The Duck House

We were on our second visit to K’s farm and there was the need for a house for K’s ducks, hence the Duck House in the title of this post. She already had a chicken house up on the hill and now it was time for the ducks to get a roof over their heads. So after settling in I started to rummaged around the farm collecting bits and pieces to see what was possible without buying anything. It looked promising and over the course of the next days I had brought together...

1. four pieces of 3ply panelling each roughly 130cm square for the walls
2. odd pieces of particleboard for the floor, will be known from now on as the “duck floor”
3. a roll of tar felt roofing just enough to go round the outside and a bit for the floor inside to keep the rain out
4. tons of angle brackets to hold everything in place
5. 4by4 for the corner posts
6. 2by4 for a sledge like contraption
7. two pieces of corrugated roofing
8. a rather small wooden door
9. chicken mesh wire
10. odd bits of wood
11. a small kitchen cupboard

There was lots of improvisation along the way, as well as sun burn, backache, sweat and general fatigue. The weather was hot and sunny somewhat usual for the region.
The overall size was dictated by the four 3ply pamelling so I started with the walls. I had to allow a way in and out, would be a little daft otherwise.
The problem was to be flexible with access. For the ducks we wanted to keep the entrance relatively small, but for mucking out, the door needed to be much larger so K could get in and out. So I combined both together.

First I cut a hole in one wall the size of the small door. Removed the wooden cross from the window and used the spokes on the ramp for better wadding up.
Cut from the leftovers from the wall a small panel slighly larger that the size of the window so it could be used as the ramp for the ducks and when closed as a door. I also added a magnetic cabinet door catch to make sure it was easy to open and stay closed when needed.
The double door was inverted so that the ducks didn’t have to fly but waddle up and in. All multifunctional worked quite well, a door in a door.
At each stage of construction I went on an expedition into the darkest regions of the milking parlour in Indiana Jones like style donning my Akubra ok my Walaru and uncovering rusting farm implements of a bygone age.

I secured the four walled frame on to the duck floor, the floor boards were not that hard as they were slightly weather beaten and therefore a little softish and would give some insulation for the ducks.
The roll of tar felt was also weather beaten at one end, it had turned white and was crumbling. A few more years and it would have disintergrated completely. Like most things on the farm being exposed to the elements for years.
There was enough felt to seal the floor so that it would with luck hold back most of the damp creeping up from the field. The rest went around twice. As it was not wide enough the first rounds went around at the bottom and the rest around at the top overlapping most of the bottom part with the white crumbly edge pointing down.
The two bits of corrugated roofing being by nature corrugated wouldn’t flush with the walls, so we added ventilation by adding 2by1 along two sides.
To stop the rats getting in (and out) I nailed over the gaps with chicken wire mesh; this gave ventilation as well as being rat proof, all mod con. I also raised one side slightly to allow the rain to run off. Although on the hill there is nothing level so I doubt if it was needed, artistic licence I suppose.

The size inside was ok, I tried it out, it was, lets say roomy, but lacked any duck furniture.
We needed to allow the ducks to move around and also have a “private” space however cramped it might get, and so after another rummage around the ancient milking parlour we uncovered a small kitchen cupboard.

Anyway it looked surprisingly good. I dismantled it and was left with a sort of double “box”. I hinged a white board at the back so it could be raised (minus ducks) for again mucking out. Added two small strips as side panels, so any eggs laid would not roll off. Pure theory as only two sides were covered, and on the last side a ramp to the first floor.

I fitted the duck box into the duck house. Of course before fitting the roof. I wouldn't have got inside otherwise. Millie was a little reluctent to enter, but her curiosity got the better of her and then she couldn't keep away.

I must admit I was just not up to so much physical exercise in one go! All this manual labour was getting to me; I was knackered in the evenings and slept like a rock, all the fresh air was tiring. Really, only my legs were a problem due to my CVI, back ache kept itself in the ‘back’- ground.
Anyway this all means I had a devil of a time getting down on my knees or even lower when sitting / swotting on the ground and have another devil at the ready when trying to get up again.

I tried to lift one end of the duck house following completion no luck, far too heavy. My only worry was that it would sink into the ground in rainy weather, something not uncommon in Wales.
It was fun and a challenge to build without a proper plan. That it held together was no real wonder, I must have used a ton of screws, nails, nuts and bolts, it may have been mostly made of wood, but I suspect with a strong enough magnet, I’d got it moving.

I’m glad I made it so solid. So that the duck house could be hauled up on the hill I build a quasi sledge using 2by4s. It had to be off the ground anyway so it could be pulled around the field and anchored in different positions. We didn’t have the chance while we were there to get it up on to the field.
It turned out later that the ground was too wet at the bottom of the field to pull it over; it just got bogged down. It was finally picked up by Polly the Tractor and carried up the hill without it falling apart.
How long it will last time will tell.