a door. As a rule, this place has walls made of a chain-link mesh fixed to a wooden frame.

The choice of material for the future design and the calculation of its amount

The construction of the duck shed will be carried out from wood: beams, boards, OSB boards, chipboard, fiberboard. It should be noted that the moisture content of the wood should not exceed 22%. These requirements most of all apply to beams and boards, since they form the basis of the frame. The moisture content of a tree is easy to determine using a special moisture meter.

Materials should be free of knots, cracks and traces of damage from insects. The wood must be pre-treated with antifungal impregnation

A well-planned construction project will save you from unforeseen costs in the future. In this regard, it is necessary to make a calculation of the purchased materials. To erect a shed structure, the following materials will be required:

• Bars with a section of 150x150 mm for the manufacture of lower strapping and logs, of which:

  • 2 pcs. - 300 cm long;
  • 5 pieces. - 240 cm each;

• Bars with a section of 100x100 mm, for the manufacture of vertical racks and a roof frame, of which:

  • 2 pcs. - 300 cm long;
  • 5 pieces. - 280 cm each;
  • 5 pieces. - 170 cm each.
• OSB boards, for covering floors, walls and roof structures.
• Bars with a section of 50x100 mm.
• Roofing material.
• Mineral wool.
• Polyurethane foam.
• Expanded polystyrene.
• Formwork boards or asbestos-cement pipes.
• Paint.
• Reinforcing rods with a diameter of 12 mm.
• Asbestos-cement pipes.
• Metal corners and plates.

The floors, roof, internal and external walls of the building will be covered with OSB boards. To have accurate material calculations, it is necessary to determine the area of each side of the building.

In order to find out how much material is required for the side walls of the duck shed, you need to calculate the area of each side separately, and then add their values. Since the sides of this building have an irregular shape, each of them must be reduced to the simplest shapes - a rectangle and a triangle, as shown in the image. This method will allow you to easily and quickly make the necessary calculations. To do this, you need: 1.7 · 2.4 = 4.08 m ² - this is the area of the square without taking into account the canopy; (2.4 1.0): 2 = 1.2 m ² is the area of the assumed triangle (canopy). Now you need to add the values of these figures to get the total area of one side of the duck shed: 4.08 + 1.2 = 5.28 m ². Since there are two of these sides, we double this figure: 5.28 2 = 10.56 m ²…

Having received two simple shapes, it is easy to calculate

Next, you need to calculate the area of the remaining walls. Since this design provides for a pitched roof, the height of the front and rear walls will be different.

To calculate the area of the front side of the duckhouse, you must perform the following steps: 3.0 · 2.7 = 8.1 m ², and the calculation of the area for the back side has the following result: 3.0 · 1.7 = 5.1 m ².

Now you need to add the values of the back, front and sides: 10.56 + 8.1 + 5.1 = 23.76 m ² - this is the total area of all walls of the duck shed.

Since the design provides for two doors and a window, it is necessary to calculate and sum up their areas, and then subtract the resulting figure from the total area of the walls of the duck shed. Each door has the same dimensions - 200x60 cm, and the windows are 60x60 cm. The area is calculated in the same way: (2.0 · 0.6) · 2 = 2.4m ² is the area of two doors; 0.6 0.6 = 0.36 m ² is the window area. Now you need to add these values: 2.4 + 0.36 = 2.76 m ² - this is the total area of both doors and windows.

Then, from the total area of all walls, we subtract the summed result of doors and windows: 23.76-2.76 = 21 m ². However, this figure must be doubled, since the same amount of material will be required to decorate the inner walls of the duck room: 21 + 21 = 42 m ².

Now you need to calculate the floor area. This is done in a similar way: 1.5 · 2.5 = 3.75 m ². The roof area will be 20 cm larger than each side, therefore its dimensions are 340x280 cm. We calculate the roof area: 3.4 · 2.8 = 9.52 m ².

At this stage of the calculations, the values of the areas became known: walls, floor and roof. Now you need to add these numbers: 42 + 3.75 + 9.52 = 55.27 m ² - this is the total area of all calculated surfaces of the duck barn. It is this number of OSB boards that will be required to finish the structure.

Roofing material is used as a waterproofing material in the roof. Its coverage area is 9.52 m ². Also, roofing material will be needed for the manufacture of a waterproofing layer between the foundation and the lower trim. To do this, you need another 2 to 3 m ^{2 of} this material.

Required tools

To build a duck shed, you will need the following tools:

• screw and shovel;
• wooden pegs and cord;
• yardstick;
• large building level (it is better to use from 100 to 200 cm);
• square;
• lead pencil;
• chisel;
• electric drill and screwdriver;
• hacksaw for wood;
• jigsaw;
• concrete mixing apparatus;
• buckets for cement and water;
• electric plane;
• screwdriver;
• a hammer;
• construction plumb line;
• stapler with staples;
• screws, nails, bolts with washers and nuts.

Do-it-yourself step-by-step instructions for building a duckhouse

Any type of duck building is preceded by planning and schematic design. A barn for Indo-girls is a frame structure on a columnar or slab foundation, the construction of which provides for a phased approach. In this regard, it is necessary to understand in more detail the construction of this structure.

When all the necessary materials have been purchased and a place has been selected, you can start construction work:

1. First of all, you need to clear the area and make a markup. For this it is convenient to use wooden stakes with a stretched cord.

   

   Stretched cord creates a perfectly straight line

2. It is necessary to remove about 20 cm of the topsoil along the marked perimeter.
3. Since a columnar foundation was chosen for this structure, it is necessary to dig 10 holes with a depth of 100 cm and a diameter of 30 to 40 cm. It is convenient to do this with a screw shovel. The distance between the holes should be 75 cm.
4. The bottom of each hole must be covered with sand and tamped to form a layer 10 cm thick. It should be noted that wet sand is more suitable for creating this layer.
5. Then it is necessary to make the formwork for the future pillar. As such, you can use roofing material rolled into a pipe. The best option would be to use asbestos-cement pipes of the appropriate diameter.

6. To strengthen the future concrete pillar, a metal frame must be placed inside the pipe. For each well, use 4 reinforcing rods with a diameter of 12 mm. From these rods, it is necessary to make a frame structure using the wire as a fixture. The asbestos-cement pipe should rise 20 cm above ground level, and the metal rods should be 25 cm higher than the formwork.

   

   The metal frame inside the pipe will stiffen the concrete base

7. The gaps between the asbestos-cement pipe and the walls of the holes must be covered with sand and tamped.
8. Now you can start pouring concrete into the prepared pipes with reinforcement. For this it is necessary to use concrete grade M 200.
9. After pouring concrete, it takes time for it to harden. This will happen in two weeks. Cover its open areas from direct sunlight, as they adversely affect the hardening process. This can crack the pillar. In extreme heat, the first 3-4 days, concrete must be watered 2-3 times a day. This will also help preserve the integrity of the column while the mixture solidifies.
10. After the specified time has elapsed and the base for the shed has completely solidified, you can proceed to further construction work. The next step will be to install the lower trim of the frame structure. To do this, you need to use bars with a section of 150x150 mm: 2 pieces 300 cm long and 5 pieces 240 cm long.

11. Make a frame of the frame of the lower harness, as shown in the figure. Connect the joints of the beams in the "half-wood" way, fixing each of them on 4 screws. Before installation, all wooden frame elements must be treated with an antiseptic. To do this, use drying oil, which is applied in two layers. Drill grooves in the wooden frame for protruding reinforcement fragments. Put a double layer of roofing material on the concrete pillars. Lay the wooden frame of the lower strapping on top. Along the length of the perimeter of the lower harness, fix the beams with a section of 150x150 mm, which are fixed at the joints in the "half-wood" way, at a distance of 45 cm from each other.

    

    Self-tapping screws will additionally strengthen the frame at the joints

12. Now you can proceed to the construction of the structure frame, namely, to the installation of vertical racks. To do this, you need beams with a section of 100x100 mm. First, you need to install a rack in each corner of the future structure. Drill holes from the end side of each bar for fragments of reinforcement from the posts.

13. Install the props according to the dimensions for a pitched roof. For greater reliability, metal corners should be used, which will secure the bottom of the rack with the lower harness. It is also necessary to make struts for the vertical elements of the frame. It is made of 100x100 mm beams. Cut the ends of the braces at an angle of 45 degrees and attach them to the rack and bottom harness using bolts and nuts. In this case, be sure to use washers before tightening the nut.

    

    Metal corners and braces make the structure stronger

14. At this stage, doors, window frames, and horizontal frame elements are installed. All this will further strengthen the structure.

15. When all uprights with struts have been installed, the top rail should be installed. For this it is necessary to use beams with a section of 50x100 mm. They need to be fixed with metal corners and self-tapping screws, between each rack, at a height of 200 cm from the bottom strapping. Each piece of wood of the upper trim is connected to the risers in a "butt-joint" manner.

    

    The structure is ready for installation of the rafter system and roof

16. Now you need to go to the manufacture of rafters. It is more convenient to assemble this frame on the ground. To do this, you need to use beams with a section of 50x100 mm: 2 x 340 cm long, and 5 x 280 cm.

17. Place the assembled structure on the frame. Connect the joints of wooden elements in the "half-wood" way, as well as with the help of metal plates and corners.

    

    When finishing the roof, instead of OSB boards, you can use a sheathing of boards

18. When the frame of the future duck shed is ready, you need to move on to finishing the walls and roof of the building. To do this, use OSB boards. They must be fixed to the frame (from the outside) with self-tapping screws. For convenience, it is better to use a screwdriver. The gaps between the plates should not be left, or they should be made as small as possible. Fill the existing gaps with polyurethane foam. Carry out the same actions with the roof and floor frame.

    

    OSB boards - a convenient finishing material

19. Now you need to waterproof the surfaces of the walls, roof and floor. Currently, bitumen mastic has found wide popularity for these purposes. For its application, a molar roller is required, and when it dries, it forms a reliable elastic waterproofing layer.

20. Apply bituminous mastic to the outside of OSB wall and roof slabs. Carry out the same actions with OSB floor boards.

    

    When hardened, bitumen mastic is very strong and elastic

21. After the bitumen has dried, fix the plates on the self-tapping screws so that the waterproofing layer is on the outside.

22. Now you need to insulate the building. Mineral wool is used as a heater. It must be laid from the floor upwards. It is not recommended to compress it, as it may lose its heat-insulating qualities. To prevent mineral slabs from falling out, it is convenient to fix them with horizontal thin slats.

    

    Mineral wool is easy to install into walls due to its shape

23. When all the inner surfaces of the walls and ceiling are insulated, you can proceed to insulating the floor. To do this, it is necessary to install wooden logs from boards with a section of 40x150 mm on top of the OSB boards. These bars should be parallel and no more than 60 cm apart. Wooden elements of the logs must be fixed to the floor and frame parts using metal corners and self-tapping screws. Then the areas between the lags must be filled with granular expanded clay. In this case, a layer of insulation with a thickness of 10 to 15 cm should be covered, since a smaller amount will negatively affect the overall thermal insulation. Expanded clay must be leveled so that it does not rise above the upper edge of the logs. After that, a layer of thick polyethylene is attached to them using a construction stapler. On top of it, OSB plates are attached to the logs with self-tapping screws.

    

    Expanded clay will reliably protect ducks from low temperatures

24. Then, it is necessary to attach polyethylene on top of the mineral wool to the walls and ceiling. This is done to create a vapor barrier in the room. The entire inner surface of the walls and ceiling is covered with OSB boards, which are attached with self-tapping screws.
25. The outer walls of the barn also need to be finished. To do this, you can simply paint the walls or additionally insulate with foam and cement.
26. The roof top must be covered with slate or other roofing material. Now the duck house is ready for the interior arrangement.

How to make perches

Ducks need roosting nests. The nest for ducks has dimensions of 40x40x40 cm. They are made from boards or thick plywood. The entrance to the perch should be equipped with a 15 cm wide board. One space is enough to accommodate 2 to 3 ducks. These boxes are connected so that a single frame is obtained from nests attached to each other. The resulting structure must be installed on the floor.

The roost making process is extremely simple.

Duck feeders are manufactured in accordance with the diagram below.

The feeder is easy to build yourself

Building a summer version of a duck shed involves creating a seasonal design that can be easily disassembled if necessary. At the same time, it is a capital structure, but it may not have a foundation. The method of its manufacture is similar to that described above with the only difference that lighter materials can be used in it.

The suburban version is more compact, as a rule, designed for several ducks. This design is often equipped with handles or wheels for ease of movement. Such a structure looks like a small wooden box with an entrance for birds. A frame covered with mesh is attached to it. The process of making a summer cottage version of a duck house is very simple. It resembles the construction of a box.

Insulation of a duck shed

The following materials are popular as insulation for the poultry house:

1. Mineral wool.
2. Styrofoam.
3. Cardboard.
4. expanded clay.

Mineral wool. This material has become popular due to its relatively low price and ease of installation. Mineral wool is produced industrially. It comes on sale in the form of a rectangular package with several plates or in rolls. During installation, it requires the installation of waterproofing layers. Positive criteria for this material include:

• the material does not retain steam, but does not allow moisture to pass through. Thanks to this property, the ducklings will be protected from moisture;
• has low thermal conductivity;
• Rock wool will provide the house with a moderate air intake. This feature is called "breathing walls" by many;
• conducts sound insulation well;
• refers to materials with a relative fire resistance. Cotton wool is non-flammable;
• the material is safe to use. At high temperatures, it does not emit harmful substances;
• has a long service life - from 25–55 years;
• walls insulated with mineral wool are preferred by rodents less than styrofoam.

The disadvantages of using mineral wool for insulating ducklings include the following:

• with a direct hit of water, it immediately loses its properties;
• when compressed, cotton wool poorly restores its original shape, which is why it loses its heat-insulating properties;
• over time, the material wrinkles.

Polyfoam is the next most popular material. It goes on sale in the form of plates of various thicknesses and sizes. Polyfoam is an inexpensive material, so it has found wide application in the insulation of poultry houses. Polyfoam has its positive and negative qualities. The advantages of using it include the following criteria:

• to create a reliable heat-insulating layer, 6 to 10 cm of this material is enough. A 10 cm layer of foam is equal in terms of thermal insulation to a 100 cm thick concrete wall.
• the material is lightweight, which significantly affects the speed of installation and ease of delivery;
• it is convenient to use it to insulate not only walls, but also floors, basements of buildings, ceilings and roofs.

The disadvantages of using foam as insulation include:

• its flammability and flammability. This drawback is one of the main ones, therefore, before insulating the duck with this material, you need to take care of high-quality electrical insulation;
• When ignited, the foam gives off hazardous substances and corrosive smoke.

Cardboard. The idea of insulating the duck with cardboard is not new. It is almost easy to find used cardboard boxes that are simply thrown away. If we consider this material as a heater, then you can find more disadvantages than advantages. The disadvantages of cardboard, as a material for ducklings, are:

• it absorbs moisture very quickly, which is why it crumples;
• emits an unpleasant odor when wet;
• itself very poorly retains heat;
• after a short use as a wall insulation, it is a positive breeding ground for mold, fungi and infection.

If we talk about the advantages of using cardboard, then:

• it can be purchased for free;
• it protects well from dry wind.

Considering these criteria, we can conclude that cardboard is inappropriate to use as insulation for ducklings.

Expanded clay is a heat-insulating material consisting of foamed and fired clay. It is used as a bulk insulation. The benefits of using it include the following:

• its ecological purity;
• low price;
• a light weight.

The disadvantages of expanded clay as insulation include the following features:

• the material is afraid of moisture;
• to create high-quality thermal insulation, it is necessary to pour a thick layer of material (at least 10 cm);
• cannot be used as the main insulation. When using expanded clay, it is imperative to use a log, vapor barrier and waterproofing.

Home improvement and equipment for ducks

There must be a window in the structure of the duckhouse. It is better if it is located on the south side. When sunlight enters the room, the health of the ducks improves, which is directly related to their egg production and the survival of the young.

To maintain the light regime, in winter, the shed is equipped with artificial lighting. If the area of the duck room is 10 m ², then lighting from a 100 W lamp is sufficient, provided that it is located no higher than 2 m from the floor. The duration of illumination of the duck house should be on average from 14 to 16 hours.

Although ducks are waterfowl, their health is extremely unstable to drafts and freezing. In this regard, ventilation must be done above the floor level. This is extremely important as bacteria and molds will develop in the house if the air is not properly ventilated. This will significantly affect the health of the ducks, which will make them sick.

Ducks will feel comfortable in such a shed.

The floors in the duckhouse must first be treated with lime, and then covered with a thick layer of hay or sawdust. Especially this needs to be paid attention to when arranging nests. They should be filled with a thicker layer of litter.

It should be noted that at low temperatures inside the ducklings, birds will consume more feed. The increased temperature also has a detrimental effect on the health of birds, which is why they can overheat and die. In this case, a temperature of 38 to 40 ºС will be dangerous to health. It should be optimal: for ducklings from 20 to 22 ºС, for adults - from 7 to 14 ºС, therefore there should always be a thermometer in the duck house.

An important point will be to maintain optimal indoor humidity, which should be from 60 to 70%.

Video: duck shed

Creating comfortable conditions for ducks will have a positive effect on bird health. It is quite within the power of anyone to build or convert a shed into a poultry house without outside help. This will create conditions not only for an increase in the number of ducks, but can also serve as a basis for entrepreneurship in this area.